As we have stressed here before, a key factor in safety is making sure that the people involved have the right attitude. That truth is driven home by a fascinating article called “Cognitive – Behavioral Safety: How Stages of Change …
Why is it that safety professionals keep hoping to instill safe behavior by dealing only with the minds of employees? Think about it — skills training, hazard awareness and even (from my perspective) the misguided attempt to have one employee …
It’s been one year since the Department of Transportation launched its CSA program to better monitor fleet safety and indicators of success have begun to emerge, although not everyone agrees that they are dramatic. DOT reports that, in the first …
It’s the time of year when many people do a personal evaluation with the thought of improving themselves during the coming year. This post suggests reviewing how we are practicing the profession of safety by looking at the ghost of …
An OSHA directive on lockout states, “Setting up is not considered utilization of a machine or equipment and is classified as servicing and/or maintenance, rather than normal production operations.” The significance of that statement is that lockout must be applied …
The path to “getting to zero” and eliminating accidents from the workplace does not lie in applying ever greater pressure on employees to follow the rules. Success lies rather in motivating workers to “want to” act safely rather than having …
For a good holiday laugh, take a look at the following blog post entitled “How OSHA nearly killed Christmas” spotted on Curtis Chambers’ OSHATraining.com blog. How OSHA Nearly Killed Christmas! Every December, my wife and kids beg me to put …
A major, relatively new OSHA enforcement tool received backing last week from the U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Washington, D.C., and affected employers should make plans to respond if they have not already done so. (Some recommendations are offered …
Jordan Barab, the No. 2 official at OSHA, made a shocking statement at a recent public health conference, as reported by Occupational Safety and Health Reporter: Half of workplaces inspected under a recent national emphasis program were underreporting injuries and …
Recently, I attended two important annual meetings — the American Trucking Associations meeting and the National Safety Council Congress. As a safety professional, both meetings allowed me to catch up with my colleagues while getting updated on new safety developments …