Many people know firsthand or indirectly the dangers and risks that coal miners face when they go to work every day for their long 10- to 12-hour shifts. Even with all the work that has been done to promote and encourage safety, coal mines still have many inherent risks and hazards for workers. Unfortunately, that [...]
While it can be easy to learn and implement a safety program, thre is little question that being a safety officer or safety engineer is not a career path that anyone off the street can step in and do. Much like doctors and accountants and engineers, being a safety officer is a specialized position that [...]
The cliche holds true: The more things change, the more they stay the same. And while reliability and consistency can be good, in the realm of occupational health and safety, it can be frustrating, especialy when it comes to OSHA's annual list of the top safety violations reported by inspectors. With OSHA producing the list every [...]
We'll admit, Jeff Dalto's article in Professional Safety magazine, is not necessarily groundbreaking; it's just a well-written epistle about learning objectives and applying them effectively in a safety training program. Spoiler alert: Dalto mentions in his article that the concept of learning objectives, which was touched on a bit on the blog the other day, is [...]
Safety is not the destination. Safe, secure, happy and healthy are the destinations. Safety in the workplace is our journey. And safety doesn't just happen. Like a journey, such as a trip or vacation, always goes smoothest when there is a road map. The road map delineates the best way to get from where you [...]
New Year's resolutions are rarely an individual ffair. At least, if you really want your resolutions to be successful. No matter how committed you might be to losing weight or completing that Boston Marathon, very few people ever see through their resolutions without getting a partner on board to at least be an accouuntability partner. [...]
It is a lonely business being at work by yourself. There is always something to be said about working in pairs or groups from the standpoint of safety, but many times it is more effective to have one worker on site at a time, which means that one worker having self-imposed accountability to ensure his [...]
Being safe while alone on the worksite is a matter of values. The concept is called self-management, and it's a process in which lone workers, or those who are on an island working independently from others with no team members or supervisors in close proximity, are able and willing to self-accountable, self-observant and self-aware about [...]
We really do want to trust those lone wolves. OK, we do - honestly. But you have to excuse us safety professionals if we act like helicopter parents or worrisome nannies when our lone-wolf workers, or "island laborers," as I tend to call them, are on the job by themselves with no accountability and no [...]
They say that the definition of integrity is doing the right thing when no one is looking. And if you are a lone worker in the field, the integrity of the workplace safety protocol can very much be challenged. Lone workers are increasing in number these days, as more and more companies go to more [...]
