Aris Industries

On average, Americans working full-time spend more than one-third of their day, five days per week at the workplace. The use of effective workplace programs and policies can reduce health risks and improve the quality of life for American workers. Learn more about workplace health promotion and how to design, implement, and evaluate effective workplace health programs.

Full article: Guide to starting a workplace wellness program
Source: Safety Best Practices

Sitting for long periods of time has emerged as a significant health threat, associated with everything from obesity to metabolic syndrome, which can include high blood pressure, and high blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
More companies and individuals are taking steps to reduce sitting time by moving to standing workstations, which have surfaces at heights that allow the user to stand while typing on a keyboard and viewing a monitor.

Full article: The (ergonomically ) right way to set up a standing workstation
Source: Safety Best Practices

A fatality earlier this month involving a hydraulic breaker represents a sharp uptick in U.S. mining industry deaths caused by machine accidents, according to the Mine Safety and Health Admininstration (MSHA).
The 32-year-old general manager/owner and the excavator operator were in the process of positioning the excavator for a motor exchange when the hydraulic breaker attachment fell off the excavator and hit the victim.

Full article: Machinery-related mining deaths up in the U.S.
Source: Safety Best Practices

One of the biggest wake-up calls I had recently was when I realized the detrimental impact biases have in the world of safety. Most people recognize that biases exist in “the other guy” but fail to see these preconceived notions in themselves. SPOILER ALERT: We all have them, and they are putting all of us at risk.

Full article: Too many biases to even name impact safety
Source: Safety Best Practices

Compared to small and “micro” businesses, larger companies have made more progress toward introducing the Total Worker Health (TWH) approach to worker health and safety, reports the August Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine.

“Our results indicate a need for intervention research that specifically targets microbusinesses and small businesses, especially in light of the outsized health and safety risks encountered in these sectors of the economy,” write Liliana Tenney, MPH, and colleagues of Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado, Aurora.

Full article: Bigger companies score higher on total worker health implementation
Source: Safety Best Practices

Leaders may not be at the “front line of safety,” but they must have an ability to “see safety” – to understand how visual bias impacts safety programs and how those biases influence not only their operating staff, but also themselves.

By understanding their own visual literacy gaps, and those of others, leaders can develop a higher degree of empathy for the reality of getting work done safely.

Full article: Free webinar: Visual Literacy & Safety Leadership
Source: Safety Best Practices

This week, Aug. 12 – 18, is Safe + Sound Week, an annual, nationwide event that recognizes the successes of workplace safety and health programs and offers information and ideas on how to keep America’s workers safe.
According to OSHA, last year more than 2,700 businesses participated in the program, which is aimed at helping employers get their programs started, energize an existing one, or recognizing their safety successes.

Full article: It’s Safe + Sound Week
Source: Safety Best Practices

Teton Steel of Montana is a premier reinforcing steel outfit located in Billings, Montana. This employee-owned and locally run company is dedicated to serving their customers, which range from the individual looking to complete a driveway to the huge corporate manager building a super highway.

Full article: One company’s On-Site Consultation Program story
Source: Safety Best Practices

Delegates at the International Labour Conference (ILC) overwhelmingly adopted (439 for, 7 against) on June 21, 2019, the Violence and Harassment Convention and Recommendation. The new convention views occupational safety and health (OSH) as a subset of overall work well-being.

Full article: Preventing workplace violence & harassment
Source: Safety Best Practices

Although many women can and do work throughout their pregnancies – depending upon the physical demands of their job – being pregnant can present challenges in the workplace.
The Mayo Clinic offers guidance on how to alleviate common pregnancy discomforts that may occur at work, and how to determine if a work task might jeopardize a pregnancy.

Full article: Working during pregnancy: Do’s and don’ts
Source: Safety Best Practices