Safety Blog2022-09-15T23:10:48-07:00

Preventing Eye Injuries and Diseases in the Workplace

Eye-related injuries are some of the most common hazards in the workplace, and some professions are at a higher risk for these accidents than most. As a matter of fact, over 20,000 eye injuries happen in professional settings every year, affecting employee morale and resulting in a productivity decline. But eye experts emphasize that 90% of these cases could have been prevented with proper eye protection. In line with this, it’s best to be prepared with the correct protective eye gear, depending on your workplace, to lessen the chances of any injuries or disease. Below are some of the most recommended safety [...]

Women at Greater Risk for Ergonomic Injury

Safety Talk Women are twice as likely as men to suffer ergonomic-related injuries. There are several reasons for this difference, including the fact that personal protective equipment is often designed for men, not women; female-dominated careers such as healthcare often require prolonged sitting, standing or awkward postures; hostile work environments may discourage asking for or offering help; and the fact that women are less tolerant of temperature extremes, which can increase their risk for back injuries and other musculoskeletal disorders. What’s at Stake Failing to follow good ergonomics practices can bring long-lasting, painful and sometimes debilitating consequences. Repetitive and [...]

National Day of Mourning – A Day to Remember

April 28, the National Day of Mourning, is a day to remember and honour those who have died or been injured on the job. Years ago, I got a call that nobody wants to get. A close friend’s father had fallen off the roof during an inspection – his injuries were too severe – he didn’t survive the fall. I wish I could say this is rare – but it’s not. I have no idea what your schedule looks like for the 28th this year, but I strongly urge you to ensure it allows for some reflection. Take a [...]

How to Prevent Contractor Accidents

Using contractors is a cost-effective way to secure vital services. But it can create huge safety problems – especially when contractor personnel work at your facility. Maintaining a safe and healthy workplace for your own people is tough enough. It’s a real challenge when your workplace is swarming with unfamiliar workers. This can be a recipe for injuries and liability. To control these risks you need to know at any given time which contractors are on your site and whether their safety training meets your expectations. Company Blamed for Subcontractor’s Injury Here’s a true story that shows what can happen [...]

A Dozen Ways to Help Workers Avoid Nail Gun Injuries

According to emergency room statistics, air nailer injuries are up. One reason for the increase in injuries is because these tools are more readily available for home use. But still a great number of workers are being injured by nail guns at work. Remind your workers to use air nailers safely at work and safely at home. Pneumatic Nailers Pneumatic nailers – also known as nailers, pneumatic hammers and air-powered hammers – are a staple of the construction industry. Powered by compressed air, these tools are rightly called guns because they apply a large amount of energy to a small projectile. [...]

Presenteeism, Productivity & the Impact on Your Safety Program

One of the best ways to demonstrate the value of your safety program to management is to link it to the productivity of the workers it protects. Of course, it’s one thing to assert that safety measures increase worker productivity and another to prove it. What makes this especially challenging is that traditional views of productivity are being challenged by a concept known as “presenteeism.” Here’s what presenteeism is all about and how to build a business case for safety initiatives on the basis of minimizing presenteeism. How Safety Contributes to Productivity In its simplest form, productivity is about getting [...]

Workplan: Near Miss Reporting Management

Seventy-five percent of all accidents are preceded by one or more near misses, according to the National Safety Council.  So, if you’re trying to reduce the number of injuries and incidents with property damage and other incident-related loss, it makes sense to measure and manage your near misses. Why Near Misses Are So Important It’s been recognized that focusing on minor incidents, including near misses provides the wherewithal to reduce the probability of major incidents. Near misses occur much more frequently than serious incidents. They’re also smaller in scale, simpler to analyze and easier to resolve. Working from the top [...]

When the Worst Happens

You work hard at keeping your team safe from any injuries, let alone a fatality. But when the worst happens, how do you help them to cope? When workers have witnessed or been involved in a horrible scene – a fall from heights or entanglement for example – it can haunt them for years. They need prompt help to prevent short-term shock from turning into chronic post-traumatic stress. Stress can harm a career, relationships as well as mental and physical health. An affected worker needs to talk to someone within a day or two of the tragedy. In this debriefing, [...]

Safety Attitude: How to Get Workers to Develop One

Getting workers throughout your company to display a “safety attitude” is the key to a safe and healthy work environment. Of course, that’s easy to say. The hard part is to actually cultivate such a safety attitude among your workforce. Here’s what safety trainers can do to achieve this objective. The Challenge of Gaining Buy In The biggest challenge is establishing and maintaining a safety conscious work environment. That’s a tall order and a full-time job. Sure, you might think and eat safety every day; but that’s not enough to get other people in the company to do the same. By definition, [...]

Workplan: 10 Steps to Creating a Confined Space Entry Program

Working in a confined space is one of the most dangerous of all workplace hazards. In fact, it’s been calculated that working in a confined space is 150 times more dangerous than doing the same job outside of the space. While this Workplan is geared toward compliance remember, compliance is often only the minimum set of requirements for safety. Step 1: Identify Permit-Required Confined Spaces Determine if you have any confined spaces and then classify the spaces as either: Non-permit confined spaces – spaces that don’t contain or potentially contain hazards capable of causing death or serious harm to entrants; or Permit-required confined spaces – spaces that [...]

The Importance of Breaks in Adult Learning

Breaks keep our brains healthy and play a key role in cognitive abilities such as reading comprehension and divergent thinking (the ability to generate and make sense of novel ideas). Breaks play an important role during a training session, particularly in the case of longer sessions. If you are delivering a full day training session, then you should give at least 2 breaks during the training day. The first break could be a coffee break in the morning while the second can be a lunch break in the afternoon. LUNCH BREAK It is essential that the lunch be a light [...]

An Integrated Safety Management System Primer

What Is an Integrated Management System? An integrated management system is the framework of policies, systems, processes and procedures that organizations use to fulfill all of the tasks required to achieve their pre-defined business objectives. Why do organizations need such a formalized or structured management system to achieve their goals? Systems might be unnecessary when business competition is weak, risk is minimal and business activities are uncomplicated or mature. But if changes take place, the need for a more formalized system will emerge. For example, the company’s processes and business knowledge may reside not in a formal system but solely [...]

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