July 2025 Roundup

This blog series serves as a monthly highlight to keep you informed about recent news/updates in the safety industry, including airport, construction, events, and general safety news.

This month, we’ll highlight heat illness prevention standards, a new alliance between the US Department of Labor and Amarillo College, why understanding your crowd profiles can help with crowd management, Boeing’s latest campus expansion, and more!     

In OTW news, our X Games video “Safety Inside and Out” is now live, our annual OTW Photo and Video Contest is quickly approaching… and our brand new FAQ page will hit the site this month!  

Table of Contents

1 – Understanding U.S. States’ Heat Illness Prevention Standards

2 – US Department of Labor, Amarillo College establish alliance to promote safety training for students, workers, employers

3 – Why is crowd profiling an essential part of crowd management planning?

4 – The importance of event safety management and the implications of not having Competent Safety Assistance

5 – RS&H Celebrates Groundbreaking of $180 Million Terminal Expansion Project at Redmond Municipal Airport

6 – Boeing taps Jacobs for $1.8B St. Louis campus expansion

7 – World’s Busiest Airports Revealed in Final Global Rankings

8 – OTW News and Featured Products

Understanding U.S. States’ Heat Illness Prevention Standards 

Summer is heating up, and temperatures will only get hotter, especially for those who work long hours under the sweltering sun or in places where ventilation is in short supply. 

While the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has recommended standards for employers to reference for dealing with extreme heat, a few states have created their own sets of standards that OSHA approves. States California, Minnesota, Oregon, and Washington have their rules already set in place, while Colorado, Massachusetts, and New York have legislation (to protect workers in extreme temperatures) in the works. 

These standards, both from NIOSH and individual states, are intended to aid workers in taking opportunities to cool down during their working hours, most often for temperatures above eighty degrees. The rules include allowing for cool-down breaks, providing shade, and ensuring that ample amounts of water are available for drinking.   

US Department of Labor, Amarillo College establish alliance to promote safety training for students, workers, employers

Occupational hazards are abundant in the construction, oil and gas, and general industry sectors. To combat this, the US Department of Labor and Amarillo College are collaborating to offer free training to employees, students, and employers. This will include free safety training classes as well as continuing education courses to prevent accidents and protect workers from being hurt or fatally injured while on the job.  

Why is crowd profiling an essential part of crowd management planning?

A fair number of factors all play into the success of an event. The performers or attraction, the amount of trained staff or volunteers, venue design, and competent planning all make a difference when it comes to determining whether an event was successful (and safe)… or not. 

Effectively handling crises, in particular, is something that some event organizers struggle to achieve. Thus, it’s important to take the time to understand crowd behavior beforehand, as well as monitoring the conduct of attendees during the event. Things like the presence of alcohol, weather conditions, and the fervor of fans must also be taken into account. This can help organizers and staff predict what types of responses should be ready to deploy at a moment’s notice in order to keep guests as safe as possible and avoid potential injury or death.      

The importance of event safety management and the implications of not having Competent Safety Assistance

There are three overarching reasons, in particular, why events are made as safe as possible; these reasons fall under the umbrellas of moral, legal, and financial liability. Morally: the desire to see people enjoy an event safely. Legally: requirements or guidelines that enforce how an event is organized. Financially: legal fees, civil lawsuits, financial liability, and the loss of brand trust when accidents take place. Nobody wants anyone to be injured at their event – it leads to a whole host of issues. 

This solidifies the need for competent organizers and vendors, as well as what the UK calls Competent Safety Assistance. While the US has few set-in-stone requirements concerning event safety, many other countries have regulations in place to ensure that every event goes smoothly and has proper safety measures. 

But what does competent mean? 

RS&H Celebrates Groundbreaking of $180 Million Terminal Expansion Project at Redmond Municipal Airport

Infrastructure improvements are in progress all across the country, and Redmond has just joined the list. The Redmond Municipal Airport seeks to add 80,000 square feet to its terminal, enhance accessibility and operational efficiency, and set up the terminal for success in the bustling hub that is now Redmond, Oregon. 

Boeing taps Jacobs for $1.8B St. Louis campus expansion

Boeing is expanding once again, with a 1.1 million-square-foot build-out in the works. This project is geared to expand the current facilities, with a new advanced assembly facility and a post-assembly operations center in the works..

Based out of Dallas, contractor Jacobs will complete phases on this $1.8 billion project (that is already under construction) from 2026 through targeted completion in 2030. Boeing hopes to “support the production of future-generation aircraft” with this expansion.    

World’s Busiest Airports Revealed in Final Global Rankings

Travel has experienced significant growth over the past decade, and it appears that demand will continue to increase as the years progress. 

Airports Council International (ACI) World just released the 2024 rankings of the world’s busiest airports. Their largest dataset to date, ACI determined the busyness of airports globally across three categories: passenger traffic, air cargo volumes, and aircraft movements.

The top 20 airports processed over 1.54 billion passengers in 2024, and the United States alone contributed six of those 20 busiest airports to the list, while the top 20 cargo hubs moved over 52.2 million tonnes of goods in 2024.   

OTW News

OTW attended the X Games! 

Get a glimpse of our experience (and how our barricades were used to create a safe event) in our new YouTube video “Safety Inside and Out”.

The annual OTW Photo and Video Contest is gearing up for launch! 

Get your best photos of OTW traffic & construction and event barricades ready, and tell us about your experience with them – we want to hear from you!

Have questions about OTW?

Find the answers to queries concerning products, policies, shipping, and more on our new FAQ page – it’s hitting the site this month! 

Safer spaces, one barricade at a time

OTW has been a leader in the safety industry for over three decades, and, just like the demand for air travel, we’re not planning on stopping anytime soon. 

We are honored that customers choose OTW barricades to ensure that their spaces are as safe as possible, and we are dedicated to continuing to provide premium safety products at affordable prices. 

Need barricades for your next project? Our team is waiting to hear from you!