April May Cover

April/May 2026

Find these topics and more in the April/May issue:

  • Industrial Hygiene
  • PPE
  • Facility & Air
  • Site Hazards
  • Safety Tech
  • Risk Management
  • Hazard Monitoring
  • Lone Worker
  • Slips/Trips/Falls

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Features

Engineer putting on safety glasses

Why Prescription Safety Eyewear Programs Break Down at Scale

By Hal Wilson

Traditional systems for ordering and tracking prescription safety glasses were designed for single sites and stable workforces. Modern organizations are shifting to centralized, lifecycle-based programs to maintain compliance and protect workers across multiple locations.


Construction worker holding safety earmuffs

Turning Down the Volume on Workplace Noise

By Cindy Pauley

Advances in smart monitoring, wearable sensors and adaptive hearing protection are helping employers better measure noise exposure and strengthen workplace hearing conservation programs.


Hard hart, hearing PPE and safety goggles on bench

Why Hearing Protection Fit Testing Is Essential in Noise Safety Programs

By David Kopf

Many hearing conservation programs check the compliance box but still fall short in practice. An expert explains why.


Worker conducting gas detection test

Why Confined Space Conditions Change—and What to Do About It

By David Kopf

Pre-entry atmospheric testing is a critical first step in confined space safety, but it can create a false sense of security when conditions shift after workers enter.


Technician setting up air sampling equipment

Simplifying Air Sampling for Better Exposure Control

By Tim Turney

Selecting the right personal sampling pump and implementing a streamlined monitoring program can improve data accuracy, support compliance and strengthen efforts to protect workers from airborne hazards.


Engineer in safety vest next to AI graphic

Five Pitfalls That Can Derail AI-Powered Safety Programs

By Brittany DeRafelo, Chris Skipper

Computer vision and AI safety systems promise real-time hazard detection, but organizations must avoid common implementation pitfalls related to culture, worker trust, privacy and cross-functional collaboration.


Building dispelling smoke

Five Air Quality Priorities Every Facility Should Evaluate This Year

By Brian Abel

Emerging standards, wildfire smoke, and growing health concerns are pushing facility managers to reassess ventilation, filtration, monitoring and maintenance strategies to protect indoor air quality.


Fireman holding clipboard

Innovation Meets Safety: Building a Safer Future for Energy Storage Systems

By Josh Dinaburg

As battery energy storage expands, evolving standards and large-scale fire testing are helping ensure new systems are deployed safely.


Truck driving on road during sunset

Rethinking Safety for Lone Professional Drivers

By Michael Burke

Lone professional drivers face unique workplace risks. Research shows how safety culture, targeted training and safer communication practices can reduce crashes and improve driver safety outcomes.


Railway machinery with coal laying on ground

Combustible Dust: Managing the Risk Before It Escalates

By Brian Richardson

Combustible dust hazards develop when fuel, dispersion and ignition sources align. Understanding NFPA 660 requirements and implementing coordinated controls can help safety professionals prevent incidents and protect workers across dust-generating industries.


Worker being treated for injury

Designing Safer Workplaces How Environment Shapes Injury Risk

By Clayton Gonçalves

Many workplace injuries develop not from catastrophic events but from everyday tasks performed in poorly organized environments. Improving facility design, ergonomics and workspace organization can reduce strain, lower injury risk and improve productivity.


Doctor screening employee

Employee Screening and Testing: Moving Beyond the Checkbox

By Troy Butler

Safety leaders are rethinking employee screening programs as proactive risk management systems. Consistent protocols, centralized data and job-specific evaluations can help detect risks early while improving compliance and workforce readiness.


Protective gloves and glasses on wood surface

Why Your Safety Program Needs A4 To A6 Gloves

By Ben Julian

Industrial environments are becoming more unpredictable, making higher-cut protection a necessity for modern worker safety and compliance.


Lone Worker on a Construction Site

The Compliance Gap: Why Industrial Hygiene Controls Break Down When Workers Are Alone?

By Gen Handley

Industrial hygiene programs are designed for supervised workplaces, but lone workers operate without oversight—creating hidden gaps in hazard detection, exposure monitoring, and emergency response.


Data Driven Industrial Hygiene

Building Smarter Exposure Assessment Programs

By Dan Christensen

Industrial hygiene is moving beyond simple compliance toward data-driven exposure assessment, stronger analytical quality and a clearer understanding of real-world workplace variability.


Infected Lungs

The Future of Respiratory Protection: Smart Sensors, AI and Real-Time Exposure Monitoring

By Daniyal Shahid

New respiratory protection technologies combine sensors, AI analytics and connected dashboards to monitor air quality, worker health and exposure risks in real time across hazardous workplaces.


Departments

Worker falling while trying to move boxes

Slashing Slips, Trips and Falls

By Robert Pater

Despite years of focus on traditional prevention methods, slips, trips and falls remain a leading cause of workplace injuries. These five practical strategies highlight how organizations can better address risk through environmental, health and skill-based approaches.


Engineers and inspectors having meeting

The Safety Gap for SMBs

By David Kopf

Small- and medium-sized businesses face unique safety hurdles, but they have solutions.


Artificial Intelligence