Latest news with #safetyregulations
Malay Mail
9 hours ago
- Business
- Malay Mail
UPSI bus crash: Azalina calls for corporate manslaughter law to punish deadly negligence
KUALA LUMPUR, June 10 — The government should consider introducing a new law to hold companies liable for serious safety failures that result in loss of life, according to Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Law and Institutional Reform) Datuk Seri Azalina Othman Said. She cited the United Kingdom's Corporate Manslaughter and Corporate Homicide Act 2007 as a possible model for Malaysia, noting that it was introduced following a series of fatal workplace incidents where corporations escaped criminal liability. 'The UK introduced this law in response to several fatal workplace incidents where no corporation could be held accountable, particularly in the transport sector, despite the fact that such negligence cost human lives which are invaluable,' she said in a Facebook post. Azalina also backed Transport Minister Anthony Loke's call for firm action following Monday's tragic bus crash in Gerik that claimed the lives of 15 students from Universiti Pendidikan Sultan Idris (UPSI). She urged the government to review the effectiveness of current enforcement measures and consider amendments to the Penal Code to strengthen accountability for corporate negligence. Yesterday, Loke said the Land Public Transport Agency (APAD) had issued a show-cause letter to the bus operator involved in the crash at KM53 of the East-West Highway near Tasik Banding, Gerik. He said the Road Transport Department (JPJ) is also conducting safety audits and inspections of the company and the bus involved, under the Road Transport Act 1987 and the Land Public Transport Act. 'Firm action will be taken once investigations are complete. Every life lost is not only a tragedy for the family, but a loss for the nation's future,' Loke said in his own Facebook statement. — Bernama
The Guardian
5 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Norway to set up compensation scheme for 1980 oil rig disaster victims' families
Forty-five years after the Alexander L Kielland oil rig capsized in the North Sea, Norway's parliament has voted to set up a compensation scheme for relatives of the 123 men who died in the worst disaster in Norwegian waters since the second world war. 'This is a historic day, the end of more than four decades of fighting for justice,' said Mímir Kristjánsson, an MP from the leftwing Red party. The chair of the victims' committee, Anders Helliksen, said the state had 'finally accepted its responsibility'. The Kielland, a semi-submersible platform that at the time was housing 212 workers from the nearby Edda drilling rig, capsized when one of its five legs snapped in strong winds and high seas on 27 March 1980. Twenty-three Britons were among the dead. Several investigations have failed to assign responsibility, with the rig's French builders blamed for structural failings and its Norwegian and US owner and operator, Stavanger Drilling and Phillips Petroleum, for not maintaining or anchoring it properly. The disaster led to major changes in safety routines and regulations in the oil industry, but a report by experts at the University of Stavanger this year concluded the Norwegian authorities' actions before and after the collapse were seriously flawed. While the immediate cause was a welding defect, multiple mistakes contributed to the heavy loss of life: doors and hatches were left open, only five workers onboard had had safety training, and the platform was never approved for use as living quarters. 'This incident became a disaster because of a long chain of negligence, omissions and violations of rules designed precisely to prevent an accident becoming a disaster,' one of the report's authors, Eva Joly, said earlier this year. She told Norwegian media: 'The fatigue failure itself could also have been discovered if normal audit requirements had been met and exemptions had not been granted. This was the state's responsibility.' The 89 survivors and the bereaved families – between 300 and 400 children lost their fathers, according to campaigners – received some compensation from Phillips and Stavanger Drilling's insurers in the 80s, but no payout from the state. 'Many have had a very difficult time, with trauma, psychiatric issues, substance abuse and poor finances,' the Kielland Network said on its website. The state was also accused of failing to properly investigate the disaster or care properly for victims. Norway's parliament, the Storting, formally apologised for state authorities' shortcomings in 2022, a year after the national auditor general issued strongly worded criticism of the government for failing in its duty to victims. The parliamentary motion said: 'It is now time for the victims of the largest industrial accident in Norwegian history to receive compensation – making it also possible for survivors, bereaved families and society at large to put an end to this matter.' Passed by a narrow majority, it demanded the government set up a 'separate compensation scheme' for the Kielland victims, and that the auditor general 'clarify the state's responsibility' for the disaster and its lack of support for victims. 'The fact that this has taken so long shows that the state has never taken any responsibility for what happened in the North Sea,' said one survivor, Oddbjørn Lerbrekk. 'It's about time.' The amount of compensation has not yet been set.
