Environmental Health and Safety - Articles - Page 80

Fatal U.S. mining accidents dropped in 2019

Respirable quartz and dust fell to all-time low

February 3, 2020

There were 24 mining fatalities in the U.S. in 2019, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) reports. This is the fewest annual fatalities ever recorded, and only the fifth year in MSHA’s 43-year history that mining fatalities were below 30.

Mich. school district surveilled, fired employer who blew the safety whistle

Asbestos, pesticide exposure at core of case

February 3, 2020

A school district in Michigan ran afoul of federal laws protecting whistleblowers when it fired an employee who reported unsafe working conditions. That determination against the Dearborn Heights School District – made last week by OSHA - carries with it a $102,905.78 penalty, for back wages, damages and other compensation.

Centralized data collection elevates risk prevention

Leverage worker observations

Phil Molé

February 3, 2020

Manufacturing leaders know that people and processes are most productive when safety, compliance and operational objectives align. Some people used to fear that focusing too much on environment, health and safety would undermine productivity.

Winning business through Safety

A Seattle company leverages its Total Safety Culture

Chad Mendenhall

February 3, 2020

One sweeping glance across the Seattle skyline is enough to see that something is happening in the area. If a region’s tower crane count is any indication of economic growth, then companies should pay attention to the Pacific Northwest.

For ladder safety, focus on surroundings, job hazards, height needs

Balancing Act

David Francis

February 3, 2020

Accidents happen for millions of reasons, but the truth is, they are all preventable. Three major causes are common in almost all accidents; not using the right tool for the job; using a damaged tool that hasn’t been inspected; and not following the basic safety guideline for that tool.

Editorial Comments

Safety for everyone: If only it was that simple

February 3, 2020

"Safety for everyone” is the tagline of a 60-second Honda commercial you might have seen this fall. It tugs at the heart strings. A series of images is accompanied by voice-overs:

Best Practices

Safety’s generation gap

Young & older pros have different values

Dan Markiewicz MS, CIH, CSP, RMP

February 3, 2020

The U.S. workforce is now composed of four generations: Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, and Gen Z. Age ranges for these generations in 2019 were: boomers (55-73); Gen X (39-54); Millennials (23-38); and Gen Z (6-22).

Safety Technology

Eliminating workplace distractions with Joe Boyle, CEO of TRUCE

February 3, 2020

ISHN Magazine sat down with Joe Boyle, CEO of TRUCE, to discuss strategies for eliminating workplace distractions. The following are excerpts from that conversation.

Asking questions leads to improved performance

Closing Time

Asking questions leads to improved worker performance

T.H.A.N.K.S. for the feedback

Timothy Ludwig Ph.D.

February 3, 2020

We had just witnessed a large toolbox talk at a mining construction site in Africa. It wasn’t a bad session; the safety officers were loud and lively in their statements, there was some humor and even the safety manager from the general contractor stepped in to say a couple words.

Researchers: Take-home workplace contaminants are a public health hazard

February 3, 2020

Workplace toxins that are inadvertently tracked by employees into their homes serve “as an intriguing example of how occupational conditions can have broader public health consequences,” according to scientists who’ve studied the problem. In Eliminating Take-Home Exposures: Recognizing the Role of Occupational Health and Safety in Broader Community Health, researchers reframe the problem as one arising from unsanitary worker behavior – the current thinking – to a larger issue that needs to be viewed through an ecosocial lens in order to institute effective prevention.