Chemical Management

Before we begin, VelocityEHS would like to acknowledge the health care providers, first responders, grocery store workers, truck drivers and transportation workers, and other essential workers who have been operating uninterrupted since the beginning of the COVID-19 outbreak. All of us owe you an immeasurable amount of gratitude for your service and tireless commitment. We […]

Last week, Health Canada issued an interim enforcement policy for workplaces covered under Canada’s Workplace Hazardous Materials Information System (WHMIS). The interim policy provides exemptions for a number of safety data sheet (SDS) and supplier label requirements established under the Hazardous Products Act (HPA), Hazardous Products Regulations (HPR) and Hazardous Materials Information Review Act (HMIRA). […]

This year, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is commemorating 50 years since the enactment of the Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) Act, which was signed into law on December 29, 1970. In honor of this major milestone, OSHA is announcing its re-commitment to the Agency’s fundamental mission of ensuring safe and healthful […]

Multiple sources have reported a recent and significant increase in calls to poison control centers concerning harmful exposures to cleaning and disinfecting products. It is especially important during these challenging times that we not worsen the situation through unsafe use of cleaning chemicals, including application of cleaning products to the human body, or intentional or […]

Management must consider that production workers may be physically deconditioned when restarting work. It is important for all employees to understand physical deconditioning, how it may impact their ability to jump back into standard working procedures, and how it may increase musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) risk. Here are some ways to help employees prepare to restart […]

Whether you are conducting an injury investigation or seeking countermeasures to address a hazard, the quality of your root cause analysis will have a direct bearing on the effectiveness of your solution. Unfortunately, many root cause analyses go off course and pursue ineffective paths. For example, a few years ago I was reviewing data on […]

When companies re-start operations, leadership must consider the physical deconditioning of workers.  It is important to investigate ways to reintegrate employees into standard work without increasing musculoskeletal disorder (MSD) risk and without impacting manufacturing production and product quality. Tips for Workers When Restarting Work Here are some ways to reduce physical stress on workers when […]

VelocityEHS customers serving on the front lines of the COVID-19 response — including hospitals, health care facilities, fire depts and other emergency responders — can now access VelocityEHS’ Respirator Fit Test product at zero cost. For six months, eligible customers will be able to access the full-featured product, which includes links to COVID-specific educational videos […]

The global COVID-19 pandemic has had a massive impact on workplaces, as levels of operation change or even cease due to lockdown measures, and employees find themselves more geographically spread out than ever. Unfortunately, these challenges may also reveal gaps in our EHS management system that we didn’t know about before.  During “normal” times, we […]

If you’re like me, you were completely unprepared to work from home (for an extended period of time) when COVID-19 interrupted our lives. I had just moved into my downtown Chicago apartment, with not even a table and chairs, when I was told to work from home. For the first two weeks, I worked from […]