Safety is more important than ever, as illustrated by recent statements of the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Each year the NTSB makes safety suggestions, based on its observations while investigating accidents. The federal agency investigates major traffic accidents and every civil aviation incident in the US.

The NTSB is seeking ways to improve safety in the US commercial trucking industry, according to a USA Today post. The goal is to require commercial truck operators to be deemed medically fit before they can operate those vehicles.

The NTSB has noted the number of fatalities associated with large trucks has increased since 2009, which has ignited a call to improve safety measures. Putting a requirement in place that truck drivers pass health examinations would allow medical conditions such as sleep apnea to be discovered before they lead to potentially fatal crashes.

Such a safety policy might have prevented the December 2013 derailment of a train in Bronx, NY that killed four people and injured over 60 others. The train sped up to 82 mph into a 30 mph curve after its engineer fell asleep; he was undiagnosed with sleep apnea.

As well, safety is paramount for commercial truck drivers given the increasing number of vehicles carrying large amounts of crude oil. Therefore, being attentive and healthy as a driver is more important than ever to minimize crashes.

The NTSB also wants to make sure pilots, operators and crews comply with active procedures set for them. If pilots do not follow procedures, errors can occur that increase risks for all parties involved.

The National Transportation Safety Board update is a great reminder of the importance of safety procedures and products. At American Casting, we comply with US safety regulations and bring safety to your products, including bolt lock seals, cable locks, smooth pull tight security seals, and barcoded seals. Our products are tamper-evident and highly secure to provide safety to your items and its users.