Dave Johnson

The December 5, 2011 issue of Time carries a lengthy article about anxiety. Here we go again with another reminder of how stressed-out our lives are.

Maybe it’s just me, but have you noticed how quiet things seem to be on the job safety and health front?

OK, they have not erected barricades in DC yet (other than the ones to prevent terrorist suicide bombings). But the partisan fighting is wicked and will only worsen as the 2012 election nears.

A Tuesday afternoon session at last week’s National Safety Congresss, very lightly attended, addressed a provocative topic:  “Society’s Expectations for a Company EHS Program.”

OSHA chief Dr. Michaels said this week at the National Safety Congress and Expo the long-awaited Global Harmonization System standard that will revise OSHA’s hazcom data sheets is now under review at the Office of Management and Budget.

OK, they have not erected barricades in DC yet. But the partisan fighting is wicked and will only worsen as the 2012 election nears.

We ended the Tuesday e-briefing from the National Safety Congress and Expo in Philadelphia with a reference to the current holy trinity of hot safety topics:  culture, leadership and engagement. Over the night (wonder what keeps editors up at nights?) we thought: where is the empirical evidence?