Helicopters operate under intense mechanical stress. Unlike fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters rely on rapidly rotating systems, constant vibration, complex transmissions, rotor blades, tail rotor assemblies, drive shafts, bearings, linkages, hydraulics, and...
Unmarked towers can create deadly hazards for pilots operating at low altitude. Meteorological evaluation towers, GPS towers, telecommunications towers, and similar structures may be difficult to see from the air, especially when they are narrow, unlighted, placed in...
Lashing and unlashing containers is physically demanding and dangerous work. Longshore workers may be required to lift and maneuver heavy lashing gear, work in tight spaces, move through areas with low headroom, climb or work from elevated locations, and perform tasks...
Liquefied natural gas facilities are among the largest and most complex industrial projects operating along the Gulf Coast and elsewhere in the United States. These facilities receive natural gas, process and cool it into a liquid, store enormous quantities of LNG,...
Manual tank gauging and sampling are routine oilfield tasks, but they can expose workers to deadly hazards. When a worker opens a thief hatch or samples fluids from a production tank, flowback tank, or storage tank, hydrocarbon gases and vapors may be released into...
Jet ski rentals are common at lakes, rivers, bays, resorts, marinas, and vacation destinations. Many riders rent personal watercraft with little or no experience. They may receive only a brief safety talk before being sent onto the water near boats, swimmers, docks,...
Data centers are expanding rapidly across the country. These facilities support cloud computing, artificial intelligence, financial systems, health care networks, government operations, streaming platforms, and countless other services. But behind the exterior of a...
Wake turbulence is one of the most serious hidden hazards in aviation. It can occur when an aircraft flies into the disturbed air left behind by another aircraft. In some encounters, the following aircraft may experience a sudden roll, violent jolt, loss of control,...
Passenger vessels can move unexpectedly during docking and undocking. A ferry, tour boat, dinner cruise vessel, water taxi, excursion boat, or cruise tender may appear to be arriving normally, but even a sudden bump, hard landing, allision with a pier, abrupt engine...
Jet skis and other personal watercraft can be exciting, fast, and easy to underestimate. They are smaller than most boats, can change direction quickly, and are often operated near swimmers, docks, marinas, fishing boats, pontoon boats, and larger recreational...