WHY am I pondering the cost of U.S. firefighters' injuries? The bottom line of a sincere, recent effort to count these injuries and estimate their cost is no great shock to me: There is no clear bottom line.
IT'S not exactly rocket science, but close enough. Launched recently by Unique Logic and Technology Inc. (ULT) of Asheville, N.C., a computer-based training program named Play Attention Adult® (PA2) focuses on one of the all-important yet least-delved aspects of occupational safety and health: paying attention.
SAFETY professionals know the importance of providing orientation training to recently hired workers, but what about temporary labor? Given the fast pace of industry these days, providing training for large numbers of "temps" can be a daunting task but is well worth the effort.
I often consider myself something of a Neo-Luddite (one who opposes technological advances), railing against overzealous cellphone users and people who spend too much time on the Internet. Having said that, my only phone is a cellphone, and I pay top dollar for broadband Internet access at home.
THE International Association of Fire Fighters has been conducting Weapons of Mass Destruction and hazardous materials training on a grand scale this year, bringing to thousands of firefighters the latest information on terrorism preparedness.
THE skilled labor shortage that will strike American industry in three to five years is much like a tsunami, says George Carpenter, president and CEO of WorkWell Systems Inc. of Aliso Viejo, Calif.: Smart companies see it coming and are investing to maintain the healthy, long-term employees they require. Short-term thinkers will be awash.
LIFE is full of surprises. They can either take our breath away with delight or, well, just take our breath away . . . permanently.
ERGONOMICS isn't dead. Reports of its death at the hands of Congress and the president four years ago were exaggerated--by me and many other observers.
MOST people agree coaching is an essential part of managing and leading people, but doing so can be fraught with difficulties. The authority of the coach/boss over the employee and the potential for the supervisor's interests to differ from the individuals' interests are critical factors to consider.
ALL of us have known since grade school that plants clean the air we breathe. And yet, the Environmental Protection Agency rates indoor air pollution among the world's top environmental health risks.
IN the end, the biggest root causes for injuries may be inattention and fatigue. This realization is monumental: It means behavior-based safety is truly valuable, hours of service rules are warranted for many industries (not just transportation), and safety in America will not be solved unless it is addressed holistically.
IF you happen to be eating--especially at your desk--you might want to set the sandwich down. Research has been done, and the results are not appetizing.
DESPITE increased attention paid to harassment prevention in the business world, claims of workplace harassment have remained relatively steady and jury awards have been quite high.
YOU know something about assessing risk. Try this: Who is at highest risk of dying or being injured in a fire at home? More than 3,000 Americans die in home fires each year.
GPS (Global Positioning System) technology seems to be increasingly present in our daily lives. For those of you who have only a vague notion of how it works, it's a system that provides accurate position information based on data transmitted from a 24-satellite constellation.
I'D be the last person to recommend betting the house on an unscientific poll, but some of them are useful. It seems you and I agree: OSHA should divide into two separate units, one for enforcement and the other to perform consulting functions.
OSHA's injury, illness, and inspection rates for 2001 lend credence to its stance that strict enforcement of standards, along with intensive education and development of alliances in the business community, is the winning prescription for the safety and health of American workers.
LIFE is full of surprises. They can either take our breath away with delight or kick us in the head with steel-toed work boots--or worse. If it's your birthday or you work at a place that actually grants promotions, then, hey, surprises can be good.
BAD traffic accidents usually bring them out. Drive-by shootings, rapes, homicides, and other crimes can summon them, as can natural disasters.