Before the COVID-19 pandemic affected almost every workplace in the country, online training was just another tool in the safety trainer’s tool chest. But since the pandemic has forced workplace closures, employee furloughs, social distancing, and a general rethinking of the way we do business, online training has become a vital method to accomplish necessary training.

Let’s face it — no matter how much we try to avoid them, spills happen. Common spills involve substances such as gasoline, oil, solvents, and cleaning chemicals. While small, in-house spills might be easy to clean up quickly, some fluids can be toxic when ingested or exposed to skin and can be hazardous to the environment.

The term “bloody pocket syndrome” has been around for a long time, but there is still plenty of debate about how to prevent it.

When you receive an employee injury report, your thoughts may range from, “How did it happen?” to “Well, there go my plans for the day.” After you make sure the employee is taken care of, you’ll need to investigate, determine what happened and how it could have been prevented, and figure out if the incident needs to be recorded on your OSHA 300 Log.

Throwing household waste such as small batteries, cleaning products, and light bulbs in the trash may not be environmentally friendly behavior, but in most cases, it’s not against the law. However, businesses face many more limitations and regulations on what can and can’t be thrown away.

Heat-related illnesses such as heat stroke and heat exhaustion can be deadly or debilitating. Other illnesses such as heat cramps and heat rash are painful conditions that can increase a worker’s risk of injury.

In the summer of 1983 I was in Portland, Maine, with my family.