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Chemical Incident Videos: Grisly, but Instructive

Getting and holding trainees’ attention is essential for successful training. Here’s one way to do it. If you’re looking for a new method of training your employees on chemical safety, you may want to tap into their fondness for YouTube videos and reality TV. A 3-DVD set of 31 safety videos produced by the U.S. […]

$25,000 for Failing to Report Oil Spill

MassDEP received a telephone report from an environmental cleanup contractor on behalf of the building owner that a release estimated to be 260 gal of diesel fuel had occurred 6 days earlier during the transfer of oil from a basement tank to a rooftop generator when a pump had failed to cycle off. The oil […]

Wellness Training for Drivers

Because of the sedentary nature of their job, because of job stress, and because of sometimes poor dietary habits, especially while on the road, motor carriers as a group tend to have a higher rate of health problems than workers in many other industries. This can affect their job performance and safety. In today’s Advisor, […]

Bill Halts Guidance on ‘Federally Regulated Waters’

Following are key points made in the draft guidance in three critical areas–significant nexus, tributaries, and adjacent wetlands. Significant Nexus To evaluate the presence or absence of a significant nexus, the agencies intend, as a general matter, to consider: •              Waters similarly situated with waters of the same resource type, specifically tributaries, adjacent wetlands, or […]

PPE: Is Your ‘Simple Solution’ Too Good to Be True?

Most of us have encountered a deal that was too good to be true. Could your approach to workplace safety and PPE also be too good to be true? Take a look at these “simple solutions” to workplace hazards, and consider whether you may need to look a little more closely. Disposable Foam Earplugs. If […]

EPA/Corps’ U.S. Waters Guidance Still on Hold

As used in rulemaking, the phrase “waters of the United States” most often refers to waters subject to CWA Section 404 dredge and fill permitting as implemented by the Corps and subject to EPA approval.  But in the draft guidance, the agencies make it clear that the phrase extends to other major programs administered under […]

PPE: Mistakes Workers Make

When workers make mistakes with PPE, the consequences can be grim. In the health and safety professional’s “hierarchy of controls,” PPE falls in last place—behind engineering controls and work practice or administrative controls. The reasoning is that engineering controls address the hazard directly, and have the fewest potential failure points, so they are most protective. […]

Everybody’s ‘Real’ Economic Impact is Different

Do a Google search on “Do environmental regulations hurt economic growth?” and you will come up with enough studies to cover a wall in your local public library.  If you review the studies themselves – or at least flip through the abstracts – you will find most of the researchers answer “no.” That answer is […]

The Right Way to Use Discipline to Promote Workplace Safety

Discipline can be a positive part of workplace safety if you apply it correctly. Discipline can be a key element in ensuring safety in your workplace. This may seem counter-intuitive because some people would tell you to avoid discipline so that employees do not have a disincentive to comply. However, if you use discipline consistently […]

Keys to Good Classroom Training Sessions

Instructor-led training remains one of the most popular training techniques for trainers. There are many types including: Blackboard or whiteboard. This may be the most “old-fashioned” method, but it can still be effective, especially if you invite trainees to write on the board or ask for feedback that you write on the board. Video portion. […]