Railroad Commissioner Jim Wright is pleased to announce that Aaron Krejci has joined the team as the new Director of Public Affairs.

“I’m excited to have Aaron join my team,” said Commissioner Wright. “His experience in Congress and the Executive Branch to reform and streamline regulations will be an asset to my office and the Commission. I’d also like to thank Kate Zaykowski for her dedication and tireless work during our time together, and I wish her well in the next chapter of her career.”

Prior to joining Commissioner Wright’s office, Krejci served in the Trump Administration where he worked to promote the Administration’s regulatory reform agenda at the federal and state level, most recently as the Southwest Regional Representative for the U.S. Department of Labor. A native of Plano, Texas, Krejci is a graduate of Texas Tech University with a degree in Political Science.

Source: www.rrc.texas.gov

The RRC’s mission to protect neighborhoods around Texas extends to helping residents and excavators identify the vast network of underground utilities they need to pay attention to.

Pipelines and other important underground utilities can easily be severed when unsuspecting individuals dig haphazardly, potentially risking harm. The RRC works with Texas 811 to highlight the critical importance of calling 811 before digging.

Calling 811 is required by law. By doing so, utility locators will come to your property free of charge and mark areas that should not be dug into. Today, Aug. 11, is the National 811 Day, a reminder of the value of the service.

Since the Railroad Commission’s Pipeline Damage Prevention program started on Sept. 1, 2007, the state has made significant progress in reducing incidents resulting in pipeline damage. Pipeline damage is not as common as it used to be because people are calling before digging. In 2008, there were 6.44 pipeline damage incidents per 1,000 requests to locate underground utilities. In 2020, the number has dropped to 2.5 incidents per 1,000 requests to locate.

Throughout the year, RRC staff attends outreach to ensure the public understands the law and avoids tragic encounters with pipelines. Staff has attended 51 such events, virtually or in-person, so far this fiscal year.

“While pipelines are the safest means to transport hydrocarbons, they must remain intact to efficiently carry out their intended purpose,” said Ryan Hejl, the Railroad Commission’s Pipeline Damage Prevention Manager. “It’s not just pipelines that could be under the ground at people’s homes. There could also be water and sewer lines, electric cables, and other utilities. It’s better to call 811 before moving a bunch of dirt and potentially hurting yourself.”

Texas homeowners, excavators, and contractors are required to call 811 at least two days before digging. The caller tells the location of the dig, and affected pipeline and utility companies in the area will send locators to the dig site to mark the approximate location of buried lines with flags or paint.

A request to locate can also be made via the Texas811 website at https://www.texas811.org/.

Source: www.rrc.texas.gov

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration today issued updated guidance to help employers protect workers from the coronavirus. The updated guidance reflects developments in science and data, including the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s updated COVID-19 guidance issued July 27.

The updated guidance expands information on appropriate measures for protecting workers in higher-risk workplaces with mixed-vaccination status workers, particularly for industries such as manufacturing; meat, seafood and poultry processing; high volume retail and grocery; and agricultural processing, where there is often prolonged close contact with other workers and/or non-workers.

OSHA’s latest guidance:

• Recommends that fully vaccinated workers in areas of substantial or high community transmission wear masks in order to protect unvaccinated workers;
• Recommends that fully vaccinated workers who have close contacts with people with coronavirus wear masks for up to 14 days unless they have a negative coronavirus test at least 3-5 days after such contact;
• Clarifies recommendations to protect unvaccinated workers and other at-risk workers in manufacturing, meat and poultry processing, seafood processing and agricultural processing; and
• Links to the latest guidance on K-12 schools and CDC statements on public transit.

OSHA continues to emphasize that vaccination is the optimal step to protect workers and encourages employers to engage with workers and their representatives to implement multi-layered approaches to protect unvaccinated or otherwise at-risk workers from the coronavirus.

As part of the agency’s ongoing commitment to review the COVID-19 Healthcare Emergency Temporary Standard every 30-days, OSHA also said that the safeguards set forth by the standard remain more important than ever. After reviewing the latest guidance, science and data, and consulting with the CDC and partners, OSHA has determined the requirements of the healthcare ETS remain necessary to address the grave danger of the coronavirus in healthcare. OSHA will continue to monitor and assess the need for changes in the healthcare ETS each month.

Our priority is the safety and health of workers, and we will continue to enforce the law to ensure workers are protected from the virus while they are on the job, including through OSHA’s National Emphasis Program on COVID.

Source: www.osha.gov

El centro de jóvenes Waco Center for Youth celebrará una feria de trabajo el viernes 13 de agosto, con el fin de contratar a candidatos calificados para más de 100 puestos vacantes.

El centro ofrecerá bonificaciones de hasta 5,000 dólares para enfermeros registrados, enfermeros vocacionales con licencia y asistentes de enfermería psiquiátrica calificados.

“Trabajar con adolescentes requiere compasión y cada día es gratificante a su manera”, dijo Chuck Russell, director del centro para jóvenes Waco Center for Youth. “Cuando dedica su carrera a cambiar las vidas de los jóvenes, le sorprenderán a menudo y tendrán un impacto positivo en su vida”.

El centro ofrece tratamiento psiquiátrico residencial a adolescentes con trastornos emocionales o conductuales graves.

Para ayudar a prevenir la propagación del COVID-19, se requerirá el uso de mascarillas y distanciamiento social en la feria de trabajo y el personal también seguirá las normas de seguridad de los CDC.

Qué: Evento de contratación para varios puestos vacantes en el centro para jóvenes Waco Center for Youth

Cuándo: Viernes 13 de agosto, de 9:00 a.m. a 2:00 p.m.

Dónde: Heart of Texas Goodwill Resource Center, 1700 S. New Rd., Waco

Los solicitantes de empleo deberán presentar documentos I-9 aceptables(link is external) para poder obtener una oferta de trabajo en el momento. Si reciben una oferta, deberán pasar una verificación de antecedentes antes de empezar a trabajar.

Salud y Servicios Humanos de Texas, que administra 10 hospitales estatales, incluido el centro para jóvenes Waco Center for Youth, ofrece seguro médico y dental, oportunidades de promoción profesional, capacitación laboral remunerada, y vacaciones y permisos por enfermedad pagados.

Source: www.hhs.texas.gov