Occupational Health & Safety

Banishing Maritime Fatigue

By Jerry Laws · December 2007

Because I’ve lamented regulatory paralysis in Washington, D.C., on many occasions, it’s a relief to cheer a federal safety program that is winning over an industry not by fiat, but by the power of a great idea. The U.S. Coast Guard’s Crew Endurance Management System (CEMS) expects to have 2,000 trained coaches in place by the end of this year and shows no sign of slowing down. What CEMS does is use our scientific knowledge of fatigue to reduce risk factors and boost crew members’ endurance.

Hit the Road, with Care

By Jerry Laws · June 2004

IF you and your family travel by car this summer, be sure to watch out for work zones. And keep this tidbit in mind: There's about a one-in-four chance each tractor-trailer you encounter has a problem that would cause an inspector to order it out of service.

A Visual Aide

By Marc Barrera · August 2007

FALSE fire alarms are a costly problem. Beyond the financial loss due to downtime, the "cry wolf" factor can affect future response time to critical situations. In the oil industry, the potential for a false reading is especially plausible because of other contributing factors--from radiant sources such as solar radiation, flare reflection from Floating Production Storage and Off-loading (FPSOs) ships, hot CO2 emissions from pipeline pumping stations, and more.

Integrated Injury Intervention

By Ronnie Rittenberry · June 2004

According to the latest Liberty Mutual Workplace Safety Index, employee injuries are costing U.S. businesses almost $1 billion each week, an amount that's up from recent years even after adjusting for inflation in medical and wage benefits.

Counterfeiting Hits Home

By Jerry Laws · August 2007

MORE than a handful of PPE manufacturers have been raising alarms about counterfeit safety products for some time now. I never regarded this as much of a threat, I confess, until mid-June of this year, when two simultaneous developments outside our industry convinced me counterfeiting is a serious current problem.

One-Stop Shopping

By Valerie Weadock · January 2004

IT'S a supercenter world. Stores that sell fishing tackle, car tires, lamps, and apples only aisles apart are thriving. These retailers may tout lower prices and friendly service, but if you ask customers why they shop at these locations, you'll hear one answer again and again--convenience.

Are You Hiring Terrorists?

By Louis Rovner, Ph.D. · January 2004

THOUSANDS of terrorists call the United States home. It has been estimated that hundreds of terrorist sleeper cells are scattered throughout our country, waiting for orders and instructions.

What A Mesh!

By Ronnie Rittenberry · July 2007

IT'S an imperfect world. All tends toward entropy, dissolution, and decay; things break, fall out, shrivel. In industrial environments, belts snap, parts erode, fuses blow. The latter happens more often than you might think.

Highly Commendable

By Jerry Laws · July 2007

THE fall hazards on a multi-span Interstate 30 bridge construction project just west of downtown Dallas could take your breath away. As I drove past most afternoons, I was so focused on the height and length of the bridge beams that I never thought about the 10-foot fall hazards to which the contractor’s engineers can be exposed before the beams even come off their delivery trucks.

Working Too Early?

By Jerry Laws · May 2005

Bulking Up Responders' Readiness

By Jerry Laws · May 2005

THE International Association of Fire Fighters has been conducting Weapons of Mass Destruction and hazardous materials training on a grand scale this year, bringing to thousands of firefighters the latest information on terrorism preparedness.

Bored With Keys?

By Emily Bryant · August 2005

GERMS are the last things you want to find occupying your workspace, especially in a health care facility, but it's nearly impossible to eliminate them all, given the propensity for sanitary rule-breaking that occurs among any human population.

ISMAs (Involved Safety Meeting Activities)

By Matthew A. Forck · August 2005

Isiah Thomas left Indiana University after two years and at age 19 was the fourth pick in the 1982 NBA draft. Much to his dismay, the lowly Detroit Pistons selected him. Detroit was a team without a tradition or identity; in fact, its players had won just 16 of 82 games in the previous season.

A Push for Prevention

By Jerry Laws · August 2005

I don't expect you to read and remember every word published in this magazine, Dear Reader. But I hope the contents benefit you always and educate you sometimes.

The Benefits of Hiring a Safety Consultant

By Peter Bouley · September 2005

Automating Safety Inspections

By Pete Tormey · May 2004

AFFORDABLE Palm computers and software have given rise to a new family of tools for reducing paperwork and automating safety and other routine inspections. As with most new tools, the major advantage is reducing labor costs and saving administrative time, however, automating your inspection process can mean more than simply saving money.

Generating Quality Interaction

By Linda Keefe · May 2004

IN any company, communication between managers and employees is a big issue. Employees want guidelines from their supervisors, and the management staffers want input from their team.

Construction Safety Hits the Road

By Jerry Laws · May 2004

PRIME paving season is here for much of the United States, causing highway work zones to sprout and renewing efforts to spread the gospel of safety to workers and motorists alike.

Certified Safe Operators

By Jerry Laws · February 2004

Motivating Unmotivated People

By John Strelecky · June 2004

IF you walk around a Walt Disney World resort or theme park, you are likely to witness something that in most other settings would seem bizarre.

MWF: Another Long, Hard Slog

By Jerry Laws · January 2004

SUING someone seems like a sudden act, an angry impulse, but of course most lawsuits are the opposite. Case in point: the suit filed by the United Auto Workers and the United Steelworkers of America against Labor Secretary Elaine Chao and OSHA. Metalworking fluid exposures have concerned the UAW for many years.

Extending Your Leadership Reach: Making Central and Local Connections

By Robert Pater · March 2007

HOW can your leadership be both spread and focused? This is a critical tension faced by many companies with multiple operations. Stretching, on one hand, to encourage individual sites to determine their own safety interventions; tightening, on the other, toward exerting expert central controls so far-flung plants attain desired, consistent results.

Time for a New Approach

By Jerry Laws · February 2005

IN the end, the biggest root causes for injuries may be inattention and fatigue. This realization is monumental: It means behavior-based safety is truly valuable, hours of service rules are warranted for many industries (not just transportation), and safety in America will not be solved unless it is addressed holistically.

Failing to Plan or Planning to Fail?

By Joe Beck, Sheila Pressley · February 2007

IF you think that you have trouble getting your employees to plan or are not pleased with the quality of their planning, you may be surprised at how little practice they have had at true planning. We have often commented that it seems teaching planning is one of the most difficult courses of instruction in our curriculum. It is clear students absorb the information, but is it equally obvious most just do not seem to incorporate it into their day-to-day activities nor in designing their careers?

Who Must Pay for PPE? We'll Know Soon

By Jerry Laws · February 2007

I wince when OSHA's administrators say trimming the fat from the agency's twice-yearly regulatory agendas is a major achievement. What's left when the cutting is done is beyond lean; it's emaciated. Yes, the agendas should be realistic, but recent ones are painful reminders that little is being accomplished on the regulatory front and little is being attempted.