Bloomberg
6 days ago
- Automotive
- Bloomberg
China Drafts Rules for Driver Assistance Systems to Boost Safety
China is developing new mandatory national safety requirements for driver assistance systems, signaling a move toward tightening regulations as the safety of the rapidly evolving technology comes under scrutiny. The proposal was published in a notice on a public service platform under the State Administration for Market Regulation on Wednesday. The China Automotive Technology & Research Center, state-owned carmaker Dongfeng Motor Group Co. and tech giant Huawei Technologies Co. are participating in the drafting process.
Auto Blog
26-05-2025
- Automotive
- Auto Blog
US Accelerates Self-Driving Rollout by Simplifying Safety Rules in ‘Race With China'
Automakers now face fewer safety hurdles in self-driving development efforts The Trump administration has accelerated the US's rollout of autonomous vehicles by expanding a program that exempts some self-driving cars from specific safety requirements outside of commercial use, while streamlining the existing requirements for crash reporting of advanced driver assistance and self-driving systems. Transportation Department officials will no longer require automakers using Level 2 self-driving systems, like Tesla's Full Self-Driving (FSD), to report certain kinds of non-fatal crashes. The Society of Automotive Engineers rates autonomous capabilities on a scale of 1 to 5, with Level 5 being the highest. More specifically, automakers won't have to report any Level 2 accident as long as there was no death, hospitalization, airbag deployment, or involvement of a vulnerable road user, according to AP. The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) is also expanding its Automated Vehicle Exemption Program to allow domestically manufactured vehicles to apply for exceptions in order to test and demonstrate their prototypes on public roads, even if those cars don't meet every safety standard in place for regular vehicles, Reuters reports. The previous regulations only allowed these exemptions for imported automated cars. Tesla Cybercab The changes have been a boon to Tesla 'This administration understands that we're in a race with China to out-innovate, and the stakes couldn't be higher,' US Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy said to Reuters. In an interview with AP, auto analyst Sam Abuelsamid at Telemetry Insight added that these changes 'will significantly reduce the number of crashes reported by Tesla.' Tesla shares jumped on Friday following the rule amendments, up 9.8% at the end of trading. The automaker had its Q1 call on Tuesday, where, after struggling for the first three months of 2025, Tesla executives spent most of the call focusing on the future value of their self-driving technology, which will include a paid rideshare robotaxi rollout this June in Austin, Texas, and autonomous humanoid robots. Elon Musk reiterated his prediction that autonomous driving and robot tech will make Tesla the world's most valuable company—a statement he initially expressed last June. Not everyone is on board, though Still, certain auto experts, like viral YouTuber Scotty Kilmer, who has been a mechanic for almost 60 years, told Autoblog: 'Value to him [Elon Musk] is stock market value. Stock market value isn't real value. It's pumped-up stuff. It used to be that the stock market was an investment. It isn't anymore. It's just outright riverboat gambling. His [Elon Musk] stock can go up billions of dollars or go down billions of dollars with whatever he says.' Kilmer also expressed concerns regarding Tesla's reliance on a completely camera-based system for its self-driving tech, since he believes the cameras can get confused. Autoblog Newsletter Autoblog brings you car news; expert reviews and exciting pictures and video. Research and compare vehicles, too. Sign up or sign in with Google Facebook Microsoft Apple By signing up I agree to the Terms of Use and acknowledge that I have read the Privacy Policy . You may unsubscribe from email communication at anytime. During Tesla's Q1 call, Elon Musk said issues like sun glare won't affect the system, but Kilmer highlighted a case where one of his customers got rear-ended after Tesla's FSD system thought an overpass shadow was a wall, resulting in the car stopping. Tesla Cybercab — Source: Tesla Final thoughts While Tesla will benefit from recent policy changes like the Automated Vehicle Exemption Program's expansion, it's crucial to remember that Tesla's robotaxi still faces stringent requirements during its rollout since it will operate unsupervised above Level 2. The government's new streamlined policies for autonomous driving may also make the public more skeptical about using the tech, which is already a common sentiment. It's a little strange, but whether or not such a policy sticks remains anyone's guess.
