Aroostook County, Maine Workplace Symposium

Workplace Safety Symposium Planned in Aroostook County

02/29/2012 04:05 PM EST

A Presque Isle Safety Symposium is planned in April to help workers and employers improve safety and health in the workplace and reduce job related injuries and illnesses.

The one-day event will be held on April 3, 2012 at the Northern Maine Community College in Presque Isle and is open to the public. The preregistration price for admission is $25 and the cost of registration at the event is $35.

Although the event is open to the general public, the four breakout sessions at the symposium each have course options focused in the areas of general industry, construction, health care, and municipal worksites. One of the course options open to participants is a half-day Forklift "Train-the-Trainer" class offered by SafetyWorks!

Tim Crowley, President of Northern Maine Community College will provide the keynote presentation in the morning and the lunch speaker will be Lois Smith of Maine Public Service. "Work related injuries and illness cost Maine workers millions each year in terms of medical costs, lost time, and lower productivity," said Maine Labor Commissioner Robert Winglass. "This symposium provides a unique opportunity for the state to partner with the Aroostook County business community to address this issue from the standpoint of prevention."

Symposium sponsors include Smith and Wesson, Carey Medical Center, Columbia Forest Products, MEMIC, and the Maine Department of Labor SafetyWorks! program.

SafetyWorks! is an outreach program of the Maine Department of Labor designed to reduce job-related injuries, illnesses and deaths. Onsite safety training and consultation services are available by request and are provided free of charge. All services are voluntary and completely confidential. SafetyWorks! is not part of OSHA and does not issue citations or fines.

In January, the SafetyWorks! program launched a new Safety Training Institute in Augusta with the support of Maine Governor Paul LePage. The center offers classroom space for SafetyWorks! safety and health courses and includes a large indoor facility where workers can get hands-on training on a variety of different topics, including: fall protection, confined spaces, forklift operation, scaffolding, electrical hazards, ergonomics, and ladder safety.

For more information or to preregister for the Aroostook County Safety Symposium, visit www.safetyworksmaine.com/symposium or call SafetyWorks! at 207-623-7922.

Radiological Emergency Planning - Boston, MA August 20-24, 2012

Radiological Emergency Planning: Terrorism, Security, and Communication
August 20-24, 2012
Harvard School of Public Health
Boston, Massachusetts

Radiological Emergency Planning Seminar

Prepare for radiation emergencies

This program brings together leaders in the field of emergency preparedness and planning to explore the basic principles for creating a comprehensive radiation emergency plan. Drawing from years of direct experience, faculty members will divulge lessons learned in preparing for, responding to, and communicating about radiation emergencies.
Examine the requirements and criteria for creating a radiation emergency plan, and develop the skills necessary to both 1) effectively communicate with the media and public during crisis situations, and 2) medically manage casualties of a radiation emergency.

Respond to radiological events

By providing practical tools and guidelines, Radiological Emergency Planning will prepare participants to plan for and respond to a radiological event, whether at the state, local, or individual facility level. This program combines lectures and case studies taught by expert faculty to provide a unique learning experience.
The program will help you and your organization communicate crisis details to the media, the public, and the teams responsible for public safety and health by working with people’s perceptions and encouraging the proper responses to a radiological emergency.

Chemical Safety Preparedness and Prevention Conference 2102 - Portland, Maine - April 5-6, 2012

The Chemical Safety Preparedness and Prevention Conference 2012 will be held April 5-6, 2012 in Portland, Maine.  A description from the event website is below:

The Chemical Safety Preparedness and Prevention Conference will focus on celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Emergency Planning and Community Right-to-Know Act or EPCRA. In the spirit of EPCRA, the conference will bring together members of industry and the regulatory community to improve New England’s emergency planning capabilities and assist industries in the move to safer, greener, and sustainable production. The conference will provide a forum for educators, public & private, middle schools & high schools, colleges and universities, GIS professionals, industry representatives, environmental consultants and engineers, community groups, public officials, and emergency management professionals. The goal of this conference is to improve the communities’ capabilities in emergency planning, preparedness, prevention, hazards analysis, and response to natural hazard and man-made events.

