Loading ...March, 2007
Delivering on My Commitment to Safety
I’m still getting a lot of response from the article I wrote about a year ago describing the triple amputation incident involving a railroad worker that made me decide to become a safety professional. (Editor’s Note: For those who missed it on the first go-round, we recently re-ran the piece, [...]
What You Really Need to Know About Videos
I’ve taken a lot of flak for coming down so hard on Catherine’s attempt at video production. But the fact is that video safety training is serious business and those who think they can get into the video production field without a lot of effort are kidding themselves. I’ve seen (and repaired) dozens of amateur [...]
Managements Willingness to Listen to Front-Line Employees Makes All the Difference
Experience has taught me some valuable lessons. One of them is that the decision makers in any organization can make their workplace safer and save their companies money if they’d just do one simple thing: Listen to what the front line employees have to say.
A Sorry Situation
I work in a manufacturing company in Maine [...]
Are You Liable If Your Employees Do It
Today’s vehicles are loaded with state-of-the-art safety features. Today’s roadways are better lit and more safely engineered. But highway safety still boils down to the driver. And today’s drivers are a disaster. They’re driving with rage; they’re driving with cell phones attached to their ears. They’re also driving tired. In a [...]
Can Consulting Advance Your Career?
Dear SafetyXChange Members:
If you’ve been laid off from your job or left a job because it wasn’t the right position for you, you’re probably wondering what your next step should be. For many top-level executives, the next career move is into the world of consulting. But before you make that move, you need to consider [...]
The Impact of Corporate Culture on Safety Success, Part 2 of 2
“Safety culture” and its cousin, “corporate culture,” are terms that often get overused. And their meanings tend to be blurred. Nevertheless, the culture concept is not without merit. Corporate culture, as discussed last week, affects behavior within organizations. As such, it represents the vital underpinnings of a successful safety program. [...]
What You Need to Know: Part 2, The Part-Revolution Press
It is the employer’s responsibility to furnish and ensure the use of point of operation guards of mechanical power presses. The OSHA standard covers two types of presses: full-revolution presses and part-revolution presses. (Hydraulic presses are covered under a different standard.) Last week, we looked at the guarding required for full-revolution [...]
Little Breaches Carry Big Consequences
Have you ever violated a safety procedure or a regulatory requirement and tried to rationalize it afterward? You know the excuses:
“It’s no big deal.”
“It was necessary under the circumstances.”
And the always popular “It was only just this once.”
But no sooner do we sweep our own dirt under the rug then we express [...]
Are You Ready to Opt Out of the Corporate Rat Race?
Dear SafetyXChange Members:
Many of today’s managers are voluntarily leaving corporate positions for more flexible work options. They’re defining success on their own terms and choosing to opt out of the 7 AM to 9 PM rat race. The successful career is no longer defined in terms of working for a single [...]
How to Make the Most of Videos
The word “video” is Latin for “I see.” It’s a fitting description of the medium. While traditional safety training appeals to the ears, video targets the eyes. Visual messages pack a greater punch than audio messages, especially in an electronic era. Thus, the use of video enables safety trainers to bring workplace hazards and other [...]
