Ergonomics

By Blake McGowan, CPE Demonstrating the value of your ergonomics initiative and calculating the return on investment (ROI) for specific engineering improvements have become common requests for many safety professionals. Unfortunately, many of us struggle to even begin to justify improvements, let alone choose a meaningful calculator to demonstrate the benefits of improving workplace conditions. […]

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 […]

As an ergonomist, one of the most common questions I get asked is how to select the right casters and wheels for a specific job. Something as simple as the wrong wheel on a cart may turn into a source of high ergonomic risk exposure to the operator. Therefore, proper caster selection is essential. Here […]

OSHA is planning on publishing a final rule in August that will align the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) with the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). It’s not clear what affect (if any) that alignment will have on the NFPA and HMIS chemical hazard rating and labeling systems. One issue of […]

Staying compliant with OSHA and the EPA can be difficult and maddening. Still, the complexity of agency regulations and the opaque manner in which rules are sometimes published and enforced are not a reliable defense when it comes to compliance violations. Organizations must take responsibility for understanding the rules and regulations under which they operate. […]

Fire safety is an important consideration 24/7, 365 days year; nevertheless, the winter months and the holiday season warrant special considerations. As Christmas trees dry, space heaters come out of closets, extension cords and lights overwhelm electrical outlets and candles seemingly multiply overnight, fire hazards are everywhere. Luckily, there are a few simple rules we […]

VelocityEHS hosted a recent Webinar on the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals  (GHS) and the participants had a number of great questions. Considering how we’re all in this together, we wanted to share a few of the questions and answers with you. Is the red border around the pictograms required? Is […]

Note: This blog was updated on September 20, 2024 to provide additional clarification. The short answer is: “No, not quite.” Many EHS professionals don’t realize that the “30-year” requirement is not actually in the HazCom standard. It’s found in a different standard, 1910.1020 on “Access to Employee Exposure and Medical Records.” A careful reading of […]

OSHA recently announced heavy fines against a Wisconsin company for 1) failure to develop or implement a hazard communication program and 2) failure to maintain material safety data information. There were fines for other failures; yet the two mentioned above are especially notable as they rank third on OSHA’s top 10 list of most frequently […]

In recent months, OSHA has stepped up its efforts to remind employers that employees must be trained in a language they understand. First, on April 14, 2010, Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis touched on the issue in an address to the National Action Summit for Latino Worker Health and Safety. Then on April 28, […]