  

Anti-Terrorism Training for First Responders (Augusta, Maine March 14, 2012)

The state of Maine will be conducting Anti-Terrorism Training for First Responders on March 14, 2012 in Augusta, Maine.  The course provides technical operations and awareness training for firefighters, law enforcement, and other personnel who have a significant responsibility for providing a response to Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) incidents involving explosives or incendiary materials.  Click on the link below for more information:

http://www.maine.gov/mema/mema_calendar_display.shtml?id=352068

National Flood Safey Awareness Week - March 12-16, 2012

The National Flood Safety Awareness Week is being held March 12-16, 2012.  Flooding is a threat every spring especially in states like Maine that has snowfall melt and lots of spring rains.  Learn more about flood safety at the link below:

National Flood Safety Awareness Week by Maine Government News

Computer Technology and Child Porn

Maine legislative leaders are wrestling with a new dilemma.  Sophisticated computer technology has now made it possible to view child pornography - but with a difference. This appears to be a victim-less crime - using animated figures instead of real children.  Currently it is a federal crime but not a state crime.  Under consideration is whether to make it a state crime as well.  Read more in "Lawmakers to consider ban on computer-generated child porn", Bangor Daily News, January 29, 2012.

GPS Technology an Aid to Police and Investigators; But Raise Privacy Concerns

GPS technology has been a boon to private investigators and law enforcement agencies.  Private detectives find the devices very useful for following people.  Police can tie drug dealers to their drug supply chain.  Even parents are using GPSs to keep track of their kids.  However, there are legal and privacy concerns about using a GPS to track people.  The Supreme Court recently made a decision that sets some parameters on law enforcement's use of GPSs by stating (according to the 4th Amendment) placing a GPS tracker on a vehicle is a search.  That would mean the law enforcement agencies should consider getting search warrants beforehand.  Read more in "Private Snoops Find GPS Trail Legal to Follow", The New York Times, January 28, 2012.  Learn more about the capabilities of vehicle GPS systems.

Emergency Operation Centers and Cyber Security

The SafetyWorks Training Institute will be conducting a two-day course on the "Emergency Operation Center's Role in Community Cyber Security" (MGT-384).  The course will be held February 16-17, 2012 at the Central Maine Commerce Center in North Augusta, Maine.  Click here to find out more.

Course Description:

"This 2-day non-technical course is designed to provide an awareness of how cyber events can impact a community, an Emergency Operations Center and our daily lives. In this course, participants will discover the roles and responsibilities needed to detect, prevent and respond to a cyber-security incident using past cyber events, participants will explore how the EOC and community would plan for and manage information and resources needed for a cyber-event and understand how cyber can be used to affect, disrupt, and/or complicate emergency responses."  (info taken from website - see link above).

Course on Essentials of Community Cyber Security (Maine)

The SafetyWorks Training Institute located in the Department of Labor at Central Maine Commerce Center is offering a four hour long non-technical introduction to cyber security. Time and date is in the afternoon of February 15th, 2012.  Learn more at the web page that describes this event here.

Description of "Essentials of Community Cyber Security (AWR-136)" (taken from web page):

"This is a four (4) hour non-technical introduction to cyber security. This basic awareness course will explore cyber security in a community context and demonstrate how cyber-attacks can impact, prevent, and/or stop business operations and emergency responses. It is an awareness level course for participants who are interested in how cyber can impact a community and what role everyone plays concerning this threat. This discussion-based course builds basic terminology, identifies fundamental cyber threats, vulnerabilities and countermeasures that can impact an individual, organization and community."

