The intent of a “stop work authority” (SWA) when included in a safety program is to empower employees to take action when they see a situation that is unsafe or think a worker may get injured. Though the SWA process and practice may seem as beneficial at many levels in dealing with operational risk and worker safety; there potentially may be some unforeseen barriers or challenges to its actual utilization.

OSHA is old news at this point, especially for companies with mature safety and health programs. For many companies with full-time professionals it is a time of looking inward, internally within the organization.

Studies show employees will not wear eye protection unless it is comfortable, fits properly, or functions well. Lens color can impact employee protection and performance levels and provide a better choice.

Who is more empathetic e.g., better able to recognize pain in a person’s face, a professional industrial hygienist, or a professional historian? A person’s empathy capacity may be partly determined by Empathy Quotient (EQ) scores.

Opinions are most divisive over a risk-related question: will climate change harm you personally? A 2021 Yale poll found a split (47 percent yes – 45 percent no). OK, so maybe baby boomers and older adults get a pass. But their kids?

In spite of about 70 years since the start of passages of workers compensation laws and organization’s best efforts, injuries and fatalities still occurred, but at a somewhat reduced rate. Three factors come to light regarding occupational safety rules: regulation, management and practices.

Critics argue diversity, equity and inclusion and associated values and programs are simply superficial, trendy attempts to look good. Nothing more than social issues greenwashing. But the more I researched into diversity in the business world, the more I realized there’s nothing trendy or new about it.

The best safety cultures come when everyone involved takes ownership and is empowered to develop, communicate and use the safest work practices. The proverbial “winning hearts and minds” is a concept that is supposed to make team members want to be safe. But, how does someone win hearts and minds?

A new study from an advocacy nonprofit blasts OSHA and reveals increasing dangers. Heat stress is one of the top five causes of workplace injuries and deaths, and summers are getting hotter. 

Industrial hygiene began as a medical specialty in the early 1900s. Scope creep among OHS pros is occurring now and will expand in the future, too. The challenge for OHS pros, and others, is to know when to expand or establish limits of OHS capabilities.