Fatalities caused by falls from elevation continue to be a leading cause of death for construction employees, accounting for 351 of the 1,008 construction fatalities recorded in 2020 (BLS data). Those deaths were preventable. (https://www.osha.gov/stop-falls-stand-down, 02/02/2022) While the statistics are not stated here, there are many worker fatalities in the manufacturing/industrial industries (General Industry) as […]

Considering the two recent incidences in Illinois at an Amazon facility and in Kentucky at a candle factory with the tornado that tore through both of them, it’s a good time to review your emergency action plan and your preparedness for an emergency. The first thing to do is determine if you have such a […]

Lithium-ion (Li-ion) batteries are rechargeable and used worldwide to power a wide range of devices from cellphones and laptops to handheld tools.  Larger Li-ion batteries are used in energy storage systems, hospital equipment, and electric vehicles.  The rapid growth of Li-ion technology and its prolific use around the world has quickly outpaced the knowledge around […]

With OSHA’s National Emphasis Program (NEP) on heat stress prevention, the Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (ANPR) to initiate the rulemaking process towards a federal heat standard, some state OSHA plans already having heat injury prevention standards, and the need to protect workers from heat stress and heat injuries in both indoor and outdoor work […]

RJR Safety Inc. is pleased to announce Melissa A. Heike, M.S., CSP is a Senior Health and Safety Consultant effective August 15, 2022.  Melissa’s significant knowledge and experience will, again, be a great asset to clients and partners in the manufacturing, construction, and oil & gas industries.  Melissa’s expertise includes conducting comprehensive safety and health […]

West Virginia University Safety & Health Extension, through an OSHA Susan Harwood Training Grant has developed another outstanding training course titled “Fundamentals of Safety Leadership for the Oil & Gas Industry”. This training is a 3-hour course. Safety leadership is everyone on the team, crew, site. There is a distinct difference between leadership and management. […]

The next step is to change the “informal” management system to remove the rewards for risky behaviors and encourage safe behaviors. As was reviewed in the January blog titled “Management System Rewards Risky Behaviors”, the “informal” management system where the Manager, Supervisor, and workers interact to conduct business operations is evident in the company culture […]