Many companies are interested in the concept of “Culture of Health” to improve health and well-being throughout their organization. But some current definitions don’t encompass the full range of social influences essential for building a Culture of Health, according to an editorial in the November Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.
Full article: Defining culture of health: Beyond workplace wellness
Source: Safety Best Practices
What are the Elements of a Compliant Safety Sign?
Workplace safety signs are regulated by OSH) under standard 1910.145 (Specifications for accident prevention signs and tags). The safety sign elements outlined in standard 1910.145 are determined and legally enforced by OSHA, meaning failure to include any one of them in your safety signage could land you a citation come inspection day.
Full article: What are the Elements of a Compliant Safety Sign?
Source: Safety Best Practices
Can business intelligence systems predict and avoid workplace injuries?
Reducing workplace injuries is an ongoing concern for industrial companies. Some enterprises believe business intelligence (BI) systems could help them meet that goal. BI looks at descriptive analytics, which show what happened in the past. Enterprises then may apply predictive analytics to the findings from BI software to determine how to improve safety.
Full article: Can business intelligence systems predict and avoid workplace injuries?
Source: Safety Best Practices
How to investigate a worksite incident
Investigating a worksite incident— a fatality, injury, illness, or close call— provides employers and workers the opportunity to identify hazards in their operations and shortcomings in their safety and health programs. Most important, it enables employers and workers to identify and implement the corrective actions necessary to prevent future incidents.
Full article: How to investigate a worksite incident
Source: Safety Best Practices
Partnering to educate English-language learners in Alaska on worker safety and health
When you think of diversity in the United States, does Alaska come to mind? In fact, Anchorage, Alaska has some of the most ethno-racially diverse neighborhoods and public schools in the entire U.S. This diversity includes nearly one in ten Anchorage residents identifying as foreign born (Farrell, 2018). In terms of languages spoken in the city, the Anchorage School District has identified over 100 languages that are spoken either by its English-language learners as their first language, or by these students’ families (Hanlon, 2016).
Full article: Partnering to educate English-language learners in Alaska on worker safety and health
Source: Safety Best Practices
Assessing the “ins and outs” of confined spaces
If your facility has confined spaces on site, it is critically important that you evaluate those spaces to determine if you need to have a permit-required confined space program.
Full article: Assessing the “ins and outs” of confined spaces
Source: Safety Best Practices
Coping with the tide of everyday operations
Safety professionals work diligently to engage both leaders and employees. But there is often a challenge: leaders wish their employees would just “be careful” without doing diligence to hazard identification, assessment and control. The result: workers claim leaders are only concerned with productivity and budgets.
Full article: Coping with the tide of everyday operations
Source: Safety Best Practices
Can pregnant workers receive and administer flu vaccines? Yes!
Every flu season, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) gets questions from pregnant workers about the flu and flu vaccines. Here are the answers to some of your most frequently asked questions, including getting the flu shot at work and administering flu shots to patients.
Full article: Can pregnant workers receive and administer flu vaccines? Yes!
Source: Safety Best Practices
Oil industry association updates guidance on GHS
Given the expanding international market in chemical substances and mixtures, a global system of classification and labeling was proposed at the 1992 Earth Summit by the International Labour Organization, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development and many other governments and stakeholders. In response, the United Nations developed the ‘Globally Harmonised System’ (GHS) which is a single worldwide system for classifying and communicating the hazardous properties of industrial and consumer substances and mixtures.
Full article: Oil industry association updates guidance on GHS
Source: Safety Best Practices
NSC reminds parents and drivers to avoid Halloween hazards
With crowds of trick-or-treaters expected in neighborhoods around the country, the National Safety Council (NSC) urges caution for everyone out on the roads during the Halloween holiday.
Most crash-related pedestrian fatalities occur when it is dark, according to NHTSA, and pedestrian deaths spike Halloween night. Increased pedestrian traffic, alcohol consumption and lower visibility because of costumes and masks, as well as shorter daylight hours, increase the risk of crashes or incidents.
Full article: NSC reminds parents and drivers to avoid Halloween hazards
Source: Safety Best Practices