LATEST NEWS

The Indiana University of Pennsylvania Student Chapter and the Western Pennsylvania Chapters of the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) will host a one-day conference on March 22 titled, "Today's Safety Professional" for students and safety, health and environmental practitioners. The conference will address quantifying clear roles and benefits companies are looking for when hiring such professionals and how to garner support for these programs. The meeting will be held at the Indiana University of Pennsylvania’s Hadley Union Building in the Ohio Room. For more information or to register, contact Dr. Tracey Cekada at phone: (724) 357-3272 or e-mail: cekadat@iup.edu, or Pam Ferrante at phone: (412) 414-4769 or e-mail: pam@jcsafety.com.

The Austrian Times recently announced that Potenza, Italy, has plans to create a massive network of sustainable escalators throughout the city. The city is said to have spent GBP16 million (US$26 million) revamping the transportation system to enable it to move 18,000 passengers per hour. Civitas Smile, an organization that promotes sustainable city in transport, helped develop the plan for Potenza’s upgrades. The escalators are said to be linked, allowing passengers to get from one end of the city to the other just by riding the linked escalators, minimizing walking and pollution.

Reed Construction Data recently reported that the Maple Leaf Square high-rise development in Toronto is nearing completion, which is expected in June. Construction began on the two-tower, mixed-use project in January 2007. The towers include a hotel, office and retail space, a dining lounge and four levels of underground parking. Otis Canada and ThyssenKrupp Elevator Ltd. are supplying the elevators and escalators.