Tag: safety culture

Changing World, Changing Workforce, Changing Workplace

Greater workplace diversity has a big impact on the 21st century American workplace. Whether that impact is positive and productive or divisive and challenging depends on how well you manage your changing workforce. The workplace, like the nation and wider world, is made up of men and women of diverse racial, religious, and ethnic backgrounds, […]

Zero Injuries Is No Longer a Dream for Some

Read about how one Fortune 100 company set and achieved a goal to reduce the number and severity of workplace injuries by 50 percent in 5 years. The program was so successful, the company is already into its second 5-year challenge. Anyone who thinks changing safety direction and outcomes at a large company is impossible […]

Fleet Management: 10 Steps to Driver Safety

The average vehicle crash costs an employer more than $16,000. When the incident involves an employee injury, that figure spikes to $74,000, then up to $500,000 if there is a fatality. The good news, say the experts, is that auto accidents are largely preventable There’s no time like the present to shore up your fleet […]

Is Repetition Important in Training?

In a word, yes. You know that a safe operation is a productive and profitable one. But how can you help keep your operations safe? Constantly communicate the safety message by using some of the same techniques exercised by OSHA: information, enforcement, and rewards—which are all forms of repetition. Repeat safety information in dozens of […]

No Fooling: April Is Alcohol Awareness Month

Alcohol and workplace safety don’t mix. If any of your employees are reporting to work under the influence, they’re putting themselves and others at risk. Take advantage of Alcohol Awareness Month to promote an alcohol-free and drug-free workplace. Workplace use of alcohol and drugs is a problem that costs American businesses more than $100 billion […]

Hazmat Training? You Need a Plan

The Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration’s (PHMSA’s) hazmat training requirements are nonspecific. But one thing is crystal clear: You are legally responsible for making sure hazmat employees are properly trained. According to PHMSA regulations, hazmat training should ensure that employees can identify hazardous materials, understand regulatory requirements, know how to prevent accidents, and know […]

Safe-in-Sound Awards Promote Hearing Loss Prevention

Monday and Tuesday we talked about eye protection. Today, we turn to the important subject of hearing conservation. The inaugural Safe-in-Sound Excellence in Hearing Loss Prevention Awards were awarded in 2009 by NIOSH and the National Hearing Conservation Association (NHCA) to four U.S. employers that "have shown their dedication to the prevention of noise-induced hearing […]

What’s Behavior Got to Do with Safety?

Behavior-based safety uses observation and feedback to reduce workplace accidents. Proponents say it’s a scientific way to identify at-risk behaviors and change them. Opponents say it smacks of Big Brother and promotes blame. The idea that behavioral change can lead to a safer workplace is nothing new. A behavioral approach has been around for most […]

Stress Management: ‘Martial Arts for the Mind’

Here’s a consultant and trainer who says stress isn’t caused by situations or other people. It’s your reactions to situations and people that cause stress. The key to managing work stress is to learn to remain calm regardless of what’s happening around you. David Gamow, founder of Clarity Seminars, which provides on-site training in stress […]

Stress: Even If You Didn’t Cause It, You Can Help

When your employees walk in the door each day they don’t leave their stress behind. It competes for their attention to their job duties as well as to their safety. And stress is often compounded by pressures at work. Employee stress is nothing new, but it certainly is getting a lot of attention these days. […]