A major session at the NSC was introduced by OSHA chief Doug Parker, moderated by NIOSH director Dr John Howard, and had six panelists. The subject? Diversity, equity and inclusion, better known these days as DEI.

Workplace violence is on the rise, yet nearly half of U.S. employers report they are unprepared to prevent and respond to incidents on the job.

How many employees have died, or been seriously incapacitated, trying to rescue a co-worker in a toxic confined space? Without training and awareness, impulses and human nature can take over. 

OSHA is old news at this point, especially for companies with mature safety and health programs. For many companies with full-time professionals it is a time of looking inward, internally within the organization.

Who is more empathetic e.g., better able to recognize pain in a person’s face, a professional industrial hygienist, or a professional historian? A person’s empathy capacity may be partly determined by Empathy Quotient (EQ) scores.

Many unhealthy behaviors that require change (smoking, alcohol, addiction) often contribute to negative health outcomes and common diseases. The Behavioral Change Transtheoretical Model has been used for years to assist individuals in recognizing a behavior and then taking action to change it.  

Critics argue diversity, equity and inclusion and associated values and programs are simply superficial, trendy attempts to look good. Nothing more than social issues greenwashing. But the more I researched into diversity in the business world, the more I realized there’s nothing trendy or new about it.

The best safety cultures come when everyone involved takes ownership and is empowered to develop, communicate and use the safest work practices. The proverbial “winning hearts and minds” is a concept that is supposed to make team members want to be safe. But, how does someone win hearts and minds?

25 interns traveled to Magid’s headquarters in Romeoville for a day filled with networking, a career fair, a tour of the facility, and other educational learning opportunities.

ISHN interviewed former ASSP President Mark Hansen at the Safety 2022 conference in Chicago, and Mark highly recommends reading the book, “Deep Work,” by Cal Newport and published in 2017.
 “Deep Work” does not directly address workplace safety, but its application is obvious.