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January 24, 2023Nine topics every professional should pay attention to
1. Harassment
Merriam-Webster named “Gaslighting” the word of the year. In the ever-expanding wake of Canada’s Governor General resigning over allegations of harassment, more high-profile cases are appearing. Hockey Canada’s board of directors resigned after mounting pressure and calls for answers after evidence emerged of cover-ups and payouts for sexual assault claims. Gymnastics Canada’s funding was frozen when hundreds of gymnasts signed a petition about exposure to a toxic culture, and gymnasts came forward asking the government to step in. The military has had consistent and disturbing cases of harassment and sexual assault. The list goes on. The problems are real, and organizations are being caught out.
Many organizations have inadequate processes and guidance for -
January 24, 2023For many businesses, daily activities necessitate the use of hazardous substances. To use and store them safely, it is critical to recognize the risks they pose and to meet the highest levels of workplace safety. Occupational safety protocols must therefore account for all hazardous substance handling, storage and comprehensive risk management.
In the UK, such occupational safety precautions are governed by the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH) Act. Following an annual review of workplace safety, COSHH emphasizes the need of meeting and routinely refreshing safety procedures in all businesses.
In addition to meeting regulatory safety standards, we will explain below how to correctly store and label hazardous substances in the workplace, as well as outline the safety procedures and regulations you should implement to keep all those on site safe. -
January 24, 2023For the eighth time since 2016, federal safety inspectors found the owner of a Martin, Ohio roofing company exposed roofers and other workers to the construction industry’s leading cause of death – falls from elevation – by failing to provide them with fall protection equipment and hazard training.
Altogether Roofing LLC and owner Mike Krueger now face $300,144 in penalties after a U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspector observed eight employees working at heights up to 20 feet without fall protection while atop a Maumee residence on June 22, 2022.
Following the June inspection, the agency cited the contractor for five violations – three willful, one repeat and one serious – for exposing workers to fall hazards, failing to use ladders correctly, lacking an accident prevention program, failing to provide training on ladder usage -
January 24, 2023The study, which used data from over 4,000 journey level plumbers, examined workers’ compensation claim rates.
Can workplace safety be improved by apprentice training? A new study published late last year shows that there may be a relationship.
The study, from the Washington State Department of Labor & Industries’ (L&I) Safety and Health Assessment and Research for Prevention (SHARP) Program, looked at data on 4,036 journey level plumbers (JLP) from 2000 to 2018.
The workers’ compensation claim rates of those who finished apprentice training were 31 lower than those who lacked apprentice training, according to an L&I news release. The adjusted estimates claim rate for JLPs with apprentice training was 73.1 per 1,000 full-time equivalent. For those with no apprentice training, it was 106.4 per 1,000 full-time equivalent.
“This study -
January 18, 2023Slip, trip and fall injuries are unfortunately not uncommon in many industries, including mining.
In 2021, there were 771 reported slip and fall injuries in the mining industry out of a total of 3,421 injuries, according to the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).
Many factors can contribute to slips and falls when working in a mine, like equipment, walkways and the conditions. In honor of National Miners Day, which is recognized on December 6, let’s look at ways to prevent the second leading cause of nonfatal injuries resulting in lost time in mining.
Working around or with equipment, especially mobile equipment, can lead to injuries. The most common equipment to cause slips, trips and falls at a mine are “large trucks (haul trucks), loaders and dozers,” NIOSH reported.
How can employers keep workers safe -
January 18, 2023The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is launching a challenge aimed at fit testing evaluation for respirators.
Fit testing is required by OSHA yearly and whenever employees use a new respirator. However, not every employer may be able to meet these requirements. According to a NIOSH news release, resources to do fit testing may be a concern for “small or disadvantaged workplaces.”
In partnership with Capital Consulting Corporation and the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, NIOSH announced the Respirator Fit Evaluation Challenge on January 10. The challenge seeks “novel ideas” that could positively influence fit-testing practices for respirators.
“Fit testing is vital to ensure a respirator wearer is receiving the expected level of protection and is wearing a correctly fitting model and size,” said Maryann D’Alessandro, -
January 18, 2023After losing some momentum under the Trump administration and making its share of mistakes throughout the pandemic, OSHA has spent much of 2022 flexing its regulatory muscles.
Consider that, so far in 2022, it has started emphasis programs and enforcement efforts targeting warehouses, heat illness, COVID-19 and trenching violations.
At the same time, it has broadened the scope of its Severe Violator Enforcement Program and it is once again using the General Duty Clause to address ergonomics violations.
Speaking of ergonomics, the agency, along with the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York, is focusing on those violations as part of a broader investigation into multiple warehouse facilities owned and operated by Amazon.
Further, OSHA’s inspector roster grew 19% in fiscal year 2022. The agency added 50 new inspectors -
January 18, 2023An EHS Today Special Report
As we near the end of 2022, it’s a fair question to ask: Did anything really change over the past year?
While COVID cases have dropped off considerably over the past year, we’re still in a pandemic, and there’s no clear sign that the World Health Organization (WHO)—which officially declared the pandemic back in March 2020—plans to call it off any time soon.
The predicted “red wave” from the midterm elections turned out to be a mirage, and it sounds like we’re in for two years of solid political gridlock.
And far too many workers are still getting injured and killed on the job and on the highways from safety violations of the industrial kind (e.g., falls from heights, explosions and electrocutions) as well as the psychological kind (e.g., active shooting and suicides).
Rather than sugarcoating the bad -
January 10, 2023Keeping an eye out for hazards that could lead to a blow to the head – and safeguarding against them – is vital in the workplace.
It’s also required: OSHA has standards focused on head protection: OSHA 1910.135(a) and 1926.100(a).
“It’s an absolute must in most hazardous environments,” said David Consider, senior workplace safety consultant at the National Safety Council, “the infamous ones being construction and mining.”
Deaths linked to traumatic brain injury more commonly occur in construction – NIOSH data shows that a quarter of all fatalities in the industry from 2003 to 2010 were the result of a TBI. But the risk for head injuries also is present in numerous other occupational sectors.
So, how can safety pros help protect workers?
Types of protection
“You can see some head injuries, -
January 10, 2023UAE authorities have warned companies they face severe penalties if they fail to provide a safe working environment for employees.
In a social media post, the Ministry of Human Resources and Emiratisation told employers to ensure they follow health and safety rules. These include:
- Ensure working areas are not used to store material, equipment or rubbish and that sufficient space around machinery is provided to allow workers to move freely and avoid injury
- Take necessary precautions to protect workers from falling objects
- Fill potholes and drain stagnant water on the premises
- Provide fire-resistant equipment
- Mark entrances and emergency exits
Under Article 342 of UAE law, employers can face up to five years in prison and be fined if found guilty of causing injury or
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