Columns

The Appreciative Inquiry Index Offers Transformational Management Tool

peter.furst@gmail.com (Peter G. Furst) — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0400

To improve operational outcomes, businesses commonly focused on what was not working in order to “fix” them and so improve organizational results. The Appreciative Inquiry (AI) Model was influenced by numerous research studies of positive outcomes in the fields of sports, medicine, and behavior science.

Delphi Consensus Study: A Better Measure of Well-Being

dan.markiewicz@gmail.com (Dan Markiewicz MS, CIH, CSP, RMP) — Wed, 10 Jun 2026 00:00:00 -0400

The word “well-being” has helped to define industrial hygiene from its earliest days to the present. What does it mean today?

The Progression Problem: Why Safety Programs Stall and How to Move Workers Forward

Thu, 07 May 2026 09:00:00 -0400

The gap between awareness and action is not a training problem, but instead a culture problem. Culture problems always require a different set of tools than a refresher training course or a revised work procedure.

Study Worker Behavior to Implement Real Change, Optimize Efficiency

peter.furst@gmail.com (Peter G. Furst) — Tue, 05 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

In studying worker behavior as they go about performing their tasks, one may realize that the worker’s attitude was manifested in how they performed their work.

Deep Dive: Is AIHA’s ‘Looming Crisis’ Real?

dan.markiewicz@gmail.com (Dan Markiewicz MS, CIH, CSP, RMP) — Mon, 04 May 2026 00:00:00 -0400

AIHA is trying to help the OEHS community address a “looming” crisis. Among the organization’s 2026 Public Policy Priorities, the crisis concern is ranked third

The Journeys of Retired Safety Professionals: Stories and Advice

Wed, 22 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

A retired safety expert shares personal stories on how to remain active in the industry and have a meaningful life after full-time work.

How to Move Past Unconscious Biases to Improve Safety Performance

peter.furst@gmail.com (Peter G. Furst) — Fri, 17 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Research has shown that human judgment and decision-making are distorted by biases inherent to cognitive, motivational, and perceptual processes.

OSHA Wants to Build Relationships… How Many Businesses Want to Work With OSHA?

Thu, 16 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

The new OSHA Cares initiative is largely irrelevant, and likely won’t have many takers.

EHS Pros Should Have Ethical Duty to Understand All Laws Regarding Worker Safety

dan.markiewicz@gmail.com (Dan Markiewicz MS, CIH, CSP, RMP) — Wed, 15 Apr 2026 00:00:00 -0400

The Pregnant Workers Fairness Act final rule includes an industrial hygienist because an IH’s observations and skills are rooted at the workplace. IHs are trained to use the hierarchy of controls to achieve reasonable accommodation for pregnant workers.

Why Our Leading Indicator Programs Are Missing What Matters Most and What to Do About It

Wed, 25 Mar 2026 11:21:32 -0400

If you ask a group of EHS professionals whether they are getting quality, actionable data from their observation programs and BBS initiatives, a significant number will say no. But why?

Workplace Safety News: OSHA Inspections Drop; Fatal and Nonfatal Injuries at Longtime Low

Fri, 13 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Recent BLS data reveals fatal and nonfatal injuries have declined. Separately, OSHA inspections have dropped in 2025.

Improving Performance, Quality and Safety by Identifying Unconscious Biases in Operations

peter.furst@gmail.com (Peter G. Furst) — Thu, 12 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Everyone has biases which unconsciously influence our actions and/or perceptions and can be both positive and negative in nature. This invariably can manifest itself in any work performed by employees.

10 challenges confronting EHS pros in 2026

Wed, 11 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Will AI take my job? Does management really care about me? These questions can create difficult workplace cultures for safety and health programs to succeed.

The Industrial Hygiene Law Project Redux

dan.markiewicz@gmail.com (Dan Markiewicz MS, CIH, CSP, RMP) — Tue, 10 Mar 2026 00:00:00 -0400

Views of a “renegade” industrial hygiene faction believe that the AIHA is more than just an obstacle to the success of the PWFA.