The target audience is for " . . . Participants with no background in computer security -Non-technical participants who would like to better understand basic concepts in computer security Participants involved in the following industries would benefit from this course: critical infrastructures, emergency operations, incident response in public or private organizations, state, county, and municipal officers, members of industry and chambers of commerce."

Maine National Guard Continues to Deploy Overseas

The Iraq War has finally wound down with the last U.S. troops leaving in December 2011. This does not mean that our U.S. military will get a rest. Members of the Maine National Guard will continue to deploy around the world. See "Iraq war may be over, but Maine service members still facing deployment", Bangor Daily News, December 16, 2011.

Mainers Divided on Cell Phone Ban

Recently the National Transportation Safety Board has recommended (see press release here) the states enact legislation that would ban the use of cell phones and other electronic devices by drivers. Read more in "Mainers split on cell phone ban", Biddeford Journal Tribune, December 19, 2011.

Hand Scanners Installed at UMaine Dining Halls Has Mixed Reviews

UMaine has installed hand scanners at its dining facilities in an attempt to limit sharing of student identification cards for "free meals". Some students had purchased "all you can eat" meal plans and were sharing these cards with other students who did not have a meal plan - which costs the university money. It would appear that biometric security is slowly making its way into our life. While the installation of the hand scanners are limiting dining room fraud this also raise some health and privacy issues. Students are required to put their hand on the hand scanner while entering the lunch line - hmmmm. Is this sanitary? Students also have their palm print embedded on a database. The college says this palm print is secure and cannot get compromised. Another big hmmmmm. Read more in "UMaine using hand scanners at dining halls to deter sharing of ID cards", Bangor Daily News, December 25, 2011.

Stratfor's Files Hacked Online

A security think tank has had its files hacked by a group called "Anonymous".  Read more in "Hackers use stolen credit card numbers to give money to charity", The Portland Press Herald, December 26, 2011.

DeLorme's inReach Two-Way Satellite Communications

A local Maine company, DeLorme, has introduced a new product useful for those who travel to remote and austere locations. The DeLorme inReach provides GPS and emergency communications for survival situations. DeLorme has paired with the Iridium satellite capability to provide this unique emergency service.  Learn more at the link below:

http://www.delorme.com/media/Product_Information/DeLorme_inReach_Fact_Sheet.pdf

Moonshiners in Maine

Moonshiners have not gone away here in Maine - they are still operating their kitchen or "back-yard distilleries".  They are out there - you just don't see them!  Read an interesting article on Maine moonshiners in "The New Bootleggers", Down East, December 2011.

Law Enforcement Use of Cell Phone and GPS Location Tracking

There are many who are concerned that the laws which protect our privacy are not keeping pace with the technological advances that can be used to gather information on individuals. This is especially true when considering the data that can be collected on people through the monitoring of cell phones and GPS equipment. Read more in "Government Cell Phone and GPS Location Tracking", American Civil Liberties Union, December 2011.

Is 2012 the Year for Biometrics?

We continue to see signs that the use of biometrics continues to grow in the security field.  While security professionals see this as a good thing (security is enhanced) others see problems with privacy issues. The pros and cons of biometric security are addressed in an online article entitled "Will Biometrics Go Mainstream in 2012?", InformationWeek, December 21, 2011.

Image: Chris Sharp / FreeDigitalPhotos.net

Bird Flu and Terrorism

Recent news reports indicate that the government is looking at ways to "stifle sharing of research on how to morph bird flu into" a human pandemic.  The academic community advances knowledge on health issues by publishing research efforts in trade and medical journals.  Many feel that spreading the word on how to weaponize a health threat is wrong. James Jay Carafano has done an online article on this topic worth reading.  See "Terrorist Bird Flu is Nothing to Sneeze At", Fox News, December 21, 2011.  Learn more about avian flu pandemic or bird flu.

Maine Law Enforcement's Text-A-Tip

Maine law enforcement agencies are now using social media to elicit tips and other information about crimes from the public.  Read more in "Maine Law Enforcement Turning to Public for Crime-Solving Tips", Maine Public Broadcasting Network, December 21, 2011.

