Category: Personnel Safety

OSHA Revises Walkaround Worker Representative Regulations

On April 1, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) amended its regulations for employee representatives during agency workplace inspections (89 Fed. Reg. 22558). The April 1 amendments make two changes to workplace walkaround regulations: OSHA’s revised regulations take effect May 31. OSHA compliance safety and health officers (CSHO) still have discretion over whether to […]

Mortgage Executive, Managers Ordered to Pay Whistleblowers

A senior vice president and two managers at PrimeLending, a national mortgage lender, were ordered to pay $35,000 in emotional damages and legal fees to two company whistleblowers, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced March 27. OSHA investigators found that the nationwide lender violated whistleblower provisions of the Consumer Financial Protection Act (CFPA) by […]

Ohio Manufacturer Cited Again in 8th OSHA Investigation

HBD Thermoid Inc., an Ohio industrial hose manufacturer, faces $321,489 in new Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) penalties, the agency announced March 26. Following OSHA’s eighth investigation into HBD Thermoid since 2013, the agency cited the employer with 14 new violations at its Bellefontaine, Ohio, manufacturing facility—one willful, 11 serious, and two other-than-serious. Safety […]

Safety Council Expands Efforts to Combat Overdoses

On March 25, the National Safety Council (NSC) announced it’s ramping up its efforts to combat overdoses in the workplace, launching several new initiatives. These initiatives include free opioid overdose eLearning resources, an online workplace well-being hub, and the availability of bulk online purchasing of Narcan® (naloxone) nasal spray for employers nationwide. According to the […]

Cultivating Safety Culture: Strategies for Achieving Safety Buy-In

Beyond rigorous protocols and comprehensive management, a successful health and safety strategy requires an engaged culture that resonates in every aspect of an organization. Achieving safety buy-in is a crucial milestone in fostering this culture, as it involves not only compliance but a genuine commitment from every individual. In this article, we’ll explore and highlight […]

Back to Basics: Are You Ready for a Workplace Fire?

Back to Basics is a weekly feature that highlights important but possibly overlooked information that any EHS professional should know. This week, we examine workplace fire preparedness. Have you considered what might happen if a fire broke out in your facility? On March 25, 1911, 146 garment workers were killed in the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory […]

EHS On Tap E198: Building a Strong Safety Culture

On episode 198 of EHS On Tap, Cameron Strother, senior EHS manager, Skanska, talks about building a strong safety culture.

OSHA Still Working on Six Economically Significant Rules

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) continues to work on six economically significant rulemakings, including developing a workplace violence prevention rule, according to a March 14 Department of Labor (DOL) Federal Register notice (89 Fed. Reg. 18744). An earlier DOL notice omitted a listing of the department’s regulatory flexibility items on its semiannual regulatory […]

Forklift Fatality at Boston’s Logan Airport Nets Serious Citations

Rochester, New York, maintenance firm Oxford Airport Technical Services faces $46,096 in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines following the fatal injury of a forklift operator at Boston’s Logan International Airport, the agency announced March 11. According to OSHA, the August 29, 2023, fatality could have been prevented if the employer had used proper […]

Developing Your Fall Protection Program from the Ground Up

Every organization strives to have a cohesive safety culture that is understood by employees, effective in keeping employees safe from hazards, and agile enough to respond to emergencies. A comprehensive written fall protection program can be one of the cornerstones of building a robust safety culture at your organization. First, it is important to know […]