“Rock Your Boat” Campaign Urges Boater Education to Reduce Fatalities, Injuries on Texas Waterways this Summer

With fatalities on Texas waterways up 40 percent in the first quarter of 2021, Texas boaters are being urged to take boater education before heading to lakes and rivers this Memorial Day. Texas Parks and Wildlife Department is launching a “Rock Your Boat” campaign urging boater education to help reduce fatalities and injuries on Texas waterways.

“We want people to enjoy Texas’ waterways this summer and ensure they are prepared before they head out to the lakes and rivers,” said Cody Jones, Assistant Commander for Marine Enforcement at the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department (TPWD). “Of fatalities and accidents in 2020, on average more than 60 percent of boat operators had not completed a mandated boater safety course.”

To operate a personal watercraft or a boat with a 15-horsepower rating or more, anyone born on or after Sept. 1, 1993, must complete a boater education course. TPWD offers online resources for a wide range of boater education and safety training, including a free online paddle craft safety course, on the TPWD Boater Education web page.

“Boater education is key to helping reduce accidents and fatalities on the water,” said Kimberly Sorensen, Boating Education manager at TPWD. “As we enter boating season, we ask you all to ‘Rock Your Boat.’”

Five safety tips to “Rock Your Boat” on the water include: wearing a life jacket, avoiding alcohol, watching your kids and others around you, use the engine cut-off switch, and ensuring all know how to swim.

“The most common boating accident types in 2020 involved boat collisions on waterways, fixed object collision, being struck by a vessel, collision with a recreational vehicle, capsizing, flooding/swamping, and falling overboard were the top seven boating incidents and accident types across on Texas waterways,” Jones said. “More than 70 percent of boating accidents were on open motorboats or personal watercraft.  The months of May through August traditionally have the highest numbers of injuries and fatalities statewide, with weekends seeing the peak figures.”

Accidents on the water happen fast. U.S. Coast Guard statistics show that drowning was the reported cause of death in 79 percent of recreational boating fatalities in 2019, and that 86 percent of those who drowned were not wearing a flotation device.

“Life jacket wear on the water is imperative to safety, enjoyment and returning from your weekend without incident, or worse, losing someone you care about,” said Sorensen. “When choosing a life jacket, ensure that it has the ability to support your size and weight and is approved by the U.S. Coast Guard. The U.S. Coast Guard requires one wearable life jacket for each person on board that fits them.”

Important safety precautions recommended by TPWD include checking the weather before heading to the water, learning to swim, check equipment, plan, use an engine cut-off switch, and know where you are going.

“Other important precautions Texans should take on the water include traveling at safe speeds, ensuring you have functioning water-proof communication devices (and backup devices), never boat under the influence, and know the rules of the waterway beforehand,” said Sorensen.

For more information about boating safety, laws, and requirements, visit TPWD’s boating laws website. The public is encouraged to check with the managing authority of the waterbody they intend to visit for any local ordinances still in place. All boating laws are still in effect.

Source: pwd.texas.gov

Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) will host a Hiring Event for Bus Operators on Wednesday, May 26, from 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m. at the DART East Dallas Bus Operations Facility at 201 N. Peak Street in Dallas. (Note: Free, limited parking available in the DART garage at 200 N. Peak Street on a first-come, first-serve basis.)

With DART’s redesigned bus network scheduled to launch in January of 2022, providing greater frequency and longer hours, as well as better access to jobs, DART is hiring passionate and motivated Bus Student Operators in preparation for the planned increase in service. DART is proud to be an Equal Employment Opportunity Employer, supporting diversity in the workplace.

At the event, job seekers will have the opportunity to meet with DART staff and interview on the spot. It is recommended that candidates complete their applications online (Bus Student Operator) to expedite their interviews, but there will also be an opportunity to apply on-site at the event. The DART East Dallas Bus Facility is served by DART Bus Route 409.

DART offers employees a competitive salary and benefits package, including:

• Paid training for CDL licensing
• Health, vision, dental, life and AD&D insurance
• Medical coverage after 30 days
• Retirement plan
• 401K
• Wellness Program
• DART paid training begins at $17.60/hour; after successful completion of training, pay will increase to $20.31/hour
• Opportunities for advancement

The full job description for the DART Bus Student Operator position can be found here. An overview of the DART benefits programs can be found on the DART website.

Source: dart.org

Shell Petroleum N.V. has signed an agreement with Malampaya Energy XP Pte Ltd (a subsidiary of Udenna Corporation), for the sale of its 100% shareholding in Shell Philippines Exploration B.V. (SPEX). SPEX holds a 45% operating interest in Service Contract 38 (SC38), which includes the producing Malampaya gas field. The base consideration for the sale is US$380 million, with additional payments of up to US$80 million between 2022 to 2024 contingent on asset performance and commodity prices. Subject to partner and regulatory consent, the transaction is targeted to complete by the end of 2021.

