ISEA 121, Dropped Object Prevention Solutions will circulate for consensus approval and public review by end of 2017 with expected publication of a final, approved standard at end of 1Q 2018.

Like many of the readers of this article, for more than 25 years now I have been working with and struggling with sales leads.

The International Safety Equipment Association (ISEA) has announced two new online training programs for safety sales and marketing professionals. The new courses are part of ISEA’s strategic initiative to provide quality professional development programs to broaden knowledge and competency in occupational health and safety.

No doubt the U.S. economy is in a boom, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis. The Conference Board reports the highest levels of job satisfaction in more than a decade. The ratio between the unemployment level and the number of job vacancies is at its lowest level in a half-century

The agency remains in a state of flux as of mid-October. Scott Mugno, the nominee to be OSHA’s top boss, still has not been confirmed. The chief of staff position is vacant. There are no senior advisors. One of two deputies is missing. Four regional administrators are in temporary “acting” roles. 

OSHA cited Cedar Fair LP – which operates as Cedar Point – for failing to protect workers from fall hazards after an employee suffered serious injuries at its Sandusky, Ohio, amusement park. The company faces proposed penalties of $142,270 for one willful and one serious safety violation, the maximum penalties allowed under the law.

Many distributors looking for ways to fend off disruption (read Amazon) are considering how to repurpose legacy brick-and-mortar facilities, according to NAW – the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors.

Two-thirds of business economists in the U.S. expect a recession to begin by the end of 2020, with trade policy presenting the greatest risk to the expansion, according to a new survey reported by Bloomberg. So you can keep the panic button under lock and key.

Headquartered in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, BlackHawk is a leading distributor of cutting tools, abrasives and industrial MRO products used in manufacturing, aerospace & defense, energy, auto aftermarket, construction, general industrial, medical and agriculture applications. 

The DPA Buying Group is pleased to welcome twenty new distributor members to its safety & public safety product divisions.

Managers may not always be in the best position to detect subtle signs of mental distress or provide immediate support for employees experiencing severe depression or anxiety. 

Human competencies that will always be valued include understanding visual inputs, understanding meaning, critical thinking, communication, problem-solving and empathy and caring for others.

The improper handling of hazardous waste brings many potential dangers, from health hazards to environmental damage, in both the short and long term.

A high priority for the manufacturing sector has been managing hazardous waste and reducing the annual levels created.

There is a way to remove snow quickly, safely, and efficiently from trailers with automated machines to help keep fleets clean and running on time.

In many contexts, the “smart” prefix refers to giving technologies some form of wireless connectivity. That’s not necessarily the case with smart concrete, which covers a much broader range of materials than it may initially seem.

OSHA ordered the Maersk Line to reinstate the seaman and pay $457,759 in back wages, interest, compensatory damages and $250,000 in punitive damages. 

Increased investment in OSH reflects the acknowledgement that high-risk industrial businesses need the most advanced solutions to function effectively and protect their workforce. 

The research highlights the average number of fatalities that normally occur per month and per day of the month and compares these figures with the average number of fatalities during each national holiday. 

Researchers at the National Safety Council and the University of Michigan found that about one in 20 adolescents ages 10 to 17 and one in 10 young adults ages 18 to 25 report prescription opioid misuse, based on a new review published in Preventive Medicine. However, effective intervention programs are not in place to address prescription opioid misuse among young people, and NSC and University of Michigan Injury Prevention Center researchers are urgently calling for evidence-based prevention programs to be developed and tested.

“We strongly oppose the administration’s proposal to create a separate government agency to oversee tobacco products. This unfortunately comes from an administration that has repeatedly placed the needs of the tobacco industry on equal footing with public health.

Longer sitting times were associated with higher levels of heart disease risk among overweight and obese post-menopausal women overall, according to new research published today in the Journal of the American Heart Association, the open access journal of the American Heart Association.

For most people, the benefits of aerobic exercise far outweigh the risks, however, extreme endurance exercise – such as participation in marathons and triathlons for people who aren’t accustomed to high-intensity exercise – can raise the risk of sudden cardiac arrest, atrial fibrillation (a heart rhythm disorder) or heart attacks, according to a new Scientific Statement published in the Association’s premier journal Circulation.

The National Safety Council (NSC), in partnership with more than 50 organizations and companies nationwide, released a comprehensive, inclusive strategy to address opioid misuse that all presidential candidates – regardless of party – should either adopt in full or use to close gaps in existing plans and policies.

No magic pills make musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) disappear, yet risk, human resources and safety departments continue to buy into programs and systems that do not affectively aid in helping employees deemed the “walking wounded.” 

