Environmental Health and Safety

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Although they compose only six percent of the total U.S. workforce, construction workers accounted for 36 percent of all occupational heat‐related deaths from 1992 to 2016 – and climate change may have something to do with it. That’s one of the key findings from new research from the Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR).

J.J. Keller & Associates, Inc., the nation’s leading provider of safety and regulatory compliance solutions, announced today that it has achieved ISO 45001.2018 certification. ISO 45001 is the international standard outlining best practices for Occupational Health and Safety Management Systems. J.J. Keller is the first company in Wisconsin to be ISO 45001:2018 certified and the 17th company in the nation to attain this certification by DQS, Inc. since the ISO 45001 standard was introduced in 2018.

Two speakers will address the topics of product installation and plant safety at the American Architectural Manufacturers Association (AAMA) Fall Conference (Sept. 30-Oct. 3). Richard Hawk, motivational safety speaker and trainer for Make Safety Fun, will give a keynote presentation entitled, "The Future of Safety in Manufacturing Plants." Matt Risinger, owner of Risinger & Co., specializes in architect-driven projects and will discuss installation techniques.

One of the biggest wake-up calls I had recently was when I realized the detrimental impact biases have in the world of safety. Most people recognize that biases exist in “the other guy” but fail to see these preconceived notions in themselves. SPOILER ALERT: We all have them, and they are putting all of us at risk.

Compared to small and "micro" businesses, larger companies have made more progress toward introducing the Total Worker Health (TWH) approach to worker health and safety, reports the August Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. "Our results indicate a need for intervention research that specifically targets microbusinesses and small businesses, especially in light of the outsized health and safety risks encountered in these sectors of the economy," write Liliana Tenney, MPH, and colleagues of Colorado School of Public Health, University of Colorado, Aurora.

A pollutant associated with climate change is sulfur dioxide, a component of smog. Sulfur dioxide and closely related chemicals are known primarily as a cause of acid rain. But they also reflect light when released in the atmosphere, which keeps sunlight out and creates a cooling effect. Volcanic eruptions can spew massive amounts of sulfur dioxide into the atmosphere, sometimes causing cooling that lasts for years.

KITV4 received an anonymous tip, an official letter from the state of Hawaii Occupational Safety and Health to MPD, alerting MPD of a reported safety hazard. The letter states that MPD is allegedly in violation of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's respiratory protection program policy.

The job of the industrial hygiene technicians at the Hanford Site in Richland, Washington, is a matter of life and death. They run around with radiation counters and air samplers, tracking radiation and toxic chemicals that can harm the site’s workers, especially those dealing with dangerous underground tanks full of nuclear wastes in the center of the reservation.

Last year was the most destructive fire season in California’s history. Over 7,600 wildfires burned nearly two million acres. As a result, on July 18, the California Department of Industrial Relations (DIR) Occupational Safety Health Standards Board adopted an emergency regulation to protect workers from hazards associated with wildfire smoke.

Leaders may not be at the “front line of safety,” but they must have an ability to “see safety” - to understand how visual bias impacts safety programs and how those biases influence not only their operating staff, but also themselves. By understanding their own visual literacy gaps, and those of others, leaders can develop a higher degree of empathy for the reality of getting work done safely.