“Since it began commercial operations in 2002, Malampaya has supplied a significant portion of the Philippines’ energy demand and it will continue powering the country with indigenous gas following a safe transition of the asset and its experienced workforce,” said Wael Sawan, Shell’s Upstream Director. “Today’s announcement is consistent with Shell’s efforts to shift our Upstream portfolio to one that is focused on nine core positions.”

SPEX staff will continue their employment under the new ownership, providing continuity and contributing to ongoing operational reliability and safety. Malampaya and its staff have made significant contributions to the Philippines and to the local community over the past two decades and are expected to continue playing an important role in providing energy for the Philippines.

This deal has no impact on other Shell businesses in the country. The Philippines remains an important country for Shell after over a century of successful operations. Shell will continue to pursue opportunities in the Philippines where it can leverage its global expertise in line with its strategy.

Source: www.shell.com

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration is proposing updates in the handrail and stair rail system requirements for its general industry, Walking-Working Surfaces standard.

OSHA published a final rule on walking-working surfaces and personal protective equipment in November 2016 that updated requirements for slip, trip, and fall hazards. The agency has received numerous questions asking when handrails are required, and about the height requirements for handrails on stairs and stair rail systems.

This proposed rule does not reopen for discussion any of the regulatory decisions made in the 2016 rulemaking. It focuses solely on clarifying some of the requirements for handrails and stair rail systems finalized in 2016, and on providing flexibility in the transition to OSHA’s newer requirements.

Follow the online instructions at the Federal eRulemaking portal to submit comments. Submit comments by July 19. For more information, read the Federal Register notice.

Learn more about OSHA’s General Industry Walking-Working Surfaces and Fall Protection Standards.

Source: www.osha.gov

Governor Greg Abbott today announced that the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (HHSC) has received approval from the U.S. Department of Agriculture for the second round of federal Pandemic Electronic Benefits Transfer (P-EBT) food benefits for families with children who have temporarily lost access to free or reduced-price school meals due to COVID-19 during the 2020-2021 school year.

P-EBT provides a benefit of up to $1,200 per child for the school year. The amount of the benefit is based on the school the child attends and is determined by the number of days that most students at that school received remote instruction during the 2020-2021 school year. P-EBT benefits can be used in the same way as Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) food benefits to pay for groceries. The administration of P-EBT is a joint effort by HHSC, the Texas Department of Agriculture (TDA), and the Texas Education Agency (TEA).

“Thank you to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for approving this second round of pandemic food benefits for Texas families,” said Governor Abbott. “These additional benefits will continue to help Texans provide food for their families. I thank our state partners at HHSC, TEA, and TDA for working together to secure these benefits and administering them quickly to families across the state.”

“These additional food benefits are a lifeline and will go a long way to help many Texas families put nutritious food on the table,” said HHS Executive Commissioner Cecile Erwin Young. “We’ve worked closely with our many state and federal partners and we’re thankful to get this program off the ground so we can help people during this challenging time.”

In this second round of P-EBT, HHSC received federal approval to provide more than $2.5 billion in benefits to approximately 3.7 million eligible children in Texas. The first round of P-EBT was distributed last summer and provided more than $1 billion in food benefits to more than 3 million children.

P-EBT is for families with children who are certified for free or reduced-price meals through the National School Lunch Program and families with children born after Aug. 1, 2014, who receive SNAP food benefits.

Most families who receive SNAP benefits do not need to apply and will automatically receive P-EBT benefits on their Lone Star Card by May 28. Families who received SNAP benefits for the first time during the 2020-2021 school year in May or June 2021 and have children born on or before Aug. 1, 2014, need to apply.

Families who have children certified for free or reduced-price meals, or attended a school defined as a Community Eligibility Provision or Provision II school and received meals at no cost, during the 2020-2021 school year but did not receive SNAP benefits will need to apply. Families that need to apply will receive a notification from their school district by June 2 which will include eligibility information and how to access the application. To ensure timely and accurate issuance of benefits, a Social Security number or School Identification Number must be submitted for each child in public school on the application. The application will be open from June 2 to August 13, and applications will be processed in the order they are received. After completing the application, families eligible for a benefit amount will receive benefits on a new P-EBT Card in the mail.

Visit hhs.texas.gov/pebt or call the P-EBT Call Center at 833-442-1255 to learn more.

Source: gov.texas.gov