Responses provided by Carol Hanover, Field Director, Risk Control, Travelers

In his mega-popular book Blink, Malcolm Gladwell centers his thesis on the claim that experts come to the point where “they just know.” They develop intuition, based on diligent practice. So experts get the answer without having to go through a step-by-step process of analysis.

A decade-old standard developed to help companies with risk management has been revised and adopted as a U.S. national standard. The new version reflects the evolution of risk management from a separate, departmentalized activity to an integrated management competency.

A work environment may not seem like a confined space at first glance, but the surprising truth is that confined spaces exist in many forms. They are found in nearly every industry. Without a doubt, confined spaces expose workers to very real dangers.

Foot injuries are among the most prevalent incidents in the workplace, with overexertion listed as the No. 11 most frequently reported injury, and slips and trips as the second. The effects are staggering.

As a leading source for education among occupational safety and health professionals, the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) has expanded its course offerings in online learning. The ASSE LearnEx program has two courses debuting in March that focus on risk assessment and the new global safety standard, ISO 45001.

After an audit at a small Pennsylvania manufacturer revealed some safety complacency cropping up in day-to-day operations, the company reached out to OSHA’s On-Site Consultation Program for assistance. The result: McGregor Industries Inc. has been free of recordable injuries since September 2015, is working to find new ways of reducing injuries and has been able to secure better insurance for individual jobsites. Dunmore-based McGregor Industries Inc. fabricates, delivers, and installs light structural and metal products for buildings, artistic projects, and anything requiring the shaping and finishing of metal.

T. Renee Anthony, PhD, CIH, CSP, FAIHA has been selected as the new editor in chief of the Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene (JOEH). Dr. Anthony, an associate professor in the Department of Occupational and Environmental Health, College of Public Health, University of Iowa, will take the reins January 1, 2018.

The European Union is being called upon to do more to address musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) - the most common work-related illness in Europe.