As we wait for the Winter to come to an end, now is the time to review your Emergency Action Plan and how it specifically addresses Spring weather hazards for your employees. We should assess for the types of hazards that Spring weather presents to the employees. Then review with Read more…
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 Read more…
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 Read more…
Many companies have had to complete and post their OSHA 300A Annual Summary for 2021. While it is an exercise required by OSHA, it also gives good indications as to how a company is doing more so as a lagging indicator. OSHA considers a Recordable Injury as being severe enough Read more…
As was mentioned in the December 2021 blog titled “Risk Vs. Reward”, workers think of the reward first then they may or may not consider the risk. I contend that many worker behaviors and decisions, some resulting in unsafe behaviors or injuries or fatalities, are based upon the management system Read more…
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 Read more…
Winter weather safety always considers cold stress such as hypothermia and frostbite however there are many other hazards to consider including driving, being stranded, shoveling snow, clearing snow from roofs, power outages, and other similar concerns. OSHA has a webpage dedicated to these types of winter-related hazards titled Winter Weather Read more…
What is the difference between risk versus reward and reward versus risk? Traditionally, Safety Professionals determine if the risk presented by a hazard/activity is tolerable or intolerable and worth the reward. Workers, generally, think of the reward first then they may or may not consider the risk. One way to Read more…
Is it possible to focus too much on one part of our worker safety efforts and put less emphasis on other elements of keeping our workers safe? For example, with all of the focus on the recently released OSHA ETS for COVID-19 and the subsequent court filings and stays issued, Read more…
As we are getting ready for the last quarter of 2021 and looking ahead to 2022, making plans, setting safety and business goals, and identifying safety and business objectives for 2022, one item to consider is that of the annual training required by OSHA regulations. We can work in the Read more…