Category: Personnel Safety

Safety culture positive team

The Workforce Is Aging—We Need to Keep It Healthy and Safe

The number of older people in the population—and with it, the proportion of older to younger workers—has grown in the past 5 decades and is projected to continue to grow. People are living longer. They either need or want to continue working at an older age for reasons ranging from inadequate retirement savings or a […]

first responders

NIOSH’s Virtual Toolkit for First Responders Addresses Illicit Drugs

The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has released a new virtual toolkit to help first responders reduce their exposure to fentanyl and other illicit drugs. The toolkit provides resources to help keep first responders safe when arriving on a scene where illicit drugs, including fentanyl, are present or suspected to be present.

Messy warehouse facility

When It Comes to Safety, Messes Matter: Tips for Clutter Clearing

What did you see when you walked into your facility this morning? Were there cords snaking across the floor, remnants of a spill from a couple of days ago, or overflowing trash cans? Or did you observe a strong sense of order, with clear walkways, properly stored tools, well-lit and clearly marked stairways, and hazardous […]

Marijuana legalization, law

Marijuana and Workplace Safety: The Evolving Landscape

Marijuana—or “cannabis” as the emerging industry likes to call it—is big business. It employs 5 times more Americans than the coal industry, according to one cannabis industry analyst. There are medical marijuana statutes in 34 states and the District of Columbia. Ten states and D.C. so far also have approved it for recreational use, and […]

Fatigue

NSC 2019: How Are You Managing Fatigue Risk?

At the 2019 National Safety Council (NSC) Congress & Expo in San Diego, California, Emily Whitcomb, Senior Program Manager of NSC, and Lori Guasta, Vice President, Consulting Services and Research for Predictive Safety SRP, Inc., spoke about fatigue in the workplace and how to manage this significant but largely unrecognized hazard.

OSHA log, OSHA inspections

OSHA Reveals Latest Top 10 List of Violations at NSC 2019

At the 2019 National Safety Council Congress & Expo in San Diego, California, Patrick Kapust, deputy director of OSHA’s Directorate of Enforcement Programs, presented the agency’s top 10 violations for fiscal year (FY) 2019 to a standing-room-only crowd of safety professionals. The order may have changed slightly, but the list remain remains the same as […]

Office safety and ergonomics

Four Steps for Improving Workplace Ergonomics

It’s no secret that ergonomics programs often struggle to make an impact. All too often, they start off with a flurry of training and assessments and then fizzle out when people realize that there’s more talking about ergonomics than implementing ergonomics improvements. The ergonomics program starts to feel like more cost than benefit to management, […]

Ear plugs, hearing protection

Oil and Gas, Mining Workers Vulnerable to Hearing Loss

Hearing loss is prevalent in workers in the mining and oil and gas extraction sectors, researchers have found. At least 25% of workers in many industries and as much as 30% of workers in others had hearing loss, according to a recently published report.