Safety

Workforce Instability Now a Primary Safety Risk, Industry Listening Tour Finds

The American Society of Safety Professionals identified five themes reshaping workplace safety, including skills gap as a result of demographic shifts.

Drivers Report Worsening Road Conditions as Distraction, Aggression and Recklessness Climb

Heat Exposure, Workplace Violence and Systemic Reforms Emerge as Key Workers’ Comp Legislative Trends

Driver Behavior, Not Mileage or Road Conditions, Emerges as Dominant Factor in Commercial Vehicle Collisions

Chemical Safety Risks Persist Across U.S. Workplaces Despite Decades of Oversight

Recently in Safety

Take-Home Exposure a Widespread Problem

More than 1.5 million workers are potentially at risk of lead exposure. Far too often, that exposure is putting their families at risk unnecessarily.

Factor Compliance into Wearable Tech Plans

Early adopters are embracing wearable tech for safety and workers’ comp applications. But employers must take care to avoid running afoul of HIPAA.

Measurable Benefits in Health and Safety

ACOEM and UL present Integrated Health and Safety model, with new index to measure business impact.

NIOSH Renews Focus on Workplace Tobacco Risk

New NIOSH recommendations are aimed at protecting all workers from the hazardous effects of tobacco products.

Report Addresses Overlapping Injury Vulnerabilities

ASSE and NIOSH say not enough data is collected on subsets of workers that fall into multiple at-risk groups and need targeted safety interventions.

Oklahoma Youth Safety Bill Leads the Way

The country’s first young worker safety mandate may inspire other states to follow suit.

Driver Shortage Challenges Truck Lines

Recent accidents highlight risk management challenges of long hours and tough road conditions.

In Demand

Safety professionals are retiring, and newcomers cannot fill the gap in numbers or experience.

Safety Initiative Saves Millions

Safeway rebuilt its safety culture on a foundation of positive reinforcement, leading to savings in excess of $100 million.

Risks of Hearing Loss Remain Flat, With Exceptions

The risk of workplace hearing loss has remained steady for decades, but more needs to be done in high-risk industries such as construction and mining.

Seatbelt Noncompliance Linked to Other Unsafe Actions

The CDC is calling on employers and government agencies to address the lagging level of seat belt compliance among truck drivers.

Solid Substance Abuse Program Can Combat Legal, Safety Issues

Organizations need to develop and implement clear and defensible substance abuse programs to keep abusers from putting themselves and others at risk.

Developing a Loss Prevention Program

Management commitment to a loss control program is a fundamental element.

Protecting Health Care Workers From Violence

A zero-tolerance policy is one of the best protections that health care employers can put in place to protect their workers.

The Snow Keeps Falling and the Snow Has Won

Sledding brings with it the joys of childhood — to everyone but public sector risk managers.

Overexertion Tops List of Work Injury Causes

In 2012, overexertion injuries cost businesses $15.1 billion in direct costs and accounted for more than one-quarter of the overall national burden.

NM Proposes Cutting Benefits to Impaired Claimants

A proposal to sharply reduce workers’ comp benefits for substance abusing claimants has the support of more than 65 percent of state residents.

Blurry Boundary of Work vs. Personal Duties

Compensability questions around at-home injuries could be solved with proactive employer guidelines.

Frequency Down, Severity Up for Health Care Worker Claims

The injury/illness rate for hospital workers is alarmingly high — higher even than in construction and manufacturing.

Where Are the Safety Professionals?

Choose a career in safety and you will be in demand.