Fasten your seat belts: 2016 is going to be a bumpy ride. 

If the word “change” isn’t part of your business plan this year, you’d better rethink it.

Last year was good, but 2018 could be great, say security integrators and security dealers who participated in the 2018 SDM Industry Forecast Study and Panel, a report that SDM has published annually since 1982. The economy is roaring.

Security integrators expect their stellar 2018 performance to continue into 2019, according to results of SDM’s 2019 Industry Forecast Study, a report published annually by SDM since 1982. Last year saw double-digit growth in both total annual revenue and recurring monthly revenue (RMR) for integrators and dealers who participated in the study.

Security integrators expect their brilliant business performance of 2019 to continue into 2020, according to results of SDM’s Industry Forecast Study, a report published each year since 1982.

To say 2020 was a bit of a roller coaster ride is perhaps an understatement. At this time last year, most security integrators anticipated a strong 2020, only to be thrown into turmoil late in the first quarter by the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Everyone hoped things would be “back to normal” by now. While security companies in 2021 continued to feel the impacts of the coronavirus, the 2022 SDM Industry Forecast shows both slow but steady improvement and optimism.

The good news is COVID-19 seems to be in the rear-view mirror; but ahead all signs point to a recession. Security dealers and integrators are wary, but cautiously optimistic they can weather this downturn with the skills they have honed in recent years.

With the pandemic and supply chain issues both mostly in the rear-view mirror, security dealers and integrators are returning to “normal” and focusing on more typical challenges such as the economy, increasing sales, competing effectively and generating more RMR.

Boston — Spurred by an “alarming” and “unacceptable” number of incidents in the tree and landscaping industries throughout New England in recent years, OSHA has launched a Regional Emphasis Program intended to reduce the risks of injury and death faced by workers in these industries.

Washington — In an effort to provide “more confidence and certainty” about risks and exposures related to occupational pesticide seed treatment, the Environmental Protection Agency has developed a calculator and released updated worker exposure data.

Calgary, Alberta — Young workers in construction and other outdoor industries are “key groups that warrant further investigation” into their increased risk of carcinogen exposures on the job, according to a team of Canadian researchers.

Washington — Enhancing California’s workplace heat standard could better protect workers in the state and guide current federal rulemaking on heat stress prevention, a new report from the Natural Resources Defense Council suggests.

St. Louis — Workers in construction, landscaping, agriculture and other outdoor industries may be at risk of infections caused by soil fungi that historically had been found only in certain regions of the country, researchers at Washington University in St. Louis say.

Washington — Oregon OSHA is one step closer to having full oversight over temporary labor camps, after federal OSHA published a proposed final approval in the March 13 Federal Register.

Washington — Vehicles, moving machinery parts, falling trees, toxic chemicals and heat exposure are some of the many hazards that workers in landscaping are exposed to throughout the summer months.

Washington — Oregon OSHA now has full oversight of temporary labor camps in the state, after receiving federal OSHA’s final approval.

Washington — Workplaces can play an important role in suicide prevention, researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention say in a recent study.

New York — A new Regional Emphasis Program from OSHA is aimed at curbing worker fatalities and injuries in the tree and landscape services industries.

Sacramento, CA — A new interpretation app that can instantly translate more than 200 languages and dialects can be used by employers and workers in California to communicate more easily.

Washington – A recent survey from the National Waste & Recycling Association revealed that two-thirds of drivers do not slow down around garbage trucks, and almost 4 out of 10 drivers admit they feel tempted to speed past the vehicles.

Research Triangle Park, NC – Outbreaks of viruses such as Ebola and Zika have prompted the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences – together with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, OSHA, and the Department of Health and Human Services Office of the Assistant Secretary for Preparedness and Response – to launch an infectious disease safety training program for first responders and hazardous waste workers.

Silver Spring, MD — Seventeen sanitation workers – including 13 in the United States and four in Canada – were killed in the first three weeks of 2019, the Solid Waste Association of North America reports, a development the organization calls “unprecedented” and “unacceptable” as it urges industry employers and employees to renew their commitment to safety.

Silver Spring, MD — At least 52 sanitation workers in the United States and Canada died from on-the-job injuries in 2020 – a figure that remained steady from the prior year, according to a recent analysis from the Solid Waste Association of North America.

Napco Security Technologies, a manufacturer of advanced electronic security equipment, released a brand new version of its full line catalog of professional security solutions.

