In this issue, we go over confined spaces and how to properly train workers to increase safety, discuss transportation safety, and learn how crowdsourcing safety data from non-industrial workplaces can improve safety practices for all.
You’ve probably heard confined space horror stories a million times. The person inside a confined space becomes unresponsive. Training all workers before they work in confined spaces is a must, but in reality not every job is performed under ideal conditions.
Since the COVID-19 vaccination was made available to the public in late 2020, the topic of vaccination has been widely discussed across the country including in the daily news, by governments and agencies, in the courts, in communities, and in the workplace. From the very beginning, federal, state, and local governments/agencies have engaged in campaigns to encourage vaccination; passed laws mandating vaccination in the workplace, public places, government buildings, and elsewhere; and incentivized vaccination. Indeed, President Biden’s Administration made COVID-19 vaccination a predominant part of its national strategy to combat the pandemic.
When a confined space is considered hazardous, the team must take several steps to comply with the latest regulations. Businesses and employers can easily overlook the dangers of confined spaces.
Today, there are approximately 1.2 million women employed in the US construction industry, according to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS). Women still account for only 11 percent of the construction industry overall, however.
What if we could crowdsource our EHS data? A prime example focuses on the safety successes of the U.S. airline industry - no commercial U.S. airline has experienced a fatal crash since 2009! Their safety strategy has been so effective that the healthcare industry, which currently experiences 250,000 unnecessary patient deaths a year in the U.S., is attempting to follow its protocols. So, what has helped the airline industry achieve such immense safety feats and how can EHS leaders in industries outside of the airline industry take a page out of their book?
Understanding macroeconomics is helpful as you advance in your OHS career. Macroeconomics is the big picture evaluation of how an economy works based upon numerous influences at the local, regional, and global levels.