Loading ...July, 2008
Managing Generation Y, Part 2 of 4
Kids these days. They waste time chatting with co-workers. They show up for their shift in shorts and T-shirts. And they take the afternoon off to go skiing. You just can’t rely on them. But as the Baby Boomers retire and with too few Generation X workers to fill the void, this is the staffing [...]
Showing the Losses Insurance Doesn’t Cover
Most senior officers realize that accidents cost money; but few understand just how much. One reason so many underestimate the cost of accidents is that they assume that insurance covers all losses. A worker gets hurt? No problem, they think. Workers’ compensation will pay for the medical bills and cover the worker’s wages during recovery. [...]
Sharing Responsibility for Indoor Air Quality, Part 3 of 3
Problems with the HVAC system can lead to poor indoor air quality (IAQ). Sometimes the problems stem from inadequate HVAC design. Sometimes it’s due to factors, such as maintenance of the HVAC system and the amount of outside air being mechanically brought into the building, that are solely in the control of building management. In [...]
CSA Standard and Liability for Infections During Hospital Construction
Infection control is an important topic. If you’ve ever done work as a contractor inside a healthcare setting, such as a renovation, you no doubt had to take infection control precautions. And now there’s a new Canadian voluntary standard for infection control.
CSA-Z317.13-07
For all of you American and other international readers, in Canada we have something [...]
Relocation: Will Employers Pay for Home Sale Losses?
There’s an understanding that employers will pay at least some of the moving expenses of employees who are hired or transferred from a distant place. But the current decline in home values has made relocation much more difficult. If selling your home is a barrier to relocation, can and should you ask your employer for [...]
Understanding and Managing Gen Y, Part 1 of 4
Despite increasing unemployment, “an increasing number of Americans see no virtue in holding jobs that they consider menial or unpleasant. . . young adults are particularly choosy.” So writes Donald Morrison in his article Is the Work Ethic Going Out of Style? Morrison shares tips on how one employer is accommodating this new work ethic [...]
RTW and Nonstandard Work Schedules, Part 3 of 3
Authors of a recent Journal of Occupational Rehabilitation (JOR) study have concluded that RTW outcomes differ significantly when the worker returning from injury works a nonstandard schedule. Let’s finish this series by discussing the implications of this finding.
The Impact of Nonstandard Schedules on RTW
According to the JOR study, injured workers who work any type [...]
You and Your HVAC System, Part 2 of 3
Editor’s Note: Part 1 of this series was published on June 17,2008. In case you missed it, read it here.
In Part 1 of this series, we looked at how key pollutants may be affecting the quality of air in your workplace and how poor indoor air quality (IAQ) affects the health of your employees. [...]
Defanging the D Word, Part 3 of 3
“It is axiomatic that even if people disagree with your convictions, they admire you for sticking up for them.”
–John MacArthur
Why are companies so afraid to discipline workers? One possible explanation is that they want to be the worker’s friend. Well, guess what? If you got into safety because of the friends you thought you’d make, [...]
Breaking the Cycle of Risky Behavior, Part 2 of 2
Last week, we discussed how external factors like fatigue, frustration and pressure can break down safety training and habits and cause us to engage in risky behaviors. What’s needed, we concluded, is a triggering mechanism that causes us to recognize that we’re losing our self-control and pull back before we get hurt. This capacity is [...]
