Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
OSHA recordkeeping and reporting requirements appear straightforward, but the devil is in the details. Pound for pound, obese workers cost you plenty. Here are some facts that should disturb you. Which employee health issue costs employers more, obesity or smoking? If you guessed obesity, you guessed right. A study in the Journal of Occupational and […]
Most contractors are familiar with pulling construction stormwater general permits (CGP) when a project will disturb more than 1 acre of land. However, it’s also important to note there are some instances when a permit is still required on projects that “disturb” less than an acre of land. Additionally, some projects also require federal and […]
Following the April 2010 Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf Coast, the Department of the Interior (DOI) bureau in charge of issuing and enforcing environmental and safety regulations acted relatively quickly to release its drilling safety rule (August 2012).
Settlement Preserves Rare Wetlands In mid-August 2014, the EPA and the Department of Justice (DOJ) reached a settlement with the owners of a California ranch for violations of the CWA involving the destruction of more than 80 acres of rare wetlands in Tehama County. According to the EPA, the wetlands, known as “vernal pool” wetlands […]
Although most employees on workers’ comp follow their rehabilitation programs conscientiously, a few workers fabricate symptoms, cancel therapy appointments, and are insincere about getting off compensation and back on the job. The costs of workers’ comp fraud fall not only on employers, but also on the malingerer’s fellow employees. They are often the one’s who […]
OSHA spends millions to promote safety. But some say their efforts produce just the opposite by diverting resources to compliance that could be used in injury prevention. Which side of the controversy are you on? OSHA is one of Washington’s most established agencies, with an extensive program, a half-billion dollar budget, and 2,000 employees, all […]
In yesterday’s Advisor, we suggested 10 key words you can use to get employees actively involved in the accident prevention process. But the fact remains that accidents will happen, and today we’ll look at how you can make accident investigations a vital part of your accident prevention program. The Accident Investigations course in BLR’s Employee […]
Summertime often means lots of vacations and lots of employee absences—but training still needs to get done. So how can you keep up with training when so many employees aren’t at work? It may seem like the obvious, but begin by setting up a training schedule. Without a reasonable, realistic schedule, training might not get […]
The equipment that’s at the heart of many operations may also be at the heart of safety problems—especially amputation hazards. Amputations are among the most severe and disabling workplace injuries. According to some estimates, the number of annual job-related amputations is about 5,000. That’s an average of almost 14 a day—and that’s a lot. According […]
Today and tomorrow, we go inside the safety departments at two companies that share a top-down commitment to worker protection, employing a combination of big ideas and small strategies. At Marvin Windows and Doors (Warroad, Minnesota), Corporate Safety Manager Greg Peterson explains some of the key strategies his company uses in its nine manufacturing sites […]