To Futureproof Your Workforce, Start Taking Safety Seriously

Wed, 04 Feb 2026 15:49:53 -0500

When small hazards fade into the environment, they stop being treated as signals that something needs to change.

ISHN’s most popular articles of 2025

Fri, 09 Jan 2026 09:00:00 -0500

OSHA, the Chemical Safety Board, NIOSH, and other federal agencies that deal with worker safety were under fire in 2025.

What Should You Do About Electromagnetic Fields in the Workplace?

dan.markiewicz@gmail.com (Dan Markiewicz MS, CIH, CSP, RMP) — Thu, 08 Jan 2026 09:00:00 -0500

EU’s EMF Directive requires employers to conduct and communicate risk assessments, especially for EMF sources measured above action levels.

Hidden Drivers of Safety Error Include Rationality, Which Affects Human Behavior

peter.furst@gmail.com (Peter G. Furst) — Wed, 07 Jan 2026 09:00:00 -0500

To truly understand why and how things happen in the way that they do, we need to have an inside perspective into a worker’s rationality principle.

Attacking the Mental Health Stigma as Never Before

Tue, 16 Dec 2025 09:19:59 -0500

The most positive development I’ve noticed in workplace safety and health: Mental health awareness and outreach have never been greater.

Implications of Employee Morale Significant for Safety Management

peter.furst@gmail.com (Peter G. Furst) — Mon, 15 Dec 2025 09:00:00 -0500

When the workforce feels that they can trust the people they work with and for and that they are treated fairly by management, they tend to think of the organization as a good place to work.

How Varied Perspectives Will Shape the Future of Workplace OHS Practices

dan.markiewicz@gmail.com (Dan Markiewicz MS, CIH, CSP, RMP) — Fri, 12 Dec 2025 09:00:00 -0500

The rise of intellectual diversity and controversial beliefs in the occupational health and safety community.

New Book Offers Blueprint for Lasting Safety Culture

Thu, 11 Dec 2025 09:00:00 -0500

Randy DeVaul, safety professional and industry veteran, says that for decades, the standard approach to workplace safety has been built on fear, punishment, and punitive compliance

Personal Liability for Your Negligence? Why OHS Pros Today Need a Legal Mindset

dan.markiewicz@gmail.com (Dan Markiewicz MS, CIH, CSP, RMP) — Wed, 03 Dec 2025 10:43:30 -0500

OHS pros that report through the safety and health department are mostly influenced by OSHA compliance. OHS pros that report to HR lean more to a workers’ compensation mindset. OHS pros that report through production are heavily influenced by costs and hierarchy of controls.

Closing the Ethylene Oxide Safety Gap: OSHA’s Outdated Rules are Threatening Worker Safety

Mon, 24 Nov 2025 09:00:00 -0500

Despite decades of research linking ethylene oxide exposure to life-threatening diseases, OSHA has not updated its workplace exposure limits since the early 1980s.

From Artificial to Digital: Intelligence Has Evolved

Wed, 05 Nov 2025 09:00:00 -0500

AI learns from us — our questions, our tone, our values. The quality of what it gives back depends on what we put in.

Is a Heart Attack Human Error?

Fri, 31 Oct 2025 09:46:46 -0400

Human error gets tossed around too freely, too broadly, especially in workplaces where there is no safety and health professional.

Ongoing Government Shutdown Puts Most OSHA Activities on Hold

Mon, 13 Oct 2025 10:15:00 -0400

The federal government shutdown went into effect October 1, 2025.

The Role Belief Plays in Risk Management

peter.furst@gmail.com (Peter G. Furst) — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 09:00:00 -0400

Several research studies have identified that workers (as well as management) have different perspectives on risk and the potential negative resulting outcomes from exposure to them.

Professional Growth: Occupational Safety or IH?

dan.markiewicz@gmail.com (Dan Markiewicz MS, CIH, CSP, RMP) — Tue, 07 Oct 2025 09:00:00 -0400

Occupational safety and industrial hygiene — which one should be emphasized for your professional growth in the coming years?

Safety is Uniquely Equipped to Address Mental Health & Suicide Prevention

Wed, 01 Oct 2025 11:56:52 -0400

Gone are the days when “mental health was someone else's department…”