Category: Special Topics in Safety Management

Safety is a process, and as such, needs to be managed. This section offers resources to create a viable safety program, sell it to senior management, train supervisors and employees in using it, and then track and report your progress. Look also for ways to advance your own skills in these areas, both for your current job, and those that follow.

Free Special Report: 50 Tips for More Effective Safety Training

OSHA Offers Guidance for Classifying Combustible Dust under HazCom

OSHA has issued guidance for its inspectors to determine if makers and importers of chemicals have correctly classified products as combustible dust hazards under the revised Hazard Communication (HazCom) Standard (or HCS). The recent guidance, issued as an interpretation and sent to OSHA regional administrators, affects manufacturers and importers of chemicals (“classifiers”), not users. In […]

Keeping Young Workers Safe

Statistics show that young workers are twice as likely to be injured on the job as older employees. Reasons young workers may be injured include lack of: Job experience Knowledge Skills Understanding of risks, safety rules, and procedures Good judgment and impulse control Safety training Young workers have more accidents at work because they lack […]

4-Step Forklift Walkaround Inspection

Do your employees know how to conduct a walkaround as part of a preoperational forklift inspection? The first step toward safe forklift operation is conducting the preoperational inspection. Forklift operators should conduct the inspection at the start of each work shift to ensure that the forklift will work properly. According to OSHA, 1 in 15 […]

6 Situations That Can Tip a Forklift—And How to Control Them

Prevent deadly forklift tipover accidents by ensuring operators are properly trained to recognize hazardous situations and circumstances. Antonio Toro was preparing to move large bundles of steel at a flood control project. As he positioned his forklift, it tipped, pinning him. By the time emergency responders reached him, Toro was dead. Forklifts are designed to […]

Arm Yourself with the Facts About Hand Safety

Hand injuries can be especially traumatic, stripping away not only a worker’s ability to work, but also the ability to perform activities of daily living. Dr. Gregory A. Merrell is a surgeon at the Indiana Hand Center, the largest, free-standing hand surgery center in the country. The facility is also the nation’s leading training center […]

Help Workers Make the Connection Between Housekeeping and Their Health and Safety

Is your workplace a mess? If so, it’s time to get employees to clean up their act, for the sake of their safety and health. A messy workplace is more than just unsightly. It has the potential to create hazards, including: Fire! Paper garbage, wood shavings, combustible dusts, rags soaked with flammable chemicals—if not disposed […]

There’s Still Time for a Little Spring Cleaning

A good spring cleaning can enhance safety in your workplace if it’s done with an eye to eliminating hazards. Spring cleaning is an annual ritual that coincides with warmer weather and the ability to open up homes that were tightly battened down against the winter’s chill. The idea of an annual cleaning binge is useful […]