What's Going on in Safety: Dave Johnson

How to Tell When a Co-Worker is Impaired? A Safety Pro’s Challenge

Mon, 11 May 2026 13:29:26 -0400

Mike works in a large consumer goods warehouse, driving a forklift. For the past week or two he hasn’t been himself. Coworkers have noticed the change.

Are Safety Jobs Safe from an AI Takeover?

Fri, 01 May 2026 17:13:35 -0400

Unless you’ve been living under a rock, you know there is widespread apprehension about AI taking away thousands and thousands, if not millions, of jobs — whole categories of jobs.

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.

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.

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.

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…”

10 Current EHS Issues with Significant Impact

Wed, 10 Sep 2025 00:00:00 -0400

The years leading up to the 2028 presidential election will be marked by unpredictable national and local politics. Stay tuned to these safety issues.

Profits v. People – Safety First, Really?

Wed, 03 Sep 2025 10:00:00 -0400

Hazards you can feel but not see don’t hold a high status in most workplaces.

Hello Summer: Today I Risked Heat Stress Complacency

Mon, 21 Jul 2025 12:00:00 -0400

About 3,389 suffer from heat illnesses, such as heat cramps, heat exhaustion and heatstroke every year, according to the BLS.

OSHA Rolls on While NIOSH Fights to Survive: Here’s the Difference

Mon, 02 Jun 2025 11:12:25 -0400

OSHA is currently faring surprisingly well in a GOP-led anti-regulatory environment.

Are Safety and Health Pros Disruptors?

Thu, 01 May 2025 13:28:51 -0400

Sometimes safety and health pros don’t know whether they are being disruptors or not.

Will OSHA Survive? The Agency Has Never Faced Times Like These

Fri, 14 Mar 2025 11:03:58 -0400

Can OSHA, never beloved by many businesses, survive this onslaught?

Mental Health At Work: The Stigma Still Sticks

Fri, 14 Feb 2025 13:40:13 -0500

Awareness and support are increasing, but stereotypes surrounding mental health and wellness stubbornly persist.

The New Normal: Changing Times Call for New EHS Mindsets, Practices and Priorities

Fri, 27 Dec 2024 09:00:00 -0500

As we end 2024, let’s take stock of how the EHS field is evolving. First, we’ll view the landscape from 30,000 feet, the perch from which journalists often identify and analyze issues and trends — the new norms.

'I don’t care about looking weird': Young adults see dangers of hearing loss, need for PPE

Tue, 12 Nov 2024 11:36:35 -0500

A new study by NIOSH reports that more than half (53%) of the workers don’t use hearing protection “always” or “usually” when encountering dangerous noise levels.

Risk management challenges: Safety is in the eye of the beholder

Thu, 17 Oct 2024 12:00:00 -0400

Safety debates surrounding hiking risks run parallel to opinions on workplace safety.

PPE hang-ups in the NFL

Tue, 24 Sep 2024 11:00:00 -0400

Former NFL players stand about twice the risk as the general population to suffer from early-onset Alzheimer's, ALS, Parkinson's or dementia.

Children working dangerous jobs — let parents decide?

Tue, 10 Sep 2024 14:06:26 -0400

“Let families decide” is the only reform of the DOL chapter in Project 2025 - a controversial Republican blueprint - specifically referencing job safety. This article is about youth safety, not politics. What do you think?

Will the most vulnerable workers benefit from AI?

Thu, 25 Jul 2024 16:00:00 -0400

How many years will it take for AI applications to trickle down to small contractors? The odds are the OSH benefits will not be equitably distributed.

Do you really want to call your employee complacent?

Thu, 13 Jun 2024 09:00:00 -0400

Complacency exists in workplace safety, but is it the right accusation?

Converging causes contribute to most incidents

Mon, 13 May 2024 14:14:44 -0400

How many times in workplaces are new employees rushed into jobs to fill vacancies or meet high demands or deadlines?

Pros are teachers and employees are kids — NOT!

Thu, 11 Apr 2024 12:50:09 -0400

Safety and health pros have been known as teachers, among many roles, for decades and decades. But it’s a touchy subject and the role doesn’t get the attention it serves. Why?

AI can trigger psychological side effects

Thu, 14 Mar 2024 12:14:09 -0400

Many environmental health and safety professionals are leaning into the new technology and learning as much as they can about both AI’s potential positive and negative consequences in the EHS field.

EHS performance checklist: How does your program measure up to best practices?

Thu, 08 Feb 2024 13:35:34 -0500

Almost 70% of safety pros work for corporations with deep pockets, revenues in the billions, resources that run wide and deep, with often large EHS staffs.

How many companies are psychologically safe?

Thu, 11 Jan 2024 11:11:45 -0500

Another way of feeling safe on your job is in terms of psychological safety. This is mental and emotional safety. Do you feel it’s safe for you to put it out there — opinions and ideas?

How safety pros consume information in 2023

Thu, 16 Nov 2023 10:36:15 -0500

As younger, tech-savvy generations take hold of more safety and health positions (Gen X , Gen Y and Gen Z) it’s inevitable information consumption will increase for all digital products.

Top leaders are investing in physical & mental wellness

Sat, 21 Oct 2023 22:44:48 -0400

Behind the hype, how many firms are in the wellness/well-being game, and what are they offering employees?

You know your workers – push for their wellbeing

Thu, 21 Sep 2023 11:57:37 -0400

In my small sampling of safety-related surveys, let’s see what’s happening on the frontlines of the wellbeing movement. I'm struck by the gap between employees and employers.

Heat kills... but it doesn’t have to be that way

Thu, 10 Aug 2023 12:44:06 -0400

It doesn’t have to be this tragic — both indoors and outdoors when temperatures reach dangerous, extreme levels. Preventive measures are found all over the internet. But heat prevention practices, in reality, are not always easily practiced, if attempted at all.

A deep sea implosion rocks the safety world

Wed, 19 Jul 2023 10:56:11 -0400

OceanGate CEO trashes safety, but in doing so, promotes its mission: “You know, there’s a limit. At some point safety is just pure waste. I mean, if you just want to be safe, don’t get out of bed, don’t get in your car, don’t do anything.”