Alcatraz, a developer of secure frictionless access control products, has partnered with Intelligent Systems Marketing (ISM) to sell and market Alcatraz’s innovative security solutions. 

Earlier today, the Security Industry Association (SIA), along with ISC West, presented the 2020 New Product Showcase (NPS) Awards in an online meeting. 

The new, larger location in the heart of the greater metro Nashville area replaces 21st Century’s existing warehouse in Smyrna, Tenn. 

Viking Electronics Inc. announced the release of its new 2021 Product Catalog.

Based in Oxford, Mich., with locations in Plano, Texas, and Charlotte, N.C., JLM has grown substantially since its founding in 1984 by Janet Mirku. 

Washington – Days after his May 10 release from federal prison after serving a one-year sentence for violating mine safety laws, former Massey Energy Co. CEO Don Blankenship sent a letter to President Donald Trump asking him not to consider legislation that would strengthen punishments for mine supervisors who knowingly flout safety rules.

Washington – Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI) has introduced legislation intended to protect employees of companies that perform work for the federal government.

Washington – A new database from the Center for Progressive Reform spotlights state criminal cases and advocacy campaigns against employers that have failed to comply with worker safety laws.

Santa Ana, CA — California law permits prosecutors to seek civil penalties against employers facing accusations of workplace safety violations under the California Occupational Safety and Health Act, the state’s Supreme Court has ruled.

New Orleans — OSHA can issue citations to general contractors who fail to control hazardous conditions at multi-employer worksites, even if those conditions do not directly affect their own employees, the U.S. Court of Appeals for the 5th Circuit ruled Nov. 26.

Washington — Two dozen Democratic senators have taken issue with the dollar amounts OSHA has chosen to levy against employers in its individual COVID-19-related fines.

Washington — The House Education and Labor Committee is proposing substantial increases to OSHA fines as part of the budget resolution for fiscal year 2022, which begins Oct. 1.

Washington — Legislation recently introduced by House and Senate Republicans would prohibit the federal government from imposing a fine, fee or tax on workers or employers who don’t comply with COVID-19 vaccine mandates.

Washington — Legislation introduced Oct. 20 by House and Senate Democrats would direct OSHA to publicize major workplace safety violations by widely distributing the news to local media outlets and other groups.

In California, employers of outdoor workers must provide drinking water “as close as practicable to the areas where employees are working.”

Salem, OR — Legislation recently introduced in Oregon would significantly increase civil penalties for safety violations that contribute to worker injuries and deaths.

Philadelphia — Two physician groups are recommending topical nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs – with or without menthol gel – as a non-opioid “first-line therapy” for treating acute pain from non-low-back musculoskeletal injuries.

Chattanooga, TN — Long-term work disability claims for musculoskeletal issues have climbed 40% overall and 62% among men since 2010, and are especially prevalent among workers in occupations that require heavy lifting, repetitive motion or prolonged sitting, a recent analysis from insurance company Unum shows.

Columbus, OH — The physical benefits that exoskeletons provide to the musculoskeletal system may be negated by the “mental strain” that results when workers wearing the devices perform tasks that require them to think about their actions, results of a recent study conducted by researchers from Ohio State and Texas A&M universities indicate.

Bilbao, Spain — Excessive workloads, conflicting demands and a lack of support from management are some of the psychosocial factors that can contribute to the development of musculoskeletal disorders in the workplace, according to a literature review conducted by the European Agency for Safety and Health at Work.

Washington – NIOSH is seeking information from facilities that stockpile N95 respirators and high-level protective surgical gowns as part of a research study that will examine how storage conditions affect the deterioration of personal protective equipment.

Washington — Manufacturers of certain N95 respirators will be able to submit a single application to NIOSH, rather than to both the Food and Drug Administration and NIOSH, before marketing their product to the health care industry, according to an FDA final order published in the May 17 Federal Register.

Washington — Reusable respirators could prove a “viable option” for health care facilities’ respiratory protection programs, especially in preparation for a public health emergency, a new report from the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine concludes.

Washington — NIOSH is looking for inventors, researchers and respirator manufacturers to partner on a project intended to develop new designs for powered air-purifying respirators for health care workers.

Sacramento, CA — An emergency regulation in California intended to protect outdoor workers from potentially dangerous wildfire smoke was enacted July 30 by the state’s Division of Occupational Safety and Health, also known as Cal/OSHA.