Optimizing EHS Programs

by Phil Molé We’re nearing the end of the year, which is usually a time for EHS professionals to take stock of their EHS management systems including their workplace training programs to see what’s working, what’s not, and where things can be improved. With many EHS professionals are also currently planning their budgets for 2022, […]

Having solid estimations of costs and return-on-investment for a new program are crucial for getting executive buy-in and consistent support. Some programs, like ergonomics, can be difficult to get approved because they would be implemented to rectify a long-term issue. When determining whether to invest in a program, decision-makers want to know if they’ll get money back, when they’ll get it, and how much […]

by Phil Molé Welcome to the fifth and final installment of our “Bowtie Analysis Blog” series. Today, we’ll wrap the series by talking about how risk bowties enable a more active and holistic risk management framework that’s integrated with layers of protection analysis (LOPA) and critical controls verification. It’s OK if you haven’t read our […]

by Phil Molé VelocityEHS recently presented the webinar “Major Chemical Safety Incidents- A Review of Common Causes” with EHS Today. The webinar reviewed investigations of major chemical incidents by the Chemical Safety Board (CSB), looking into the details of each for takeaways about common failings of risk management, and how we can address them. In […]

HAZOP is another one of those environmental, health and safety terms that sounds like a big, scary deal. But like the EHS umbrella it falls under, risk management, HAZOP is simple to understand when you break it down.   HAZOP is a type of risk analysis, and stands for Hazard and Operability study. “Study,” in this sense, means a structured examination of processes (existing or planned) to identify […]

by Phil Molé On September 21–23, OSHA held an informal public hearing on the notice of proposed rulemaking (NPRM) issued earlier this year that seeks to update OSHA’s HazCom Standard to align with Revision 7 of the UN’s Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). Since February 2021 when the NPRM was […]

Once a job task in a facility has been evaluated for the risk of developing a musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) and the risk has been quantified, it’s time to implement solutions. If you’re going to effectively reduce MSD risk, you need to understand which risk factors are contributing most to the overall score and utilize control […]

Welcome to the fourth installment of our “Bowtie Analysis Blog” series. In our first installment, we talked about the usefulness of risk bowties for training employees on workplace risks, our second installment explored the way they can pull together information from many different types of assessments, and our third post discussed how bowties help visualize and manage risk […]

by Phil Molé, MPH On September 9, President Biden laid out a comprehensive plan to address the COVID-19 pandemic, including new requirements affecting millions of workers across the United States. Along with new vaccination mandates for healthcare workers, federal employees, and all contractors working with the federal government, Biden’s plan calls for OSHA to develop […]

When it comes to ergonomics and musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) risk factors, force plays the biggest role. This issue has been clearly reflected in workplace injury data throughout the United States. In 2021, Liberty Mutual reported that “disabling workplace injuries cost businesses more than $58 billion every year,” with the number one contributing category being overexertion […]