The Power of Storytelling in eLearning
Most people have words they don’t like. For me, it’s office jargon like ‘bandwidth, ‘blue sky thinking’ or ‘pinging’ emails. For my brother, the most irritating word in the world is ‘delightful’. Years ago, he worked at an estate agency where ‘delightful’ was seriously overused; it featured in every advert and every property description. It even trickled down into normal conversation – delightful coffees, lunches, dates and holidays were had by all. Because of this experience, there are few things less delightful for him than the word itself. Why am I telling you this? There’s no chance I’d have remembered [...]
Are We In The Stick Stage? (OSHA Vaccine Mandate & Canada Vaccine Mandates – What Do Employer’s Need To Do Now?)
Effective November 4th, President Joe Biden will enforce a mandate that workers at U.S. companies with at least 100 employees be vaccinated against COVID-19 or be tested weekly starting Jan. 4, spurring legal challenges from Republican governors who say Biden is overstepping his authority. Governors from Iowa and Indiana vowed to fight the new rule, immediately, arguing it infringes on individual freedom. Other states such as Arkansas and Florida are expected to join later today. Despite growing political opposition, the delayed roll-out of the mandate offered a reprieve to many businesses facing labor shortages during the holidays. The administration also [...]
Your Sedentary Employees are Twice as Likely to Die of Heart Disease
We all know that a sedentary lifestyle is a risk factor for heart disease. The more you sit, the less you move, and the less you move, the more your risk increases. New research published in the journal Current Biology estimates that the average American does about 30 minutes less physical activity a day than an American in 1820. “Instead of walking to work, we take cars or trains; instead of manual labor in factories, we use machines." The study also found that resting metabolic rate — the total number of calories burned when the body is at rest — has [...]
The Average Work Desk is Approximately 400 Times Dirtier Than the Average Toilet Seat
According to Dr. Charles Gerba of the University of Arizona, the average office worker has over 10 million bacteria living on its desk - that's 400x more than the average truck stop toilet seat. GROSS!!! It isn't just the gum stuck to the bottom, a study funded by Clorox Co found that the average desk has dangerously high levels of bacteria and viruses. Of course bacteria are not all bad, and common bacteria are found on every surface, but if COVID has taught us anything, it should be just how fragile our personal health, wellbeing, and the economy are when [...]
How Do You Convince Management To Say “Yes” To Online Safety Training
Online safety training has grown rapidly in the post-COVID world because it is a streamlined and efficient way for your organization to manage, train, and track compliance. In the US and Canada, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), state specific OSHA, and provincial authorities have mandatory training requirements for employers. eLearning is accepted in many cases, and it provides a simple way for companies to meet OHS regulations, in addition to also being a prevention measure against COVID-19, where group training in a classroom may expose employees. In general, online learning is accepted as a replacement for classroom courses, [...]
How Do You Convince Management To Say “Yes” To Online Safety Training
Online safety training has grown rapidly in the post-COVID world because it is a streamlined and efficient way for your organization to manage, train, and track compliance. In the US and Canada, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), state specific OSHA, and provincial authorities have mandatory training requirements for employers. eLearning is accepted in many cases, and it provides a simple way for companies to meet OHS regulations, in addition to also being a prevention measure against COVID-19, where group training in a classroom may expose employees. In general, online learning is accepted as a replacement for classroom courses, [...]
James Bond, He Is Not
I grew up, like most males my age, watching Connery and Moore on the big screen as the ladies swooned and Britain's best secret agent used trickery, gadgets, and machismo seduction (if not harassment and assault) to save the world from the likes of SPECTRE or some other megalomaniacal billionaire with ambitions of space or using the media to misinform and bring down governments. (Of course the similarities to today's reality are not lost on me.) There was, and a case can be made for "is," nobody cooler than James Bond. The fanboy in me is excited for the latest [...]
You Can Cut Costs With Safety
As you may know, SafetyNow started its life as Safe Foreman in 1919. Occasionally I like to sort through some of the old periodicals to find out what OHS was like in the past. Here is a great article from May 1963 about the cost savings of a well-rounded safety program; keep in mind this was the same month and year that Peter, Paul and Mary had a hit with "Puff the Magic Dragon", there was unrest in Birmingham Alabama when officials turned hoses on dogs and children during a protest (a turning point in the civil rights movement), and [...]
Battling Complacency Meeting Kit
COMPLACENCY DEFINITION Dictionary.com defines it as, “a feeling of quiet pleasure or security, often while unaware of some potential danger, defect, or the like”. The definition provided by Dictionary.com applies more to a less-experienced worker who is not trained to recognize hazards or an experienced worker who is totally unaware of a hazard in their area at a given moment. Many of the workers who are in fact complacent with the hazards of a task are experienced and are well aware that they exist. The workers are not unaware of the risk, but are more likely to accept the risks [...]
Return-to-Work (COVID-19) Workplace Safety Checklist
Employers legally have to ensure their workplaces are as safe as possible. Employees and customers still have fears of returning to work as usual – nearly 60% according to the latest IPSOS REED poll; the ongoing Pandemic, politics, continued waves, and a rash of summer litigation has shown just how much preparing for and communicating safety as a top priority mitigates fears, reduces litigation, and increases brand loyalty. Governments Are Taking A Stronger Stance As Ongoing Pandemic Costs Force Skyrocketing Debt On September 9, 2021, President Biden announced his Path Out of the Pandemic plan, which includes mandatory COVID-19 vaccination [...]
Instructor-Led Training vs eLearning: What is the Difference?
If you are like 90% of organizations in North America, the pandemic has forced you to confront a quick adoption of new forms of training; specifically, a transition to online training or eLearning - particularly for OHS. I've long preached that a blended approach works best for effective training programs; after all, some OHS training needs to be hands on, and for cost reasons, a toolbox talk can be very effective. However, when I talk to the vast majority of safety managers and directors who are actively trying to engage workers and move from a traditional to an online or [...]
COVID-19 Infections Rising Again
With COVID-19 infections rising again throughout Canada and the US, local and federal health authorities across both countries have been, relatively, consistent in their guidance, and taking queues from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: recommending that all persons living and working in areas with substantial or high community COVID-19 infection rates wear masks in indoor settings, regardless of vaccination status, and encouraging mask use in public by fully vaccinated people who are immunocompromised, at increased risk of severe disease from COVID-19, or live with someone who is immunocompromised or not fully vaccinated. that workers who are not [...]
