Before they join the U.S. workforce for the first time, or start a new job, all workers will have the basic skills they need to stay safe on the job and to contribute to a safe, healthy, and productive workplace. That is the mission of the Safe–Skilled–Ready Workforce Initiative of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Foundation has developed an online resource that provides businesses and employees with access to resources and information to help improve workforce health and safety, attract and retain high-performing employees and minimize healthcare costs.

The 5S's are a continuous improvement methodology started in Japan after World War 2 and mastered by Toyota. When transliterated from the original Japanese, the 5S's stand for sorting, setting in order, shining, standardizing and sustaining the discipline.

Research by the University of Liverpool suggests that, contrary to popular opinion, it can be good to feel bad at work, while feeling good in the workplace can sometimes lead to negative outcomes.

Wait till they feel motivated, they just do it. “Amateurs sit and wait for inspiration, the rest of us just get up and go to work.” -Stephen King. Your ability to do things when you don’t feel like it defines how much you get paid at the end of the week/month.

IF the middle class continues to shrink, worker safety loses an important advocate. I think we are seeing the beginnings of the impact already.  When politicians openly question the value of “overly protective” safety laws and decry an overly litigious society as the bane of modern society it's because they believe saying such things will get them elected.

It seems that workplace injuries are directly influenced by economic situations. As the price of raw materials increases, there is a natural tendency to take additional risks to produce more volume.  As the end of the calendar quarter approaches, there is added pressure to meet goals or deadlines.

For most of us, our work has a pretty sizeable impact on our lives. Our ability to do our job – and to do it well – is something which we all value, for a variety of reasons. As such, it is no surprise that we should also value the equipment which helps us do a good job day in and day out.