Biometrics Database of 3 Million Iraqis Remain in U.S. Control

"The troops have come home, the flag has been been lowered, and the Iraq War is officially in the past for the U.S. military. But the military is holding on to a major souvenir of the war: a massive database packed with retinal scans, thumb prints and other biometric data identifying millions of Iraqis. It will be a tool for counterterrorism long after the Iraq War becomes a fading memory." 

Read the rest of this news article in "U.S. Holds On to Biometrics Database of 3 Million Iraqis", Wired.com Danger Room, December 21, 2011.  Learn more about biometrics.

Home Security Tips

According to a recent news article found online ".  .  . nearly 70 percent of home break-ins are in the form of kick-ins to a door".  Read some good pointers about home security in "Tips for a secure home and peace of mind", Las Vegas Review-Journal, December 21, 2011.  Learn more about home security.

NMCC Honored for Support to Employees Who are Members of Military

A ceremony was held in Presque Isle, Maine to honor Northern Maine Community College (NMCC) for its support of its employees who are members of the military - primarily in the National Guard.  The Seven Seals Award was presented to NMCC by the Employer support of the Guard and Reserve - a U.S. Department of Defense agency.  Read more in "NMCC saluted with top honor for military support", Bangor Daily News, December 20, 2011.

Retail Businesses Consider using Security Equipment for Shopping Statistics and Gathering Customer Data

It is well-known that retail stores use security equipment (cameras, sensors, and more) to cut shop-lifting losses.  Many people do not realize that this same equipment can be used to gather information on shopping habits of the stores customers.  Cameras, heat sensors, and other equipment can provide information that allows stores to strategically place products within a store and analyze marketing techniques.  Read more in "Designing a Retail Business Based on Biometrics and Real Statistics", Independent Retailer, December 15, 2011.

New Methods of Conducting Airport Security Screenings Under Consideration

A recent news article explores the current state of airport passenger security screening and provides a look into the future of how that screening process will be streamlined.  The improvements will likely come from the introduction of technology and new screening machines that passengers will walk through.  Read more in "Looking to Streamline Airport Security Screenings", The New York Times, December 20, 2011.

Home Security Tips to Avert Crime

A noted home security expert, Alan Young, offers residence security tips in this news article.  Read his suggestions in "Crime never takes a vacation - what intruders don't want you to know", Frost Illustrated Newspaper, December 21, 2011.

Oakland, Maine Soldier in Time Magazine Top Ten Photo

A Soldier from Oakland, Maine is the subject of a top ten photo from Time Magazine.  Read more in "Top Time photo awes Soldier's family in Maine", The Portland Press Herald, December 21, 2011.

Federal Study Finds More Drivers are Texting While Driving

A recent federal study has found that more drivers are using their cell phones for texting.  Read more in "More Drivers Are Texting Behind the Wheel, Federal Study Finds", Fox News, December 8, 2011.

Maine Home Burglaries Happen Daily

Home burglaries have skyrocketed in Maine - the instances are so bad that the city of Augusta, Maine has on average one burglary per day.  The Office of the Maine Attorney General states that this is true across the entire state.  Many of the property crimes are related to drug users looking for money to fund their drug habits.  Read more in "Home burglaries now an almost daily occurrence", Morning Sentinel, December 19, 2011.  Click on the following links to learn more about home security and home security alarm companies in Maine.

State of the Security Profession

Security Director News (Yarmouth, Maine) recently held an interview with ASIS President O'Hara about the state of the security profession.  Read the online news article here at "State of the Security Profession: A Q&A with ASIS President Ray O'Hara", Security Director News, December 19, 2011.