The Independent
20-05-2025
- The Independent
Father of girl drowned in waterpark calls on PM to ‘overhaul safety regulations'
The father of an 'exceptional' 11-year-old girl who drowned at a waterpark has called on the Prime Minister to 'overhaul the safety regulations' covering such sites. Kyra Hill got into difficulty in a designated swimming area at Liquid Leisure near Windsor, Berkshire, on August 6 2022. Senior coroner Heidi Connor concluded the girl had been unlawfully killed following gross health and safety breaches at the park. Speaking outside Berkshire Coroner's Court after the verdict on Tuesday, Kyra's father said the schoolgirl was 'a remarkably strong swimmer, and exceptional, a true champion in the water'. Leonard Hill told reporters: 'Today, I call upon Keir Starmer and the UK Government to take immediate, decisive action to overhaul the safety regulations surrounding aquaparks across the country – unless they do so, more lives may be tragically lost. 'Kyra's death is a devastating reminder that the current regime of safety measures is shamefully inadequate, leaving families who lose children to bear the brunt of terrible grief. 'Unknowingly, we allow our children to happily visit leisure parks that create the illusion that they are safe.' Lifeguards who were at the park when the incident occurred were only trained to carry out surface rescues in the water, the inquest had heard. Mr Hill said the lifeguards were 'ill-equipped, unprepared for the reality of a submerged person in distress'. 'Had we or any family been aware of this grave limitation, we would have known to keep our children far away from such peril. 'The devastating loss of Kyra should serve as a clear, urgent warning: This is a colossal, life-threatening problem that demands immediate action.' The breaches by Liquid Leisure that led to Kyra's death related to the depth and visibility of the water and the absence of an emergency plan and risk assessment, the coroner found. There was no emergency plan or protocol in place at Liquid Leisure for someone going missing in the water. No signs warned of deep water despite it reaching 4.67 metres (more than 15ft) in parts and young children were permitted to swim without buoyancy aids. No risk assessment was in place that took those factors into account, Mrs Connor said. Kyra's father continued: 'It is essential that we implement stringent safety protocols, including risk assessments for missing persons in water, detailed rescue procedures and adequate staffing for submerged rescues.' No divers were on-site and an off-duty firefighter who lived nearby was called in to assist the search for Kyra. Liquid Leisure owner and director Stuart Marston, who phoned divemaster Chris Knight, later accepted that Mr Knight was the only option. Mr Knight found Kyra at around 5.09pm. She was last seen alive at 3.20pm. Mr Hill said: 'Companies must employ divers on-site, equipped and ready at all times, or staff trained to underwater rescue standards, with a minimum of two specially-trained personnel present at all times. 'CCTV operatives should be present to monitor the water and locate anyone in distress swiftly, enabling rapid rescue before tragedy occurs.' He continued: 'Summer should be a time of joy and creating happy memories with family and friends – it should never end in tragedy. 'It should never mark the day we mourn our children's lives lost in places where they should have been safe. 'The terrible reality is that, without urgent reform, more families will face these devastating goodbyes.' Mr Hill added: 'No parent should endure this pain, and no child's life should be sacrificed so recklessly.
