01
2015
Awareness in Safety: Did You See It Coming?
Awareness is an important element in any effort to reduce accidents and incidents. Just what is the difference between an accident and an incident? According to the National Safety Council, an “incident” is an unexpected or unintended event that adversely affects completion of a task, while an “accident” is an unexpected or unintended event that results in property damage or personal injury. The words “unexpected”…
28
2015
Prevent New Hire Injuries With These Tips
New employees are more likely to be injured on the job than experienced workers. But it doesn’t have to be that way. By addressing the risks much as you address physical or chemical hazards, you can significantly eliminate them. Estimates suggest that 30 percent to 40 percent of injured workers have been on the job for less than a year. The first step to addressing…
20
2015
How to spell the word ‘SAFETY’
Experience has shown the predominant small- to mid-size company perception of occupational safety is best summarized by the name of a major river in Africa. The fact that you are reading this article establishes your understanding of the key elements necessary for keeping that job running smoothly, incident- and injury-free. How do you do it? The Number One Basic Action: Just Say the Word: Tell…
11
2015
Workplace suicide numbers are heading in the wrong direction. What can you do?
Workplace suicide rates are climbing faster than rates for the general population. What’s behind this sobering statistic, and what can safety professionals do about it? Get insights here. A new National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) study concludes that occupations including protective services, farming and fishing, and automotive repair have the highest rates of workplace suicide. The study, published in the American Journal…
04
2015
EHS Today Is Accepting Applications for America’s Safest Companies!
EHS Today now is accepting applications for the 2015 America’s Safest Companies recognition program. The application can be downloaded here, and provides a snapshot of your safety program: what drives it, what challenges it and what can be shared with other companies looking to achieve the same results. Questions provide input into: Your company/management philosophy regarding safety. Examples of management’s dedication to safe production….
06
2015
Owner could go to jail for not reporting worker’s injury
Weekly Safety Tip: Keep injury and illness Records. Report severe work-related injuries and illnesses to OSHA. The owner of a construction company could go to jail for not reporting an employee’s foot injury that resulted in an amputation. Harry Minassian of Granada Hills, CA, faces four felony counts of workers’ compensation insurance fraud for failing to report the injury. Minassian owns Pacific Construction. An employee…
02
2015
7 tips to ensure that a close call doesn’t become something worse
Are employees at your site encouraged to report near misses? Do you share lessons learned from these close calls to prevent actual incidents? Read on to find out why, and how, you should be doing this. According to the National Safety Council (NSC), a near miss is an unplanned event that did not result in an injury, illness, or damage. But it could have. “Only…
01
2015
Modern Issues of First Aid Training
Timing and Content Issues When is training provided? For new employees? Once a year? Increase it to include special needs, too. Try to avoid marathon training to get everything done at once and have smaller, more manageable sessions that employees can remember and use. Is your first aid specifically for your workplace or general in nature? Do you have AEDs on site? Are they all…
30
2015
24
2014
What are the hazards in a confined space?
All hazards found in a regular workspace can also be found in a confined space. However, they can be even more hazardous in a confined space than in a regular worksite. Hazards in confined spaces can include: •Poor air quality: There may be an insufficient amount of oxygen for the worker to breathe. The atmosphere might contain a poisonous substance that could make the worker…