The term “Safety culture” has become like the term “engagement” in popular management writings. There is no common agreement on the term. We are left with (mis)interpretations of terms like “safety culture,” which lead to haphazard attempts at changing organizations toward improvement.

The Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) Foundation and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) are entering into a collaborative partnership to protect the safety and health of our nation’s young workers.

Despite its seriousness, sexual harassment prevention training inspires entire (albeit, tongue-in-cheek) episodes in popular American television shows, including The Office and NCIS, and memorable skits in many other venues, including Saturday Night Live. With all of this attention, it is easy to believe that sexual harassment prevention training is no longer needed.

SHE Software, a global leader in configurable health and safety software, is hosting four exclusive conferences across America aimed at educating environment, health and safety (EHS) professionals on how to overcome challenges in workplace health and safety.

Tracy Clingingsmith, Safety Manager for Alamo Group in Seguin, Texas, has been named the 2018 Safety Professional of the Year (SPOTY) by J. J. Keller & Associates, Inc. The SPOTY Awards recognize industry professionals who lead unique and effective approaches to their safety programs. When Clingingsmith started as Safety Manager at Alamo Group in Texas, she changed the culture of how all employees, from the top down, thought about safety.

As more organizations offer increasingly comprehensive programs for workplace safety and health, researchers and organizations alike look for the best examples and tools to measure their effectiveness. With so many programs available, how do organizations know which one is best?

It didn’t take very long into the first morning of the construction industry safety conference for me to start second-guessing myself. While the prominent event presented a unique opportunity for me to network with contractors and safety directors who work directly in the field, and it allowed me direct access to the people who manage safety policies and procedures within an industry where Association of Equipment Manufacturers (AEM) members’ equipment is used, I couldn’t help but wonder if the other attendees had different viewpoints about safety than I did.

The U.S. Labor Department says its new Office of Compliance Initiatives (OCI) will strengthen compliance assistance outreach by promoting a greater understanding of federal labor laws and regulations. In announcing the new office last month, U.S. Secretary of Labor Alexander Acosta said OCI efforts will help companies prevent violations and protect Americans' wages, workplace safety and health, retirement security, and other rights and benefits. As part of its work, OCI will work with the enforcement agencies to refine their metrics to ensure the efficacy of the Department's compliance assistance activities.

Use Improved Visual Literacy to deliver enhanced safety performance; advance your safety program; and engage employees. COVE – the Center of Visual Expertise – announces dates for its forthcoming two-day Visual Literacy program. Attendees will have an opportunity to learn: 1) Identify, interpret and act upon visual information; 2) Improve hazard awareness, pre-job analysis, BBS; 3) Enhance risk management and communication; and 4) Mitigate bias and improve decision making.

Our brains are powerful information processing systems, but they are not an unlimited resource. Our brains evolved to look for efficiency. This efficiency often happens without us even realizing it. These biases arise because of how our brain handles information and help us get to decisions quickly, but may also place the quality and effectiveness of our decisions at risk.