In the previous three (3) parts of this series, we covered Management Leadership, Worker Participation, Hazard Identification and Assessment, and Hazard Prevention and Control. Today we’ll address Education, Training, and Continuous Improvement elements.  Education and Training aim to ensure that all workers receive appropriate and effective training in a language and literacy level they understand to do their work safely before performing assigned tasks, changes in assigned tasks, and changes in the workplace. While the appropriateness of the training refers to how well it covers the potential hazards in the […]

What first comes to your mind when thinking about occupational heat hazards? Many will think about outdoor work in the summertime. The 2023 summer season has greeted us with extreme heat advisories, watches, and warnings. By late June, more than a third, or 36% of the U.S. population, was covered by one of these heat alerts on a single day! You don’t need to wait until June or be outside to consider heat when developing your job hazard analysis (JHA).  OSHA fatality reports from 2017 to 2022 show 118 heat-related […]

William Tomlin, our USF SafetyFlorida contributor for July, provides insight on improving safety errors such as the one pictured in this photo. Can you spot what’s wrong with this picture? Keep reading to find out more. Hazard:                    An electrical power source […]

Dear Reader, This element of the Management System focuses on developing a current and complete inventory of the safety and health hazards at the workplace, sometimes referred to as a comprehensive baseline hazard assessment.  It includes assessing how the hazards are controlled and worker exposure to them. The inventory serves as the basis for priority setting (i.e., policy, goals, and objectives). It requires the expertise of an internal or external qualified individual to conduct the baseline hazard assessment.  Another aspect of hazard identification includes effective safety and health daily, weekly, or monthly inspections […]

Mental health is constantly in the news of late and is considered a major social problem. It can be associated with dangerous behavior and seen as threatening to society and the social order, especially in the media. However, there are widespread misunderstandings about mental illness, and many remain unaware that their symptoms could be connected to a mental health condition and therefore don’t seek treatment. Since an individual with a mental disorder does not look visibly different from others, the issue is dismissed frequently or minimized, adding to the challenges […]

Hazards: 1926.502(i)(1) Covers located in roadways and vehicular aisles shall be capable of supporting, without failure, at least twice the maximum axle load of the largest vehicle expected to cross over the cover. 1926.502(i)(2) All other covers shall be capable of supporting, without failure, at least twice the weight of employees, equipment, and materials that may be imposed on the cover at any one time. 1926.502(i)(3) All covers shall be secured when installed to prevent accidental displacement by the wind, equipment, or employees 1926.502(i)(4) All covers shall be color-coded or […]

Dear Reader, Of all the elements in a Safety and Health Management System, Leadership Engagement is by far the most important. A recent cross-sectional study of 155 construction companies in South Africa revealed that leadership visibility and behavior affect safety culture and safety performance in the construction industry (Skeepers & Mbohwa, 2015). Another study of construction companies in Indonesia recognized that one of the main drivers of improving safety performance is safety culture. Safety leadership has been identified as a significant factor shaping safety culture itself. Project owner safety leadership […]

Hazard:  Live electrical parts are not guarded against potential contact by a person/employee working at or near the energized equipment. Applicable Standard (s): 29 Code of Federal Regulation (CFR) 1910.303(b)(1)(viii) Electric equipment shall be free from recognized hazards that are likely to cause death or serious physical harm to employees. The safety of equipment shall be determined using factors that can contribute to the practical safeguarding of persons using or likely to come in contact with the equipment. 29 CFR 1910.303 (g)(2)(i) Except as elsewhere required or permitted by this standard, […]