IN the first installment of this series, we discussed the foundation of the injury-free culture, creating alignment around what we mean by “zero injury,” and establishing true ownership for this vision. Once we have created alignment and ownership, what’s next? How does this new vision change our approach to, and thinking about, the basic mechanisms that drive safety performance?
The trends between alcohol and drug use in the workplace are interesting. According to a recent study funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, about 15 percent of U.S. workers, or 19.2 million workers, are under the influence of alcohol at least occasionally while on the job. Managers are more likely impaired on the job than are their reports.
ATHLETES and steroids have become a sad combination in modern Olympic and professional sports worldwide. It seems as if a day cannot go by without some reported scandal of an athlete abusing steroids or some other performance-enhancing compound to gain a competitive advantage.
HHS Secretary Michael E. Leavitt recently addressed global preparedness for potential flu pandemics on an HHS blog. He urged all nations to work together.
MOST employers think of the services of an Employee Assistance Program (EAP) as a health benefit, focusing particularly on the free sessions available to an employee prior to using behavioral health insurance benefits.
Office Depot recently conducted a survey that found 71 percent of businesses do not have a disaster plan in place. Federal data indicate more than 40 percent of businesses never reopen after a disaster affects them, according to the company. Because 80 percent of its customer base is small to medium-sized businesses, Office Depot considers it important to help them protect their businesses, said Tom Serio, Director of Global Business Continuity Management for the company, which has 52,000 associates and about 1,500 stores worldwide.
Why are heat and humidity such a threat to certain workers, such as those who work outdoors or in foundries?
HEAT stress is occupational quicksand. By the time you realize you or your employees have a problem, it's too late! Heat-related problems often creep up on employees who may not realize the potential danger and be able to self-protect. It is up to the supervisor (and higher management) to ensure everyone knows the hazards and the approved precautions to safeguard everyone on the job site.
"Wallace, if we lock out this machine every time we have a pill jam, we will never make any product!"
This was the testy response I received from a production manager while performing a lockout audit at a pharmaceutical plant. With the exception of minor tool changes and adjustments and other minor servicing activities, employees are typically prohibited from placing any part of their body into the point of operation while a piece of equipment is energized. But what about the following scenarios?
IN some industries, employees and equipment stay within the bounds of their company's location and are therefore easier to supervise and maintain. But in others, such as delivery, plumbing, taxi, and limousine services, the very nature of the business requires workers and equipment to leave the premises. This gives employers fewer options toward controlling many important variables that affect safety.
Devastating catastrophes and the work of key individuals have contributed to the evolution of modern occupational health and safety.
WHEN I was younger, it used to frustrate me to hear folks talk of the "good old days." As with most of us, the frustration subsided as I got older. Comparing everything from the pace of life to the cost of gasoline, a clearer understanding of the "good old days" apparently comes with age!
UNFORTUNATELY, many employers eventually will have to deal with a hostile employee who may threaten co-employees with verbal and non-verbal conduct. There are a number of actions the employer should consider to protect the employees at the workplace, as well as the physical security of the facility.
EMPLOYEES of MEGTEC, a leading manufacturer of air flotation dryers and oxidation pollution control equipment, often have to work in dangerous situations. Some of these require lockout/tagout controls, with employees placing locks on electrical, gas, or air supplies to make sure nothing happens while they're working.
WE see emergency rescue personnel use a seat belt cutter to remove an injured child hanging from his infant car seat in an upside down, wrecked vehicle in flames. Museum staffers easily remove hundreds of layers of plastic wrapping from historic antiques arriving for an exhibit with a hook knife, or bakers open bags of powdered chocolate effortlessly with food-safe bag cutters, creating little dust while the mixers churn.
ELECTRICITY powers the wheels of industry and commerce, but the dangers and the hazards associated with the use of damaged electrical equipment and the use of faulty electrical tools and appliances in the workplace can be costly in both human and corporate terms.
THERE'S been a change in the motivation of the companies that call STI Machine Services, Inc. seeking help with their machine guarding concerns. The change is that most of them haven't been stampeded into action by an OSHA citation or a crippling injury.
EMPLOYING safe and substance-free employees, as well as maintaining a substance-free workforce, are high priorities for business owners and human resource administrators. Statistics show that implementing regulatory drug and alcohol screenings can potentially save a company hundreds of thousands of dollars in medical and accident claims.