Security & Safety Briefs - Jan. 27 - Feb. 2
The Latest Headlines:
- TSA Begins Background Checks on Hazmat Drivers
- Border Agency Extends Deadline for FAST Card Checks
- CDC Cites Hazmat Concerns Near Populated Areas
- Researchers Report Ability to Crack Auto Key Codes
- Border Agency Extends Deadline for FAST Card Checks
TSA Begins Background Checks on Hazmat Drivers
The Transportation Security Administration began the second phase of its Hazmat Threat Assessment Program Tuesday with the fingerprinting of commercial truck drivers applying to obtain a hazardous materials endorsement on their commercial driver licenses.Phase two adds an FBI fingerprint-based criminal history records check and immigration status check on all 2.7 million hazmat-certified drivers to determine whether any present a potential terrorist threat.
During phase one, TSA conducted name-based security threat assessments.
Border Agency Extends Deadline for FAST Card Checks
The U.S. Customs and Border Protection agency extended the compliance date to May 1 for implementation of the Free And Secure Trade, or FAST, card requirement for advance border screenings for drivers.The enforcement date for the order Border Release Advance Screening and Selectivity — or BRASS — program was scheduled to begin Jan. 31 for the first group of 40 border ports, CBP said Jan. 28.
The BRASS program is a voluntary, automated system designed to expedite processing of some repetitively shipped products.
hipper, manufacturers, importers, entry filers and products, in combination, must be approved to participate in the program.
The FAST program is a bilateral initiative between the United States and Canada designed to ensure security and safety while speeding shipments where possible. Transport Topics
CDC Cites Hazmat Concerns Near Populated Areas
Rail shipments of hazardous materials should be routed away from densely populated areas when feasible, to reduce injuries from accidents, the Center for Disease Control and Prevention said in a Jan. 28 report.The Agency for Toxic Substances and Disease Registry examined hazardous substances emergency events reported from 1999 to 2004. The agency said there were 49,450 events reported during that time and 30% were transportation related. Of that 9% were rail related.
About 800,000 shipments of hazardous substances travel daily through the United States, with about 4,300 traveling by rail.
CDC said the report was prompted by a Jan. 6 train collision in South Carolina that leaked chlorine gas. The accident killed nine people and 529 received medical attention.
In addition to re-routing shipments, the report suggested that the government and first responders deploy public warning systems and ensure the employees who work with or around hazardous substances undergo continuous job safety training. Transport Topics
Researchers Report Ability to Crack Auto Key Codes
University researchers said they cracked a code used in millions of car keys, a development they said could allow thieves to bypass the security systems on newer models, the Associated Press reported Sunday.A Johns Hopkins University research team said it discovered an “immobilizer” security system made by Texas Instruments could be cracked using a relatively inexpensive electronic device that can acquire information embedded in microchips that make the system work, AP said.
The radio-frequency identification systems used in more than 150 million new Fords, Toyotas and Nissans includes a transponder chip embedded in the key and a reader in the car, AP reported.
If the reader does not recognize the transponder, the car will not start, even if the key inserted in the ignition is the correct one, AP said.
In the seven years the technology has been in use, Texas Instruments has never had a reported incident where a car or gasoline purchasing tag, which also uses RFID, was stolen or duplicated, AP said. Transport Topics
