Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
With the holiday season upon us, there may be a danger lurking among those cold cuts and pates. Listeriosis is an illness caused by eating foods contaminated with listeria monocytogenes, bacteria found in soil and water. Ready-to-eat foods also can become contaminated within the processing plant, after processing, or along the route from plant to […]
Read about a VPP site that is committed to safety and demonstrates that commitment every day. At Cherry Aerospace, a global leader in the design and manufacture of fastening systems for the aerospace industry, the key to safety and health success is a direct approach to hazard elimination. Risks are found and fixed with employees […]
When you’re young you think you’re invulnerable. Accidents and injuries happen to other people, not you. And that’s exactly the kind of thinking that makes young workers so vulnerable to workplace accidents. Consider these disturbing facts about young workers and safety: Young workers (under age 25) were twice as likely to be injured on the […]
A complete and accurate accident report provides the information you need to eliminate hazards and protect workers from future accidents. An incident report needs to include all the essential information about the accident or near-miss. The report-writing process begins with fact finding and ends with recommendations for preventing future accidents. You may use a special […]
Accident prevention often begins with accident investigation. You can’t prevent accidents if you don’t know what caused them. Nobody wants a workplace accident. Not you. Not your insurer. Not supervisors. Not employees. Not the families of injured workers. But when an accident does happen, it’s important to handle the investigation promptly and effectively. To do […]
Effective safety training programs that result in safe behavior by workers require proper assessing and planning. First, you need to determine what training is required. Regarding OSHA regulations, the need for training is often implied, rather than specifically required. For example, the General Housekeeping Standard (29 CFR 1910.22) says that “all places of employment” must […]
Yesterday, we presented the first part of OSHA’s computer workstation safety checklist. Today, we conclude with the rest of the checklist and some important information about BLR’s Safety Audit Checklists. WORK AREA—Is the work area designed or arranged for doing computer tasks so that the user’s: Thighs have sufficient clearance space between the top of […]
Check out this workstation safety checklist to help prevent MSDs among employees who spend long hours at the computer. Musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) like carpal tunnel are a problem for employees who work all day on a computer. Risk factors include primarlly: Repetition—the daily and lengthy use of a keyboard and mouse or trackpad Awkward postures—extending […]
Yesterday, we recounted the story of an employer found liable for failure to provide required safety training. Today, we tell the tale of an employer that escaped a similar fate by providing excellent training. When the painting company got the contract to paint a highway bridge, scaffolds were suspended from horizontal cables fastened to the […]
December is Safe Toys and Gifts Month. Take time for a seasonal training session this month on the off-the-job subject of helping employees buy safe toys and gifts for their children. In a quick 15 minutes, you can give them good tips that can potentially save your workplace from time off taken by parents whose […]