Safety
222 results
How to Use Design Guidelines to Create a Successful Ergonomics Process
During the launch and management of any ergonomics program, multiple tools are available for measuring risk levels and tracking data, but nothing is more critical to the success of a company-wide ergonomics program than the effective implementation of a set of design guidelines for ergonomics. These standards apply to all levels of development and all […]
Root Cause Analysis in Ergonomics: Traps and Tips
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 […]
Bowtie Analysis: Connecting the Dots Between Risks, Root Causes and Impacts
What is Risk? In light of the COVID-19 pandemic and its widespread social, financial and economic impacts, I’d like you to take a moment right now to think about what ‘risk’ means to your business. Seriously, just take a moment. Your business’s unique risk exposure will ultimately depend on a wide variety of factors including […]
A How-To Guide: The NIOSH Lifting Equation
The National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) has developed many useful tools and documents to aid industries in developing an ergonomics program. A commonly-used tool that NIOSH developed is the NIOSH Lifting Equation. The NIOSH Lifting Equation is used to determine the risk of a low back injury while performing lifting tasks. What […]
OSHA Recordkeeping: Causes and Consequences of Underreporting Workplace Injuries & Illnesses
OSHA workplace injury and illness reporting season is already upon us, and there’s no better time for employers to take a step back and review their injury and illness recordkeeping practices — not only to make sure you’re in compliance, but to evaluate whether you’re capturing the most accurate possible injury and illness data in […]
Lessons Learned: Improving HazCom and Avoiding the Dangers of Incompatible Chemicals
by Phil Molé An employee at a popular chain restaurant recently died due to chemical exposures from a reaction between common, but incompatible, cleaning compounds. This incident, like many others before it, is disturbing because the chemicals used are so common, and tragic because it is avoidable. It’s an unfortunate reminder that HazCom management is […]
Managing Multi-Employer Worksite Responsibilities for HazCom
Today’s workplace is far different than it was in the past. Workers from multiple employers are increasingly working side-by-side at the same worksites, and employers are sharing responsibility for worker safety more and more. When chemicals are involved, confusion can arise over who has obligations under OSHA’s HazCom Standard. We know that, because people often […]
Ergo Myth: Job Rotation Reduces Musculoskeletal Disorders
Job rotation is defined as a systematic procedure that relocates workers between two or more jobs in a workplace. One of the perceived benefits of job rotation is that it will decrease workplace musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) by reducing the operator’s exposure to high forces, awkward postures, and high frequencies. Today, many safety professionals rely on […]
Are You Managing Your EHS Actions, or are They Managing You?
The job of an EHS professional is never over. There’s always work that needs doing, including an ever-growing list of tasks we need to complete to address risks and maintain effective workplace safety programs. Making life more difficult, the work has a way of multiplying. Sometimes, it seems that for every item we cross off […]
Introduction to Hazard Communication, Part Six: Overcoming Common Challenges by Putting Your HazCom Program to Work
Welcome to the sixth and final installment in our “Intro to HazCom” series! If you missed our previous posts in this series or want to refresh your memory, just follow the hyperlinks to read about the basics of HazCom (Parts One and Two), the challenges of chemical container labeling (Part Three), the requirements for a […]