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Modern safety management goes beyond covering traditional workplace accidents to now being equally concerned with illnesses caused on and even off the job. This section will explain what you need to know to avoid both injuries and illnesses, and to track your progress in reaching this goal.
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Every year, thousands of workers become sick from exposure to heat, and some even die. But your people don’t have to suffer. These illnesses and deaths are preventable. With summer just around the corner and heat and humidity on the rise, many employers need to start thinking about and planning to prevent employee heat-related illness. […]
According to the National Safety Council, most accidents are preceded by at least one near miss. That makes near-miss reporting a cornerstone of effective accident prevention. Identification of near-miss incidents is a leading indicator of safety performance. Near-miss incident reports can be used to identify a pattern of undesirable events that enable you to correct […]
Accident prevention is at the core of every effective workplace safety plan. That’s because when you prevent accidents, you also prevent injuries and illness, pain and suffering, high costs, low morale, and sagging productivity. Common sense tells us that there are two basic approaches to preventing accidents: Controlling the work environment Managing the attitude and […]
May 20 to 26 is National EMS Week, which is a great time to honor the valiant work of our emergency medical services personnel. It’s also a good time for training on the use of automated external defibrillators (AEDs)—for those times when even the few minutes it may take for EMS to arrive could mean […]
New research puts the annual price tag for occupational injuries and illnesses at well over $200 billion, higher than generally assumed. In the first comprehensive review of its kind since 1992, a University of California Davis researcher has estimated the national annual price tag of occupational injuries and illnesses at $250 billion. That figure is […]
As proof of the success of injury and illness prevention programs, OSHA cites the experiences of eight states that either require a program or provide incentives through workers’ comp programs. Alaska. Five years after the state implemented an injury and illness program requirement, the net decrease in injuries and illnesses (i.e., the statewide reduction in […]
Yesterday, we talked about two common health effects of shiftwork. Today, we explore circadian rhythm in more detail and their impact on worker safety and health. As we said yesterday, human body functions follow a daily rhythm, or 24-hour cycle, known as circadian rhythm. This internal clock regulates sleeping, waking, digestion, secretion of adrenaline, body […]
Shiftworkers are at greater risk for health problems than dayworkers. Two of those problems involve the cardiovascular system and the gastrointestinal system. Cardiovascular problems can arise as a result of shiftwork because heart rate and blood pressure follow circadian rhythms, which are upset by the nighttime schedule. Circadian rhythm is the body’s 24-hour cycle, and […]
Many workers now perform their tasks at worksites other than those owned or operated by their employers. In these situations the employer remains primarily responsible for ensuring that employees have safe and healthful workplaces. In the minerals industry, we work with people who have a range of different attitudes toward safety and how much risk […]
New employees are often eager, but equally often inexperienced and unaware of the specific safety hazards of your workplace. That’s why safety orientation is so important, as this case study proves to new workers. Case studies are a great way to train employees about workplace hazards and protections. You can use them effectively in both […]