Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
With millions working on ladders and scaffolds each day, the risks are high. Here are some ways to avoid those risks. It’s said that life has its ups and downs, and that’s certainly true of people who work on ladders and scaffolds. But for them, the downs can be especially painful. That’s led safety experts, […]
Organizations with safety committees often have better accident records, lower operating costs, fewer lost workdays, and lower workers’ comp claims. This Friday, our Safety Training Tips columnist focuses on what you need to know about them. (See also the notice of a special April 1 BLR audio conference on committees at the end of the […]
To prevent workplace injuries, change worker behavior, say many safety experts. But one safety consultant, Randy DeVaul, suggests a three times wider approach. Yesterday’s Advisor began an exploration of Randy DeVaul’s concept of “Performance Safety.” DeVaul, a Westfield, NewYork-based safety consultant who also produces BLR safety audio conferences, developed his idea partially in response to […]
OSHA spends millions to promote safety. But some say their efforts produce just the opposite by diverting resources to compliance that could be used in injury prevention. Which side of the controversy are you on? OSHA is one of Washington’s most established agencies, with an extensive program, a half-billion dollar budget, and 2,000 employees, all […]
Both OSHA and best practices mandate what a forklift operator must know. And effective training techniques mandate the best way to teach it … in action. Yesterday’s Advisor began a discussion about forklift safety and operator training. We noted that while OSHA has a comprehensive standard on forklift training, the regulation includes no provision for […]
OSHA has strict standards for forklift driver training but says nothing about certifying that the trainers know what they’re doing. How good is the quality of your forklift training program? After you read this, you might just wonder. The story is a tragic one, made more so by the victim’s youth. Kevin Hrcka, just 13, […]
Our readership includes thousands of smaller organizations, in which one or a few individuals are responsible for all forms of legal compliance and for training others to operate within the law. Some of that involves safety, but there are other risks, too. Our Safety Training Tips columnist discusses one of them today: discrimination. Discriminatory employment […]
OSHA has specific requirements for protecting workers from bloodborne pathogen exposures … and it’s not only for healthcare workers. Here’s a summary, and a highly recommended tool, to meet the agency’s training requirement. Yesterday’s Advisor began a discussion of risks faced by the nation’s 13.5 million healthcare workers and highlighted some strategies employers are using […]
The nation’s 13.5 million healthcare workers look out for us, but what’s being done to protect them? Here are some ideas and strategies. In this election year, we’re hearing about “health care” almost as much as about ”change.” But while the candidates are pushing plans to improve things for patients, perhaps they should spend some […]
Choosing the measurements is only one step in designing a safety metrics program. Here are some of the others. Yesterday’s Advisor began a discussion of safety metrics. We noted that the traditional way of tracking safety, the OSHA 300 Log, was among the least effective paths to safety. The reason: It’s a trailing indicator, a […]