Optimizing EHS Programs
519 results
OSHA has Cool New Recordkeeping Advisor to Help Determine Work Related Injuries and Illnesses
OSHA unveiled a new tool today to help companies determine if employee injuries and illnesses are recordable or not. Called the OSHA Recordkeeping Advisor, it is powered by elaws®, interactive e-tools provided by the Department of Labor that provide information about federal employment laws. Essentially, the OSHA Recordkeeping Advisor is an optimized injury and illness […]
GAO Issues Report on OSHA Whistleblower Program
The Government Accountability Office (GAO) issued a report, yesterday, on its investigation of OSHA’s Whistleblower program. Entitled “Whistleblower Protection: Sustained Management Attention Needed to Address Long-standing Program Weaknesses,” the report found OSHA has not done enough to improve its program and protect whistleblowers. In response, OSHA issued a statement that said it agreed with the […]
Benefits of Social Networking to EH&S, OSHA Compliance, Injury & Illness Recordkeeping and MSDS Management
Recent studies on the influences and benefits of social networks suggest that an establishment looking to improve employee health and safety as well as workplace efficiencies would be wise to respect and harness the power of social networks. For all the reasons a hospital or construction company might choose to manage their MSDSs online, the […]
OSHA Proposes Recordkeeping Rule Change
OSHA’s Recordkeeping Rule, 29 CFR 1904, has been center stage in the EH&S world as of late. We’ve had the recent implementation of a national emphasis program (NEP) on recordkeeping due to a Government Accountability Office (GAO) study that revealed underreporting, and now we have an OSHA proposal on the floor to revise future injury and […]
Push/Pull Forces for Hand Trucks
We have been doing a lot of work lately with the delivery logistics and route distributions industry. As ergonomists, we rely heavily on scientific data when making recommendations to optimize human performance. We would like to highlight an example of somebody making our job easier for a change. When performing a review of hand truck […]
The Demise of Industrial Hygiene professional… or is it an evolution?
On a recent post at NAEM’s GreenTie blog, Alex Pollock asked for our thoughts on the “demise of the Industrial Hygiene profession as we know it.” He noted changes in staffing, reliance on “EHS generalists” and changes to the profession over the past 20+ years. It is my experience that the changes within the IH […]
5S is not Ergonomics
I am surprised at the increasing number of presentations, discussions, and blog posts using 5S and ergonomics synonymously. As Lean programs begin to realize that good ergonomic design can reduce waste of motion, many people are making a leap assuming they are one in the same. The two are very distinct. Occupational ergonomics (as defined […]
Five Elements of Active Listening
Listening is the doorway to superior leadership for every executive, manager and supervisor. It is also the doorway to gaining the commitment of subordinates and can be considered the most important of all leadership skills. Leadership at its best is a coherent strategy to motivate employees to utilize their full brainpower in performing their work; […]
Are you a Whack-A-Mole-Management Expert?
Think about the responsibilities of Health and Safety Manager/Technician/Team in an ergonomics process. Its typically answering the call of the people on the shop floor about an issue or following up during an injury investigation. Classic “Whack-a-Mole-Management”! Douglas Ross writes in a recent blog post “Whack-a-mole is a popular carnival game in which you try […]