Overseas Call Centers Pose Threat to Consumers

"Outsourced call centers pose a serious security threat, according to a new report issued late last week from the Communications Workers of America. The report, titled “Why Shipping Call Center Jobs Overseas Hurts Us Back Home,” cites several examples of security breaches involving outsourced call centers, which were reported by various U.S. and international media."

Read more in "CWA Report: Outsources call centers pose serious security threat", Connected Planet, December 19, 2011.

Crimes During the Christmas Holiday

Many criminals view the Christmas holiday season as a time to enrich themselves at the expense of others.  A group of Maine crime writers explore this topic on their website. Read their blog post entitled "Christmas Crimes", Maine Crime Writers Blog, December 18, 2011.

Wood Stove Safety and Clean Chimneys

A recent news article warns homeowners who use wood stoves to keep their chimneys clean.  The article also states that many homeowners are not aware of the fire risks when heating with wood.  Read more in "Clean chimneys save lives", Republican Herald, December 19, 2011.

Door Chains - A Weak Link in Home Security

A recent online article about home security states that door chains are " . . the single worst security device . . ." that are used in homes. Read "Condo Security: Door chains are weak links", National Post, December 16, 2011.  Learn more about home security and doors.

List of Products Containing Toxic Chemicals

"Maine's 2008 Kid Safe Products Act required that manufacturers disclose the use of BPA and NPE's. Twenty-five makers of top-selling toys, infant formulas, baby food, paints, cleaners complied by the October deadline."

Read more in "Maine Report Lists Hundreds of Products Containing Toxic Chemicals", Maine Public Broadcasting Network, December 13, 2011.

Maine Company's Product Saves Police Officer's Life

An Idaho Falls police officer's life was saved by a bullet-proof vest made of material by a Maine company.  The firm, Textech of North Monmouth, Maine, recognized the police officer at a recent event.  See "Maine company shows how it saved a life", WLBZ 2 News, December 12, 2011.

Older Mainers Targets of Financial Fraud

Elder citizens of Maine are frequently targeted for financial exploitation.  A recent news report states that we need to build greater awareness about elder financial abuse and exploitation.  Read more in "Older Americans need to be armed against financial fraud", The Portland Press Herald, December 10, 2011.

Anti-Cyberbullying Resource Center on Facecrooks

"Cyberbullying is defined differently by different organizations all around the world. The US National Crime Prevention council for example defines it as the use of cell phones, the Internet, or other devices in sending or posting text messages or images intended to embarrass or hurt a person. StopCyberbullying.org, an organization focused on stopping cyberbullying among children and teens, on the other hand, defines this as a situation that arises when a child, tween or teen is repeatedly tormented, embarrassed, harassed, tormented or otherwise targeted by another child or teen using email, text messaging, or any other type of digital technology."

Learn more about cyberbullying at the Facecrooks Anti-Cyberbullying Resource Center.

http://facecrooks.com/Safety-Center/Cyberbullying/Anti-Cyberbullying-Resource-Center.html

Cable Firms Now Offering Home Security Services

The cable industry is now offering home security services in an attempt to generate more income.  Some of the biggest cable companies - including Comcast and Time Warner - are now expanding the services they offer to include home security systems and security alarm monitoring.  Read more in "Cable firms branch out into home-security services", The Bellingham Herald, December 7, 2011.

Biometrics - Issue of Facial Recognition and Privacy

"Facial recognition technology is increasingly used in a variety of ways – from security and authentication to photo tagging on social networks and targeted advertising on digital signs in stores. Facial recognition software packages are freely available online, and the technology is fast making its way into mobile phones. Facial recognition poses complex privacy issues that do not fit squarely with present laws."

Read the rest of this article in "Facial Recognition and Privacy", Center for Democracy & Technology, December 6, 2011.  Learn more about biometric security.

Tips to Protect Yourself from Identity Theft

A recent news article provides tips on how to protect yourself from identity theft.  Read "Awareness key to protecting your identity", Bangor Daily News, December 5, 2011.  Learn more about identity theft.