The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition recommends drinking up to 3 liters of fluid a day. Water is vital for all cell function. It helps your brain to produce hormones and neurotransmitters, supports the lubrication of joints, keeps your skin cool through sweating or respiration, and your body to excrete waste.

Changes in safety and health approaches are needed both in and outside of government. Many established beliefs and assumptions concerning government operations currently are being re-evaluated and questioned. This reset presents an opportunity.

The hard part is getting teams to buy into the team vision to play selfless and trust that if they focus on all the intangibles, the scoring will come and at the end of the game the scoreboard will reflect their efforts.

The term “Safety culture” has become like the term “engagement” in popular management writings. There is no common agreement on the term. We are left with (mis)interpretations of terms like “safety culture,” which lead to haphazard attempts at changing organizations toward improvement.

Not many people walk around throughout their day with a risk assessment in hand. We should, however, always have an informal risk assessment tool in our mind that allows us to perform at least a cursory assessment until we can dig deeper or in a more formal way.

Whether in mining, construction, fabrication and assembly, equipment installation and repair, or other industries, there is a shortage of skilled tradesmen/ technicians to do essential work.

Since health and safety initiatives and overall health and safety commentary seem to be focused towards frontline workers, Positional Leaders appear to be getting a free pass on the safety train that already left the station a long, long time ago.

MCR Safety is proud to announce that Paul Harris will be leading our Sales and Customer Service as well as Consulting and Compliance teams as our newly appointed Vice President, US Sales. 　

With more than 500 exhibitors showing their products and services at the ASSE Professional Development Conference & Exposition, it’s not a bad idea to plan your itinerary in advance, so you won’t miss something you really want to see.

From arc flash, respiratory, foot, hand and fall protection to gas detectors, training courses and more, attendees at Safety 2014 had a chance to check out cutting edge safety products at ISHN's booth in Orlando's Orange County Convention Center and vote on their favorites. The votes have been counted and the winners have been determined.

VelocityEHS, the global leader in cloud-based environment, health, safety (EHS) and sustainability solutions, announced today it has acquired Spiramid, developer of the most advanced and easy-to-use system for managing industrial hygiene (IH). The acquisition adds Spiramid’s occupational safety & health software and unparalleled IH expertise to the most trusted EHS platform in the industry.

Responses provided by Carol Hanover, Field Director, Risk Control, Travelers

Traditionally, safety departments get opinions and guesses thrown at them, says Stinson. There may be a hazard. Equipment doesn’t seem to be working. “Now you have objective data all mapped out. It’s very important that this is objective data, so you know for a fact that a part of plant is leaking. It’s a fact, not a suspicion,” he says.

Working alone and working at heights for me began years ago as an instrument technician in a large steel mill in western Pennsylvania. We always tried to work in pairs but there were occasions when I had to work alone or apart from my buddy.

Mobile EHS software is improving workplace health and safety programs by disseminating critical tasks – like incident reporting – and making EHS a part of everyone’s job. Now every employee has the ability to feed real-time information on workplace risks directly into a centralized location.

Advance the OEHS profession by sharing your knowledge on the latest research and best practices. 

How do you ensure accountability – that the most important data is not overlooked or forgotten, that hazards are fixed, that incident or near miss causes are found, and that a mitigation solution is sustained long term?

In pilot tests, most employees who volunteered to be analyzed wanted to continue the daily testing. They want to know, like wearing an Apple watch, their various health metrics, including how much sleep they get.

In his three years on the job, Parker said he has been surprised by the number of companies that simply don’t care about worker health and safety, even some large, well-known companies. 

Understanding macroeconomics is helpful as you advance in your OHS career. Macroeconomics is the big picture evaluation of how an economy works based upon numerous influences at the local, regional, and global levels.

The Great Resignation, Big Quit, and Big Strike are just a few of the terms used to describe the phenomenon of the large number of people who, during Covid times, took drastic actions to remedy dissatisfaction with their job.

Industrial hygiene began as a medical specialty in the early 1900s. Scope creep among OHS pros is occurring now and will expand in the future, too. The challenge for OHS pros, and others, is to know when to expand or establish limits of OHS capabilities.

The cascade of generally well-known catastrophic events associated with lead exposure continue to unfold.

Within the coming decades, lifetime cancer risk i.e., cancer incidence in the U.S. will increase 50%-70% mainly because of population growth and an aging population.

Toxic chemicals at Camp Lejeune creates ripple effect on OHS practice of tracking harmful exposure.