The regulation-oriented data tells us a part of the story with respect to training, incident records, safety meetings, work orders, policies/procedures and the like. Observations add a bit more insight to what our people are actually doing when they are occasionally being watched/evaluated by others.

The seeds have been planted and are being cultivated for the development of a global occupational health and safety standard. I am participating as a U.S. delegate and member of the U.S. leadership team on the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) to develop the new OH&S standard – ISO 45001.

Q. With the new head protection requirement according to the changes in OSHA standard 1910.269 and 1926.960, I am curious to know what qualifies as adequate protection in an arc hazard situation. Would a balaclava/goggle be considered adequate protection as an arc flash hood?

Certainly the average person desires to be both liked and respected. While a gross oversimplification of behavioral sciences, we behave in a way consistent with seeking out what we desire and avoiding what we don’t. Leaders of all kinds are often put in positions to make decisions that impact the lives of others.

A major part of any property’s fire safety is its fire protection equipment. From smoke detectors and fire alarms through to emergency exits and lighting, the ability to prevent, warn against and combat a blaze is vital to the health and safety of the building.

These words keep surfacing at safety conferences, speeches, articles and conversations and paint a picture of the issues and trends important to the profession here in 2014: Value– as in, “What’s the value of having a safety professional around here?”

I really enjoy hearing from you, my readers. I recently received an email from someone who had read my book, “Mastering Safety Communication,” and they asked the following question:

Pretty much all rear end collisions can be prevented by maintaining a safe following distance from the vehicle in front of you.

More than 24 years ago when I began speaking to audiences about safety, this was the title of my presentation. I was reminded of it when I was being interviewed by Dave Johnson with ISHN www.ishn.com.

Way back in time I had the distinct opportunity to join a military service branch and go through the boot camp experience. “Young and stupid,” physical fitness at its peak, “10 feet tall and bullet proof” – all these and other attributes, like adrenaline and testosterone, made each of us raw recruits confident we could take on the world and come out unscathed.