Proposed rulemakings and initiatives stand out on the agency’s agenda. Don’t expect the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to slow down as it enters the fifth decade of its existence, following a year of heightened activity in support of its workplace safety mission. An agency of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), OSHA spent 2019 increasing its number of employer inspections and pursuing new rulemakings and programs. In fiscal year 2019, It conducted 33,401 inspections—more inspections than the previous three years—addressing violations related to trenching ..read more

Proposed rulemakings and initiatives stand out on the agency’s agenda. Don’t expect the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to slow down as it enters the fifth decade of its existence, following a year of heightened activity in support of its workplace safety mission. An agency of the U.S. Department of Labor (DOL), OSHA spent 2019 increasing its number of employer inspections and pursuing new rulemakings and programs. In fiscal year 2019, It conducted 33,401 inspections—more inspections than the previous three years—addressing violations related to trenching ..read more

Here are the issues that drove safety professionals on their journey to excellence throughout the year. Industry professionals have to consider an ever-changing list of hazards in their company’s road to excellence. Building safety into a company’s culture is no easy task, as risks constantly change depending on a plethora of factors. Safety managers focused on these 10 issues throughout 2019, based on EHS Today’s website and print magazine coverage throughout the year.   ThinkstockPhotos-538563108_5.jpg Type Image ..read more

Reports can no longer be filed via e-mail after Cal/OSHA opens a new website. Lost in the welter of other high-profile employment laws recently enacted by the California State Legislature is a new requirement that changes the criteria for deciding what are serious jobsite occupational injuries, illnesses and deaths of workers that employers need to report to the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA). Another new state law changes the methods by which employers are expected to file reports of these incidents. It eliminates the option for e-mail repor ..read more

We’re entering a new era of health and safety risk for warehouse workers. The retail warehouse business is undergoing massive change. Amazon alone manages over 150 million sq. ft. of warehouse space around the world and sells over 4000 products per minute. Many brick and mortar brands are shifting to digital—and with that, transforming warehouses from stock rooms to e-commerce support stations. That’s not all: there is also a logistics technology race that, rather than immediately replace worker jobs, will likely make them more repetitive, physically stressful, and fast-paced ..read more

The world's largest online retailer responded to a recent report citing higher-than-average warehouse injury rates.  Amazon has responded to continued scrutiny regarding the online retailer's workplace safety practices following a report from The Center for Investigative Reporting. The report stated the company's injury rate is double the national average for the warehousing industry at 9.6 serious injuries per 100 full-time workers in 2018. The industry average is 4. “According to Amazon’s own records, the risk of work injuries at fulfillment centers is alarmingly, unaccepta ..read more

Factors to consider when utilizing mezzanine storage. Mezzanines are a great way to increase the storage capacity and amount of usable floor space of any office, warehouse, manufacturing or retail facility. With these benefits come new risks, in the form of working at heights. Worker safety needs to be at the forefront of every business owners’ mind, especially when it comes to their physical working environment. Why Think About Mezzanine Safety? The UK government’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE) published research pertaining to height-related accidents at work in Great B ..read more

Three EHS Today-hosted webinars, sponsored by Avetta Date: Thursday, December 12, 2019 Time: 11:00 a.m., 1:00 p.m and 3:00 p.m. EST (GMT -5, New York) Duration: 3 - 1 Hour Sessions Event Type: Live Webinars Cost: Free Register Today for One, Two or all Three of these Sessions!  Session 1 – 11:00 a.m. EST | Issues Facing Women in Construction  Learn more about this session with Kathleen Dobson Session 2 – 1:00 p.m. EST | How EnTrans Uses Error Reduction Tools to Improve Incident Investigations: An America’s Safest Company Success Story Learn more about this session with Karen ..read more

From baby powder to toothpaste, the dangers of asbestos remain. Another week, another slate of asbestos-related stories. Despite having been banned for 20 years now, asbestos seems to be cropping up in the news more than ever. From cases of sudden and debilitating illness to asbestos being improperly disposed of, it doesn’t seem like this deadly substance is going away anytime soon. The latest cases relate to a variety of products that apparently contain (or contained) asbestos. Given that asbestos is still legal to produce or use in over 100 countries, can we be sure that the ..read more

A December 19 EHS Today-hosted webinar, sponsored by Bulwark Date: Thursday, December 19, 2019 Time: 2:00 p.m. EST (GMT -5, New York) Duration: 1 Hour Event Type: Live Webinar Cost: Free Register Today!  Description There are a lot of questions regarding FR/AR (flame resistant/arc resistant) clothing and what do in extreme hot and cold temperatures. In this webinar, our FR expert Derek Sang discusses the effects of cold stress and heat stress and what employers can do to keep their workers safe in these extreme conditions. You’ll learn: The difference between heat stress ..read more