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Safety audit

Safety 2020 (Virtual): Take Your Inspections and Audits Beyond Compliance

At Safety 2020, the annual conference of the American Society of Safety Professionals, presented virtually amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Adele Abrams, Esq., CMSP, President of the Law Office of Adele L. Abrams P.C., and Glenna Smith, CMSP, Director of Consulting and Training at McCraren Compliance, discussed the benefits and potential pitfalls of workplace safety audits […]

Health, healthcare, total worker health

Safety 2020 (Virtual): Broadening Safety Programs with Total Worker Health

At Safety 2020, the annual conference of the American Society of Safety Professionals, delivered virtually amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Jenn Cavallari, Associate Professor at UConn School of Medicine, encouraged safety professionals to implement the principles of Total Worker Health, an initiative of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), to improve safety performance […]

Reopening

Industry Group Examines the Challenges of Reopening During COVID-19

The Massachusetts High Technology Council, a regional industry group, recently examined issues involved in reopening businesses and asking employees to return to work in the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. A new report in the New England Journal of Medicine summarized their conclusions.

Safety Data Investment

Safety 2020 (Virtual): 5 Essential Business Skills for Safety Pros

At Safety 2020, the annual conference of the American Society of Safety Professionals, delivered virtually amid the COVID-19 pandemic, Camille Oakes, President and CEO of Better Safety, highlighted five essential business skills safety professionals need to cultivate to increase their effectiveness.

ISO 14001

How the ISO 14001 Framework Can Benefit Your Environmental Compliance Efforts

The International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 14001 Environmental Management Standard, last updated in 2015, sets out key criteria for environmental management and, in turn, environmental compliance. By using a framework to map out an effective environmental management system, it can be tailored to any type of organization regardless of product, service, or industry, and can […]

Reopening

OSHA Issues Compliance Guidance Regarding Reopening Amid COVID-19

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) identified six standards in addition to the General Duty Clause of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act) that apply to businesses reopening as shelter-in-place and stay-at-home orders begin lifting. The standards for personal protective equipment (PPE), 29 CFR §1910.132; respiratory protection, §1910.134; sanitation, §1910.141; hazard communication, […]

Air emissions, pollution

EPA’s Proposed Cost-Benefit Analysis Rule Seeks Consistency, Transparency, and Public Comment

The EPA proposed a new rule on June 11, 2020, that would impose specific requirements for the Agency to utilize uniform and transparent “high-quality analysis” in its statutory obligations in the rulemaking process under the Clean Air Act (CAA). Many statutes, including the CAA, include cost consideration language but do not provide exact guidelines or […]

Future of safety work

What Safety Challenges Does the Future of Work Hold?

Before the World Health Organization declared a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on March 11, workplace safety and health professionals already were looking at a future that included new technologies, nontraditional work arrangements, an aging and multigenerational workforce, impairment brought on by medical or recreational cannabis use, and workplace suicides and opioid overdoses.