You Can’t Delegate Compliance with Environmental Laws to Your Workers
Many aspects of a company’s operations must comply with environmental laws. And naturally, most of these operations are carried out by workers. Company officials and supervisors oversee these operations, of course. But they can’t be everywhere at once. So what happens if a worker deliberately violates an environmental law? Don’t assume that the company is off the hook. Although workers can be liable for deliberate violations they commit, the responsibility for ensuring compliance with the law ultimately falls on the company. Getting workers to obey company policies is obviously critical to a company’s compliance efforts. But there’s more to environmental [...]
Checklist for Anti-Harassment Policy
An anti-harassment policy is a key component of a complete harassment prevention effort. Check the box below if your anti-harassment policy contains the following elements: An unequivocal statement that harassment based on any protected characteristic will not be tolerated An easy-to-understand description of prohibited conduct, including examples A description of a reporting system - available to employees who experience harassment as well as those who observe harassment - that provides multiple avenues to report, in a manner easily accessible to employees A statement that the reporting system will provide a prompt, thorough, and impartial investigation A statement that the identity [...]
Workplace Stress – Getting Management to Take It Seriously
Getting Management to Take It Seriously Work-related stress has been around for as long as workplaces themselves. But recognition of stress as an occupational hazard is a product of modern times. Unfortunately, not all companies have gotten the message. That leaves it to safety directors and supervisors to persuade management that stress really is a problem to take seriously. The best way to do that is to relate the problem to dollars. Here’s how to educate your company’s “bigs” to the dangers of workplace stress and gain their support for programs to combat it. There’s also a Model Worksheet below [...]
SAVE 10% on OSHA 10 & 30 Hour Training Online
Hiring new employees to restart this economy after the pandemic? Looking to take advantage of growth opportunities? Need to get employees trained, certified and working quickly, efficiently and safely? SafetyNow can help you get your OSHA required training online, and save you some money too. What is OSHA 10 & 30 Hour Training? The OSHA Outreach Training Program provides training for workers and employers on the recognition, avoidance, abatement, and prevention of safety and health hazards in workplaces. SafetyNow’s OSHA 10 & 30 Hour training for General Industry and Construction supports OSHA’s mission of increasing worker productivity and ensuring that workers are more [...]
Why Companies Shouldn’t Cut Corners on PPE
The economics of PPE, is a topic that doesn’t get much attention. Here are the three key lessons from a recent survey's findings about the importance of PPE: Lesson #1: PPE Training Is Critical The survey suggests that PPE’s effectiveness is based not only on the quality of the equipment but also how it’s actually used. PPE training is the best way to ensure that workers understand why they need to use PPE and how to use it properly. But workers may not be getting the PPE training they need. So companies shouldn’t cut corners when it comes to PPE training. In fact, [...]
Microlearning For Safety Training
Unfortunately, traditional safety training usually does not consider the characteristics of adult education. It is not flexible enough in terms of when and where to learn, and does not take the adults’ prior learning experiences into account. Microlearning can be a way to address adult learners in more adequate ways. It has 2 major advantages: Flexibility. Employees can decide on their own where, how, and in which order to learn. Easy access. Employees only need limited time resources for microlearning and can “squeeze it in” between longer work processes, before or after breaks. These advantages strongly rely on the right [...]
5 Steps to Protect Workers Who Lift Materials Manually
Although technology has advanced since the days of ancient Egypt and the pyramids, there are still many workers who carry and move heavy materials manually. What's also advanced is our understanding of how performing these tasks continually over time causes musculoskeletal injuries (MSIs), like strains and sprains to the lower back, shoulders and arms. 5 Steps to Compliance Taking the following 5 steps should help you avoid citations for manual materials: Step #1: Determine if Materials Can Be Moved Mechanically Determine if mechanical devices such as forklifts, dollies, conveyors and hand trucks can be used to move materials. To the [...]
How Do You Convince Management To Say “Yes” To Online Safety Training
Online safety training has grown rapidly in the post-COVID world because it is a streamlined and efficient way for your organization to manage, train, and track compliance. In the US and Canada, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), state specific OSHA, and provincial authorities have mandatory training requirements for employers. eLearning is accepted in many cases, and it provides a simple way for companies to meet OHS regulations, in addition to also being a prevention measure against COVID-19, where group training in a classroom may expose employees. In general, online learning is accepted as a replacement for classroom courses, [...]
What to Look for in Results Tracking Software
Like other functions of safety management systems, tracking the consequences of preventive actions has moved from the realm of paper to software. Although technology offers significant advantages, it also poses equally daunting challenge. First and foremost, you need to ensure that your tracking software has the right technological capabilities and functions. Safety Software and the Tracking Function Safety management systems generate potentially significant value to an organization by using timely, accurate and meaningful information data to generate more effective safety solutions. Most safety system management models are based on the Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle of continual improvement is the centerpiece of most [...]
10 Winter Driving Safety Tips
Driving in winter weather conditions poses certain challenges, including slippery roads, reduced visibility, etc. Here are 10 safety tips to give your workers—especially but not just those who drive as part of their duties. 1. Clear Off the Snow Brush the snow from all of the windows, hood, roof, side mirrors, headlights and tail lights—not just a small area on the front windshield and then start driving. 2. Check Road Conditions Before heading out, check to see what the current road conditions are and what type of weather you should expect. It’s also a good idea to make sure someone is aware of your [...]
Building a Safety Culture by Measuring Results
This desire for measurement and feedback—for keeping score–is critical to how we live our lives. It is also the key to the success of our safety program. For one reason, it lets us know how well we’re doing. For another, it can serve as a motivating force to the extent that people in the workplace will make the effort to earn a “good score.” Let’s discuss how to measure safety performance and use measurement and feedback as a motivating force to exert positive change on our organization’s safety culture. The Power of Measurement Each of us uses measurements every day, both [...]
What Are The Costs of a Lack of Safety Training
WE DO NOT RISE TO THE LEVEL OF OUR EXPECTATIONS. WE FALL TO THE LEVEL OF OUR TRAINING. - Archilachus BUILDING A RETURN ON INVESTMENT (ROI) Safety training, like any other business activity, needs to be justified in terms of overall return on the investment (ROI). Overwhelmingly, business leaders believe that L&D programs are required to close the skills gap facing North American businesses in 2022 and beyond. Given that it is, on aver- age, 1/5th the cost to train/retrain/ upskill existing workers than to recruit new ones. Learning & development training, overall, has a significant impact on productivity and [...]
