October 2026 -- Occupational Health & Safety

October 2026

Find these topics and more in the October issue:

Protective Apparel
IH: HAZCOM
PPE
Workplace Safety Technology
Fall Protection
IH Instruments/Monitoring
Confined Spaces
Winter Hazards
Electrical Safety

CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE.

Features

Downloaded File #: 648915560 Male worker with reflective orange vest and protective hand gloves pulling yellow safety ear muffs or ear protectors preparing to wear on his head

Workplace Noise Can Affect More Than Your Hearing

By Nicole Randall

Long-term exposure to hazardous noise can affect worker safety, overall health and quality of life, making consistent hearing protection essential.

A worker wearing a virtual reality headset and holding controllers standing alongside a colleague with a clipboard at an industrial construction site.

Why Hands-On Training Still Matters in a Digital Age

By Michael Burke

VR, AR and AI can expand training opportunities, but physical practice remains essential when workers must handle equipment, coordinate with teams and perform correctly in high-risk situations.

Engineer worker tired fatigue exhausted man working outdoor in hot weather danger from heat stroke

The Heat Stress Standard and the Employer's Decision Dilemma

By Komi Toviawou

With OSHA's proposed heat rule unfinished but enforcement expanding, the metric an employer chooses to trigger protective action — Heat Index or wet bulb globe temperature — may matter more than the regulation itself.

An electrician using a digital multimeter to test wiring and components inside an electrical control panel.

Navigating Electrical Safety’s Gray Areas

By David Kopf

Electrical safety standards provide a framework, but real-world work doesn't always offer clear-cut choices. Five common gray areas show why understanding the hazard, the task and the worker’s qualifications matter when the right decision is not immediately obvious.

Team of male and female industrial engineers in safety gear using a laptop to program and control a CNC machine on a modern manufacturing factory floor

The Keys to a Successful Smart PPE Rollout

By Christian Connolly

A rushed rollout produces resistance. A focused pilot and transparency on goals produce a program workers trust.

What Employers Can Expect from This Winter’s El Niño

By David Kopf

NOAA forecasts a very strong El Niño this winter, giving safety professionals regional guidance to prepare for likely worker hazards.

An auto-darkening welding helmet with a digital screen alongside heavy-duty leather welding gloves resting on a yellow cloth surface.

Building Greater Confidence in Arc Rated PPE

By David Kopf

Changes in the 2027 edition of NFPA 70E strengthen conformity-assessment requirements for arc-rated protective clothing, giving safety managers new reasons to understand the testing, documentation and quality systems behind the PPE their workers rely on.

Close-up view of workers wearing high-visibility vests pointing to and reviewing a printed safety data sheet on a clipboard.

Beyond the SDS: Building a Stronger Chemical Management Program

By Phil Molé

As HazCom 2024 implementation continues, employers should look beyond document management to ensure chemical inventories, workplace labels, ingredient information and employee training work together to protect workers.

Two Asian young adult scientists wearing hazmat suits gesturing upward outdoors

From Testing to Protection: Applying Penetration and Permeation Data in the Real-World

By Kevin Endres, Ph.D., Khyati Vyas, Mark Tartaglia

How testing methods and real-world conditions influence protective apparel performance.

Firefighter wearing breathing mask standing in smoke during emergency operation

Proposed OSHA Changes Put Respiratory Protection Programs in Focus

By Bernard L. Fontaine Jr.

Potential changes to medical evaluation requirements could reduce administrative burdens, but effective respirator selection, exposure assessment, training and other core protections remain essential.

Departments

Bringing Joy into Workplace Safety

By Robert Pater

Moving beyond fear-based messaging and focusing on discovery, participation and personal value can help safety leaders create more meaningful learning experiences.

Two workers in hard hats review a tablet while two others handle materials on metal shelving in an industrial facility.

Beyond the Rankings: What OSHA’s Top 10 Says About Workplace Safety

By David Kopf

OSHA’s fiscal 2026 list highlights familiar hazards, but the compliance problems behind the numbers offer employers a roadmap for finding weaknesses in their own safety programs.

Artificial Intelligence

Why Hands-On Training Still Matters in a Digital Age
VR, AR and AI can expand training opportunities, but physical practice remains essential when workers must handle equipment, coordinate with teams and perform correctly in high-risk situations.
Survey Links Unverified AI Guidance to Higher Regulatory Fines
Respondents linked unchecked AI output to incorrect filings, missed deadlines and failed audits, and teams that put sensitive data into personal AI tools reported problems far more often.
ASSP Survey Finds AI Adoption Growing in Workplace Safety
AI use in workplace safety is growing, but investment, data quality and organizational challenges remain barriers.
Firefighter Health and Safety Technology Guide Research Collaboration
International working groups will examine occupational health risks, smart protective equipment and oversight of AI tools.
Data Center Construction Raises Confined Space Safety Considerations
Electrical and mechanical spaces on rapidly expanding data center projects can present access, ventilation and rescue challenges that require careful hazard evaluation.