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

Material Handling Q & A

Material handling raises many questions. Here are some answers courtesy of the premier safety website for safety professionals, Safety.BLR.com. Are there any regulations on stacking heights or number of stacks for wooden pallets? There is no rule on stacking heights or number of stacks for pallets. However, KY OSHA has a general duty clause statute […]

Fundamental Requirements for Confined Spaces

OSHA says that if you allow an employee to enter a permit-required confined space, you must develop and implement a written program for the space. There is no rule on stacking heights or number of stacks for pallets. However, KY OSHA has a general duty clause statute that says the employer must “furnish to each […]

New Apps Help Employers Control Distracted Driving

AT&T has released two mobile apps aimed at reducing dangerous driving behavior among employees. Associate PLEDGE® lets businesses conduct real-time monitoring and helps enforce distracted driving policies. According to AT&T, the tool is best suited for mobile employees, fleet drivers, and sales teams who regularly travel or operate company vehicles. Using the app, employers can […]

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 […]

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. […]

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 […]

Should Employees Be Disciplined for Safety Violations?

Some safety professionals think safety and discipline are incompatible. Others disagree. Howard Mavity, a labor lawyer and partner in the law firm of Fisher & Phillips, says discipline is essential for safety, but employers just aren’t doing it. Mavity cites a firm study that found 56 percent of large general contractors were unsatisfied with how […]

Breakthrough Safety Performance: Part 2

Achieving breakthrough safety performance requires a number of critical elements. Yesterday, we discussed some of those. Today, we present some more. Author and consultant Alan Quilley believes four critical elements must be managed to achieve high-level safety results. All are interdependent and cannot be managed in isolation. These elements are: Company culture—basically, "the way it […]

Breakthrough Safety Performance

You’ve been working hard to boost safety awareness and engagement in your workplace. You consider OSHA standards to be the bare minimum of compliance. And your injury stats are headed in the right direction. But it’s still not enough. How do you kick safety and health up to the next level? Robert Pater, founder and […]

Avoid These Safety Committee Pitfalls

Mismanagement of safety committees undercuts their effectiveness. Avoid these common mistakes. Mismanagement of safety committees undercuts their effectiveness. Avoid these common mistakes. SFM Mutual Insurance Company considers safety committees “the heart of an organization’s safety efforts.” But if committees are not handled properly, their effectiveness can be diminished. Failure to articulate a purpose and top-heavy […]