Health and Safety

Fourth Wave: EHS&S in the Era of Productivity

May 17th, 2015 | By
Fourth Wave: EHS&S in the Era of Productivity

The environmental, health, safety, and sustainability (EHS&S) profession is in the doldrums. Just when we thought we’d survived the recession and sustainability could be embraced, we’re back in the world of cuts and delays. It feels like a return to the 1980s or early 1990s, when a CEO would tell a corporate environmental officer: “I
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U.S. Airlines Required to Develop Safety Management Systems under New Rule

Jan 10th, 2015 | By
U.S. Airlines Required to Develop Safety Management Systems under New Rule

Most U.S. commercial airlines will be required to have formal Safety Management Systems (SMS) in place by 2018 according to a new final rule issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). The final rule, which was published in the Federal Register on January 7, 2015, requires each air carrier operating under
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Safety Accident Prevention Videos

Jan 2nd, 2015 | By
Safety Accident Prevention Videos

Take a break and watch these powerful accident prevention videos developed by the Workplace Safety and Insurance Board (WSIB) in Ontario, Canada.     The videos, which were developed as part of the WSIB’s Prevent-It.ca campaign, were designed to stimulate discussion among employers and workers, inspiring a “change in the mindset that says workplace injuries and
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New Reporting Requirements for Serious Injuries and Fatalities Announced by U.S. OSHA

Sep 11th, 2014 | By
New Reporting Requirements for Serious Injuries and Fatalities Announced by U.S. OSHA

On September 11, 2014, The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced new requirements for reporting severe injuries and fatalities. It also updated the list of industries exempt from record-keeping requirements. The new reporting requirements go into effect on January 1, 2015.   Summary OSHA’s final rule* requires employers to notify
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EHS Managers: The Evolution from Necessary Evil to Vital Leaders

Aug 31st, 2014 | By
EHS Managers: The Evolution from Necessary Evil to Vital Leaders

Considering the dedication most companies now have to environmental, health, and safety (EHS) compliance and the extra sustainability initiatives they pursue, it’s hard to imagine a time when businesses treated such matters as burdensome obligations. But such a time existed not long ago; so recently, in fact, that many EHS managers can recall it with
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Safety: Making a Difference

Aug 16th, 2014 | By
Safety: Making a Difference

Most of the time when the public hears about safety programs, it’s either in the context of some tragedy, or it’s presented as boring numbers. For example, the number of workplace fatalities over time:     This graphic should evoke an emotional response in each of us, but it usually passes across our desk with
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Health Canada Seeking Comments on Proposed GHS Regulation

Aug 15th, 2014 | By
Health Canada Seeking Comments on Proposed GHS Regulation

Canada’s efforts to implement the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS) moved forward on August 8th with Health Canada’s release of proposed Hazardous Products Regulations in the Canada Gazette, Part I, for public comment. Interested parties may submit comments in writing to Health Canada by September 8, 2014. Comments on affected
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Safety Professionals: Focused on the Wrong Things?

Jul 28th, 2014 | By
Safety Professionals: Focused on the Wrong Things?

  Since the advent of the Safety function, safety professionals have been borrowing tools from other disciplines and building practices based on data gleaned from the earliest research in industrial psychology. For some, these most basic practices and methods are cherished and to suggest that any change to these is tantamount to heresy. For others,
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Protecting Workers from Underground Hazards

Jul 12th, 2014 | By
Protecting Workers from Underground Hazards

Americans strike underground utilities about once per minute on average according to a report last year by the Common Ground Alliance, a group of utilities, fire marshals, and others interested parties focuses on protecting underground utility lines and the safety of people who dig near them. Perhaps you heard one of these stories: In February
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Heat Stress Training - Free Presentations Evaluated

Jun 18th, 2014 | By

There’s no shortage of free safety training presentations on the Internet, but as we all know, the quality varies greatly. Compliance and Safety, a U.S.-based consultancy, reviewed 7 free heat stress presentations and provided comments and ratings for each one.