The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) released a research agenda for critical issues involved in the COVID-19 pandemic. Future research should focus on essential workers involved in critical continuity functions in the United States, according to NIOSH.

Vaccines have been rolling out, but COVID-19 is still a threat. As industrial facilities push through what is hopefully the final stretch of the pandemic, they need to remain cautious. It’s perhaps more crucial than ever to minimize worker exposure to COVID-19.

Of the more than 300 employers who have accrued safety penalties during the coronavirus pandemic, only about one-third have paid, according to an investigation by Reuters.

Each month, Examinetics gathers three or four safety professionals and asks them to share their thoughts on what is happening in the world of EHS. The panelists come from various types of companies and industries, and from diverse safety backgrounds and roles. As we start a new year, the panelists looked back and reflected on what we learned. Below are eight takeaways we have learned from a year of hosting safety roundtables.

As directed by President Joseph Biden’s Executive Order issued on January 21, 2021 requiring the Federal Government to take swift action to protect workers from the COVID-19 pandemic, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has released updated guidance on how to prevent exposure and the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace.

On January 21, 2021, in an effort to provide enforcement of more stringent worker safety standards, President Biden issued an Executive Order (‘EO”) on Protecting Worker Health and Safety. 

Meatpacking workers and their employers are pushing to the front of the line for coronavirus vaccinations as state governments roll out their distribution plans to combat the pandemic, according to Bloomberg Law.

The manufacturing industry presents a lot of high-risk scenarios within day-to-day operations, from lone-worker safety concerns to the risks associated with operating heavy equipment. Now that the COVID-19 pandemic has changed how nearly every industry operates, there are even more safety concerns to consider.

Friday, March 13, 2020 is often viewed as the day America began to feel the impact of COVID-19. The following week, businesses throughout the country either transitioned to remote work or had to reckon with how to operate in a different manner while trying to protect workers from exposure to the virus.

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times.” Charles Dickens wrote those words more than 160 years ago, but they ring true today as we seek to protect workers in the wake of the pandemic.