Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
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
Whether a worker is injured on or off the job, the result is often the same—lost workdays, lost productivity, and hefty healthcare costs. That makes getting all injured employees back to work ASAP a priority. At General Electric the focus is on an integrated approach to worker injuries and return to work (RTW). By “integrated,” […]
When workers are injured on the job, early return to work (RTW) makes good sense for employees and employers. Spend a few hours in front of the TV on a weekday, and you’ll get an eyeful of what injured workers see every day—ads for lawyers promising large settlements for their injuries. That’s why workers’ compensation […]
The right kind of workplace flooring can help prevent falls and injuries. A recent ANSI standard rates flooring traction levels and provides a way to measure risk. A 2009 voluntary standard from ANSI can help take the guesswork out of decisions about safe flooring, says Russ Kendzior, founder and chairman of the National Floor Safety […]
Yesterday, we presented the first 3 of the 5 Deadly Forklift Dangers. Today, we conclude with the last two. Deadly Danger # 4—Falls from Forklifts It is not always the case that a victim is crushed following a fall from a forklift. The fall alone may be fatal. Of fatal forklift accidents, 9 percent are […]
OSHA estimates that 1 million forklifts are used in workplaces across the United States. Each year, nearly 100 workers are killed and another 20,000 are seriously injured in forklift-related incidents. Deadly Danger # 1—Forklift Turnovers Close to one out of every four fatalities occurs when a forklift tips over. Forklifts can easily tip if they […]
In yesterday’s Advisor, we highlighted the sections of the scaffolding standard that garner the most citations. Today, we suggest ways to ensure compliance and avoid violations and penalties. To avoid citations and ensure construction worksites are in compliance with the scaffolding standard (29 CFR 1926.451), check and recheck each of the requirements of the scaffolding […]
It’s just dust. How could it be dangerous, let alone explosive? Any combustible material can burn rapidly and explode in a finely divided form. Dust suspended in air in the right concentration can become explosive. The force from such an explosion can cause employee deaths, injuries, and destruction of entire buildings. In addition to explosion […]
Permit-required confined spaces are regulated strictly by OSHA because the hazards are so great. Here’s a quick review of OSHA’s requirements for permit spaces. As we said in yesterday’s Advisor, which reviewed confined space hazards, OSHA defines confined spaces as tanks, silos, sewers, and similar spaces large enough to work in, but difficult to get […]
Industrial workplace safety and health depend on getting employees involved in the process. When they’re asked to contribute to the safety of others, employees are more likely to work safely themselves. "If employees don’t understand the ‘why,’ not just the ‘how’ [of workplace safety], they’ll never get beyond a certain point," says Fred Rine, founder […]
Annual physical exams for some or all employees may be a good idea for many reasons. But make sure your policy is clearly communicated to employees and meets legal requirements. There are many legitimate reasons for requiring employees to have annual physical exams—for example, to ensure that individuals are physically capable of performing the required […]