Safety & Health Best Practices - Articles - Page 5

OHS pros need to consider all helpful vs harmful arguments

June 24, 2021

“First do no harm” is a fundamental ethical principle practiced among physicians and related healthcare professions throughout the world. OHS pros should be aware of its concepts.

Safety Talk

Preparing for OSHA: How to conduct internal inspections and audits

Randy DeVaul

May 13, 2021

If you are prepared for an OSHA visit, you likely also have a better safety program and culture. You likely have trained employees, plans in place, emergency drills up to date, and records ready for review.

Best Practices

Chemical risk communication with carbon dioxide as an example

Dan Markiewicz MS, CIH, CSP, RMP

May 13, 2021

OHS pros should know of chemical health and safety risk beyond the basics of what may be found in a safety data sheet.

Best Practices

Can PWFA transform how OHS is practiced?

Pregnant workers bill could be enacted this year

Dan Markiewicz MS, CIH, CSP, RMP

April 27, 2021

The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (H.R. 1065, February 2021) is being fast-tracked into federal law. The bill has wide bipartisan support. President Biden campaigned on the law’s passage.

Best Practices

Does an abundance of titles hurt the OHS practice?

Quality varies in an unregulated credentials market

Dan Markiewicz MS, CIH, CSP, RMP

March 18, 2021

If the CIH and CSP are high-water marks for quality, what are the lowest quality OHS credentials? The constant flux of the unregulated OHS credential market along with hazy transparency and other issues e.g., no standard benchmark makes this an impossible question to answer.

Why is there OHS malaise in the U.S.?

Voluntary best practices implementation is risk management

Dan Markiewicz MS, CIH, CSP, RMP

February 8, 2021

Federal OSHA is stagnant and ill-prepared to regulate future risks. OSHA has only 1,850 inspectors to cover 8 million U.S. workplaces. OSHA has no regulations for rising concerns such as infectious disease, EMFs, psychosocial hazards, or ergonomics.

Best Practices

An interpretation of PWFA laws

Dan Markiewicz MS, CIH, CSP, RMP

January 17, 2021

Workplace hazards today are broad and complex. Where specificity of law is absent or ambiguous, such as workplace safety for Covid-19, OSHA’s “General Duty” clause, section (5)(a)(1) of the OSH Act, becomes an enforcement incentive.

Consider moving beyond OSHA in OHS annual plans

Dan Markiewicz MS, CIH, CSP, RMP

December 9, 2020

Covid-19 has a silver lining. This is an opportune time to demonstrate your skills to move “beyond OSHA” for those that see advantages in this direction.

Best Practices

House passes Pregnant Workers Act

Dan Markiewicz MS, CIH, CSP, RMP

November 6, 2020

The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act (PWFA) H.R. 2694 passed the U.S. House of Representatives in September by a vote of 329 to 73. At the time of this writing it is uncertain if the Senate, followed by President Trump’s signature, has passed the PWFA into law.

Best Practices

Despite benefits in testing and observation, there are many risks to smoke tubes

Dan Markiewicz MS, CIH, CSP, RMP

October 14, 2020

Beneficial uses of smoke tubes include respirator fit tests and air flow observations and measurements. Users of smoke tubes must be aware, however, of the significant risks if the tool is misused. Proper use of smoke tubes, therefore, is essential.