It’s clear that when it comes to safety, what leaders say and do matters. What I’ve found is that the difference in behavior between good leaders and great leaders can be very minor, but the difference in terms of outcome can be huge. How leaders approach “learning from incidents” (LFIs) is one example where small
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On March 26, 2012 the United States Federal Register published the final rule on the Hazard Communication Standard/Globally Harmonized System. This final rule will become effective 60 days after the date of publication. The changes will bring the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Hazard Communication Standard, which was first adopted in 1983,
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On a recent flight from Newark to Chicago, I sat next to an American Airlines pilot, with whom I struck up a conversation. In the midst of our discussion, the flight attendant began the usual speech on safety instructions, seat belts, and evacuation. The pilot stopped talking and said, “I need to listen to these
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The U.S. National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) recommended in December that states enact bans on all nonemergency use of mobile phones and portable electronic devices by motorists while driving. The NTSB made its recommendation after investigating a multivehicle crash in Gray Summit, Missouri that involved a driver who was texting. The crash, which occurred
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The following winter driving tips were posted on the Weather Channel web site. Driving in Snow and Ice The best advice for driving in bad winter weather is not to drive at all, if you can avoid it. Don’t go out until the snow plows and sanding trucks have had a chance to do
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Editor’s Note: This article, published in December 2011, provides information on company performance from 2009 and 2010. For an updated list of the world’s largest environmental consulting companies, click here. Although the environmental consulting market remains highly fragmented, a dozen large firms are spearheading the globalization of the environmental consulting industry to meet the demands
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In this “as good as it gets” economic recovery, companies are intent on growing the top line while minimizing costs. Corporate staffs are shrinking or disappearing entirely, and the traditional EHS role faces internal competition from other groups that are taking on parts of the broader sustainability agenda. In this context, EHS VPs who keep their heads down and do their jobs well may be highly skilled, highly valuable, highly overworked—and highly likely to be headed to extinction. In contrast, entrepreneurial EHS leaders are keeping and expanding their roles by moving beyond their traditional comfort zones . . . .
The United States could be heading for a significant shortfall in occupational safety and health (OS&H) professionals, according to the National Assessment of the Occupational Safety and Health Workforce report issued by the U.S. National Insitute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) in October 2011. America’s colleges and universities are expected to graduate 13,000 OS&H
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The U.S. EPA released the final health assessment for trichloroethylene (TCE) to the Integrated Risk Information System (IRIS) database. The final assessment characterizes TCE as carcinogenic to humans and as a human noncancer health hazard. According to the EPA, this assessment will allow for a better understanding of the risks posed to communities from exposure to TCE in soil, water, and air. It will provide federal, state, local, and other policymakers with the latest scientific information to make decisions about cleanup and other actions to protect …
Numerous standards promulgated by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) contain requirements for employee training. Typically, these standards state “the employer must provide training to affected employees,” or similar language. Obviously, full-time employees need to be trained, but some other categories of employees should not be overlooked. Newly hired employees must be trained in all
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