OHS September 2026 magazine cover

September 2026

Find these topics and more in the September issue:

  • Facility Safety
  • IH Monitoring Instruments
  • PPE
  • Training: Injury & Illness Reporting
  • Combustible Dust
  • Slips, Trips & Falls
  • Chemical Safety
  • Lockout/Tagout
  • Ergonomics/MSDS

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Features

Female industrial technician putting on blue hard hat and safety harness for rooftop work

Building Better PPE for Women in Construction

By Francene Scott Diehl

Properly fitting personal protective equipment is essential for protecting women in construction while improving comfort, confidence, and worker retention. Expanding research and involving tradeswomen in PPE design can help close longstanding gaps in workplace safety.


Engineer worker safety helmet tablet factory woman vest inspection focused female engineer using tablet in industrial factory

Building Trust in Safety Monitoring Technology

By Gen Handley

Successfully implementing safety monitoring tools requires more than selecting the right technology. Clear communication, thoughtful onboarding, privacy safeguards, and ongoing employee engagement help organizations strengthen safety culture while improving emergency response.


"Beware trip hazard" safety caution symbol on the ground

Breaking the Cycle of Slips, Trips and Falls

By Rhonda Piggee Johnson, CSP

Environmental hazards, housekeeping, and human behavior all contribute to slip, trip, and fall incidents. Organizations that address these interconnected risks together are better positioned to achieve lasting improvements in workplace safety.


Wooden blocks safety-related icons, including compliance, health, inspection, training, protection, regulatory

Innovation and Collaboration Drive the NSC Safety Congress & Expo

By Stasia DeMarco

From emerging technologies to peer-to-peer learning, attendees are discovering practical ideas they can take home to strengthen workplace safety.


Lockout safety station with safety locks on industrial machine fence

Why Lockout/Tagout Breaks Down in the Field

By Nolan Seward

Complacency, production pressure, and routine work can undermine even well-designed lockout/tagout programs. Reinforcing communication, leadership, and safe work habits helps ensure hazardous energy control procedures are followed consistently.


Using gas test detector monitoring at the entry point while rope access welder working as a hot work

Connected Gas Detection Goes Beyond the Alarm

By Pravesh Ramlogun

Modern gas monitoring systems are evolving from standalone detection devices into connected safety platforms that provide real-time visibility, improve emergency response, and strengthen situational awareness across industrial operations.


Male worker hands tying shoelaces on leather safety shoes with white protective helmet or hard hat on concrete stair in construction site

Don't Stop at the Safety Toe

By Cam Mackey

Choosing protective footwear based on workplace hazards, fit, and performance features—not just toe protection—can improve comfort, reduce injury risks, and help workers stay safe throughout every shift.


A warehouse worker wearing an advanced robotic exoskeleton suit while carrying a plastic crate in an industrial facility.

Exoskeletons Are Reshaping Warehouse Safety

By Karl Zelik

Backed by long-term field data and growing industry adoption, wearable exoskeletons are emerging as a practical tool for reducing musculoskeletal injuries, improving worker retention, and complementing traditional ergonomics programs in warehouses and distribution centers.


Worker suffering from hard work being assisted by a coworker in warehouse

Looking Beyond Injury Rates to Prevent Fatalities

By Shawn M. Galloway

Recordable injury rates tell only part of the safety story. Organizations that identify precursor conditions, verify critical controls, and focus on high-energy hazards are better positioned to prevent serious injuries and fatalities.


Warehouse fire safety, fire extinguishers are installed near storage shelves while a worker handles cardboard boxes in a logistics facility

Life Safety Doesn't End When Construction Does

By Jeremy R. Abbott

Buildings are designed with multiple layers of protection to safeguard occupants during emergencies, but those safeguards are only effective when facility managers and employees preserve them through proper maintenance, training, and day-to-day operations.


Automated External Defibrillator (AED) sign on a brightly illuminated yellow wall cabinet

Six Essentials of a Reliable Workplace AED Program

By David Kopf

Simply installing an automated external defibrillator isn't enough. A truly effective AED program depends on planning, maintenance, training and readiness.


Two workers wearing safety gear and hardhats are repairing pipes in a deep trench

Why Confined Space Fatalities Continue to Happen

By Dennis Terpin

More than 30 years after OSHA's confined space standard was introduced, workers continue to die in enclosed spaces. Understanding atmospheric monitoring, rescue planning, and common misconceptions can help close persistent safety gaps.


