The Consumer Product Safety Commission is trying to change its image, one civil penalty at a time.
For decades, the federal agency largely was seen as a doormat with few resources and a toothless enforcement record. But over the past few years, under its chairman, Elliot Kaye, the CPSC has dramatically increased the penalties imposed on wayward companies, including multi-million dollar settlements with firms accused of failing to make timely disclosures of product hazards.
As winter approaches and cooler temperatures hit most of the nation, workers unpack coats and boots, and workplaces adjust thermostats. However, one climate that should stay the same year-round, no matter where a workplace is located geographically, is the safety climate. Safety climate—defined as the perception among workers about the value of safety—correlates to improved health and safety in the workplace.
It’s a fact: our workforce is aging. By 2024, nearly 1 in 4 people in the labor force are projected to be age 55 or over.
This is a big change from 1994, when people ages 55 and older represented only 11.9 percent of the labor force – a share smaller than those held by other age groups: 16-24, 25-34, 35-44 and 45-54. But by 2024, their projected share will be the largest among these age groups.
Associates at Perdue Foods’ Monterey, Tenn., operation achieved a safety milestone on Oct. 17, 2016, after working four million production hours without experiencing an OSHA recordable lost-time case. Counting toward the milestone began in July 2014.
Many organizations find themselves in a recurring cycle of a game of proverbial whack-a-mole in trying to constantly identify and mitigate unsafe conditions and behaviors while both consistently reappear.
In June of 1997, Captain D. Michael Abrashoff boarded the USS Benfold; he was the new commanding officer. Benfold is a guided missile destroyer staffed with 310 sailors.
Last month, the European Commission published a report aimed at assessing the framework agreement on harassment and violence at work adopted in 2007 by the European social partners. The document reports wide disparities between countries with regard to the implementation of the agreement and its real impact at company level.