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SAFETY MATERIALS NOW ONLINE
As a Nobel policyholder, you can now access our extensive library of loss prevention tools online…anywhere, anytime. By utilizing our online library, you can:

•   Reduce clutter - Paper can pile up quickly, and the clutter can leave you feeling overwhelmed. Save yourself from paper overload.
•   Increase efficiency - Safety information is just a click away…anytime! No need to search through a filing cabinet to find the publication you need.
•   Save time - Reduce the risk of mail delivery delays.

Just visit www.lancerinsurance.com, select "LOGIN" and register for access to our policyholder-exclusive loss control website today!

We thank you for your support of our commitment to safety and our environment and invite you to call (800) 782-8902, ext. 3307 or 3309 if you have any questions regarding the policyholder-only registration process.

ROCK BLASTING IN COLUMBIA RIVER TO BEGIN NOV. 1
Workers under contract with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers will begin blasting basalt from the bottom of the Columbia River Nov. 1.

The work is taking place to complete the deepening of the Columbia River Federal Navigation Channel from 40-feet to 43-feet. The blasting work will take place along a one-mile stretch of the river between River Miles 87 and 89 near St. Helens, OR.

The contractor will drill holes into the basalt from a barge-mounted rig and detonate blasting agent to fracture the rock before removing the rock with an excavator. Blasting will take place twice each day, once after sunrise and again before sunset. The contractor must complete blasting operations by Feb. 28. A 1,500-foot safety zone is planned for both upstream and downstream from blasting operations.

This work, along with dredging of a one-mile section near Longview, Wash., will close out the Columbia River Channel Improvement project, a two decade-long effort to deepen the 103-mile navigation channel allowing larger, deeper draft ships and heavier-loaded vessels access to inland ports throughout the Pacific Northwest.

The Columbia River moves $18 billion of commerce annually, and is the single largest wheat and barley export gateway in the nation.

NOBEL TO EXHIBIT AT PENNSYLVANIA DRILLING & BLASTING CONFERENCE
Nobel Insurance Services will be joining members of the commercial explosives community at the Fourteenth Pennsylvania Drilling & Blasting Conference. Scheduled for November 12-13, 2009, the conference will be held at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel on the campus of Pennsylvania State University in State College, PA.

Conference attendees are invited to visit Nobel in Booth #37, where representatives will be showcasing the company's complete range of products and services for the explosives market.

FMCSA AGREES TO RECONSIDER HOURS OF SERVICE REGULATIONS
The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration (FMCSA) agreed earlier this week to "review and reconsider" the hours-of-service rules to settle a lawsuit filed by opponents seeking to overturn regulations adopted by the George W. Bush administration. Those rules raised the limit a driver may operate a truck per day from 10 hours to 11 hours, while shortening the total hours drivers may work per day from 15 to 14 hours.

In exchange for FMCSA's commitment, the Teamsters and Public Citizen put a lawsuit challenging the rule on hold. The U.S. District Court of Appeals was scheduled to hear arguments in the case next January.
The Teamsters and Public Citizen oppose the 11-hour rule and a restart period that allows drivers to get back on the road 34 hours after completing a full week's driving time. The trucking industry and shipper organizations supported those changes.

Under the agreement, the FMCSA has nine months to submit its review to the White House and up to 21 months to issue a new final rule to replace the current one. Until that time, the current rule remains in effect.

ROCKSLIDE CLOSES INTERSTATE 40
Interstate 40 in western North Carolina near the Tennessee state line could be closed for months following a rockslide last weekend. No one was injured in the rockslide that occurred near mile marker 3 in Haywood County, N.C.

An emergency declaration was issued by the North Carolina Department of Transportation and engineers estimate that it could take several months to clean up the entire slide and restore normal traffic.

A detour has been set up during the clean up process. Motorists traveling west to Tennessee should take I-40 West to I-240 West in Asheville to I-26 West. Follow I-26 West from Asheville to I-81 South in Tennessee, back to I-40. Eastbound motorists should follow the reverse directions.

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