Woodworking the handle of the ax

Building a Stronger Combustible Dust Safety Program

By Matthew Hatzenbuhler

Effective combustible dust prevention begins with understanding facility-specific hazards. Dust testing, hazard analyses, engineering controls, housekeeping, and employee training work together to reduce fire and explosion risks while supporting safer operations.


A protective helmet with a glowing flashlight and a dust mask with a filter lie on top of the black coal

Bringing Combustible Dust Hazards into the Light

By Aaron Freund

Effective combustible dust safety depends on more than controlling ignition sources. Selecting appropriate portable lighting for classified environments can improve visibility, strengthen inspections, and support safer maintenance and emergency response activities.


Factory worker safety hard hat meeting supervisor manufacturing inspection during shift briefing on shop floor

Five Signs Your Hazard Communication Training May Be Falling Short

By Taylor Mabile

Effective HazCom training goes beyond OSHA compliance. Learn how stronger instruction on labels, Safety Data Sheets and emergency response can help employees recognize chemical hazards and work more safely.


Construction safety industry insurance concept worker touching digital glowing hard hat shield icon connected building crane dollar sign

When Head Protection Starts Talking

By David Kopf

Connected head protection can give safety managers new information about impacts, falls, heat and other workplace conditions, potentially changing both incident response and the way safety decisions are made.


Personal protective equipment PPE including a white helmet, transparent safety glasses, blue work gloves and a high-visibility yellow vest

5 Trends Reshaping High-Visibility Workwear

By David Kopf

High-visibility apparel is moving beyond the traditional safety vest as manufacturers respond to heat, workforce diversity, multiple hazards and emerging technology.


Engineer holding sheet

Turning OSHA Recordkeeping into a Safety Advantage

By Phil Molé

Accurate injury and illness records do more than satisfy regulatory requirements. They provide the data organizations need to identify hazards, strengthen safety programs, and improve decision-making before incidents occur.


Engineer performs industrial monitoring with a thermal camera on high voltage gas insulated equipment

Why Gas Detection Is Non-Negotiable in Mission-Critical Environments

By Armando Pazos

Deploying robust gas detection protects workers from invisible atmospheric hazards while maintaining operational uptime in high-stakes facilities.


Construction team meeting with hard hats, laptop and blueprints on a desk, showing planning, safety and teamwork at a worksite

Why Safety Technology Fails Before It Reaches the Jobsite

By Melvin Keyani

Procurement decisions prioritizing office compliance over jobsite usability create a digital burden and undermine safety tech adoption.


Female pharmacist in lab coat providing medical consultation to industrial worker in safety vest at pharmacy

Clinical Care Alone Is No Longer Enough: Communication Shapes Occupational Health Outcomes

By Dr. Latha M. Brubaker

Timely, transparent communication between clinicians, employers and claims teams is as critical as medical treatment in accelerating recovery and reducing workers' compensation costs.


builder in white hardhat and neon hi vis vest holding neck with hand

The Efficiency of Safety: Leveraging Motion Economy to Minimize Workplace Injuries

By Francesco José Addabbo

Revisiting Frank and Lillian Gilbreth’s motion study principles reveals that "therblig" micro-movements aren't just tools for industrial speed; they are the key to eliminating soft-tissue strains and cumulative biomechanical debt.


Warehouse worker talking with forklift driver

Safety Isn't a Checklist. It's an Operating System.

By Justin Malone

Treating safety as an operational operating system rather than a compliance checklist prevents dangerous field complacency during periods of fluctuating federal oversight.


Engineer on night shift in warehouse holding tablet

Shadows and Sleep Deprivation: The Hidden Dangers of Night Shifts

By Daniyal Shahid

From lighting gaps to circadian fatigue, learn how warehouse leaders can mitigate the unique safety and security risks of 24/7 logistics.


Departments

Building on Progress to Prevent Suicide

By David Kopf

Construction Suicide Prevention Week turns awareness into action to save lives.


Production manager lined up the workers assigned tasks and instructed them to perform their duties carefully emphasizing safety

Breaking Free from Safety Stagnation

By Robert Pater

Familiar safety strategies can lose their effectiveness over time. By recognizing outdated thinking and embracing new approaches, leaders can overcome organizational inertia and build stronger, more sustainable safety performance.


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