There’s a lot going on in the world, and it can be hard to stay on top of everything. So, here’s five things you need to know that you might have missed this week.
1. Food Safety Inspections Casualty of US Govt Shutdown
There's a lot of US government work not happening right now, as politicians in Washington D.C. fail to come to a deal over the budget. TSA workers are turning up without pay, and there's serious questions about when the funding for food stamps and other essential welfare programs will run out. Some of the operations of government are easy to take for granted, but without them could cause serious public health issues. Like FDA routine inspections of fruits, vegetables, seafood and food processing. Inspections have stopped because it can't afford to fund them.
According to the New York Times, F.D.A. inspectors normally examine operations at about 160 domestic manufacturing and food processing plants each week. Nearly one-third of them are considered to be at high risk of causing food-borne illnesses.
2. Escape Room Tragedy Leads to Safety Rethink
The news that five girls celebrating a birthday tragically died in an accident at an escape room in Poland has led to authorities shutting down escape rooms all over the country as they re-assess the safety of the popular activity. Regulation around the industry varies from country to country, but in the UK authorities say escape rooms are never locked, and participants are free to leave when they please.
3. Qantas Named World's Safest Airline
Australian airline Qantas is AirlineRatings.com's safest flyer for 2019. The website compared 405 airlines around the world and Qantas came out on top, not just because of its famous safety record in the air but also because of its role as an innovator in the industry, pioneering long-haul travel and pushing for better aircrafts and technology.
4. Workers at Risk on Western Australian Offshore Project
An exclusive report in the West Australian has revealed that workers on an LPG project off the Kimberly coast are at risk of deadly gas explosions. The paper reports that "than half the electrical equipment in hazardous areas did not pass independent safety checks" and with the cyclone season on the way, workers were at risk from the combination of dangerous weather conditions and equipment that isn't up to scratch.
5. After Gatwick Airport, New UK Drone Regulations
Legislators in the UK are introducing new police powers to handle drone situations, like the one at Gatwick Airport in the lead up the Christmas. The new laws give the police additional powers to land, search and seize drones, expands the no-fly zone around airports, boosts drone-detection technology and requires all drones to be registered from November 2019.
