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

PPE: OSHA Standards Review

It should come as no surprise that, in addition to specific PPE standards, many other OSHA regulations also require PPE. Here’s a complete list for general industry and construction. Subpart I of the General Industry standards (29 CFR 1910) and Subpart E of the Construction standards (29 CFR 1926) contain requirements for specific types of […]

Cell Phones and Driving: New Technology May Be the Answer

As we reported in yesterday’s Advisor, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has recently recommended that states ban all drivers from using cellular technology—including hands-free and Bluetooth sets. Safety experts have been saying for a long time that the real safety issue is distracted driving, not hand-held versus hands-free phones. Drivers can be distracted by […]

What Are Your Workers Doing When Nobody’s Looking?

A culture that promotes employee-driven safety changes safety attitudes and performance. When workers are taking risks when nobody’s looking, there’s a problem with the safety culture—one that can be cured with a shift to an employee-driven safety system. The goal of an employee-driven safety is to change employees’ perceptions, attitudes, beliefs, and values about safety […]

What Does It Take to Build a Strong Safety Culture?

To really instill a strong safety culture you have to move to a system where employees are driving safety activities. That involves changes in perceptions, attitudes, beliefs, and values. Changing perceptions and attitudes lays the foundation for changes in beliefs and values. Perceptions: Changing employees’ perceptions about safety will not change their behaviors. But if […]

Don’t Have Any Doubts About PPE Requirements

Here are some questions about PPE requirements, with answers provided by the safety experts at Safety.BLR.com. Does OSHA specify the frequency of replacement of PPE, especially hard hats? OSHA does not specify the frequency of replacement of PPE. It is up to the employer to determine when PPE needs to be replaced. OSHA recommends that […]

What’s New in Safety Equipment?

Check out some innovations in PPE and other safety equipment from 3M Company, designed to boost safety protection in the workplace and at the worksite. Along with management commitment and employee involvement, there’s another essential factor in keeping your workplace safe—stuff. The devices and equipment designed to protect employees from harm play a big role […]

Hang Up the Cell Phone and Drive!

A recent recommendation to ban all cell phone use while driving has many employers wondering about what they should do when employees drive on the job. In a move that surprised many, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recently urged states to ban all drivers from using cellular technology—including hands-free and Bluetooth sets. The board […]

Supervisors and Employees Identify Major Obstacles to Workplace Safety

What stands in the way of a safer, healthier workplace? Supervisors and employees have identified these major obstacles. Supervisors who have participated in OSHA workshops identify these obstacles to workplace safety: Fear of losing my job No money for needed changes Risk in spending money for safety "What’s in it for me" attitude Many people […]

Map Your Strategy for Continuous Safety Improvement

Looking for improvements in your safety programs? Who isn’t? Here’s a synopsis of OSHA’s strategic map for change and continuous improvement. Obtain top management commitment. Top managers must be on board. If they are not, safety and health will compete against core business issues such as production and profitability, a battle that will almost always […]

4 Critical Functions of Safety Committees

Safety committees differ from industry to industry and workplace to workplace. But certain characteristics are common for success At a minimum, a safety committee should perform four critical functions for your organization: 1.   Analyze accident investigation reports and determine root causes. The committee is not the judge and jury on accident investigation, but it does […]