Practical Facilities Tips, News & Advice.
Workplace safety programs have never been more sophisticated, yet when something actually goes wrong, many still fall short. Organizations have invested heavily in prevention, from training protocols to compliance systems. But when an incident actually happens, many are still unprepared for the most critical moment: the response. There’s a growing disconnect between the protections employers […]
Summer is approaching, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has renewed its Outdoor and Indoor Heat-Related Hazards National Emphasis Program (NEP) of outreach and enforcement. The new NEP replaces and updates a 2022 directive aimed at protecting workers from outdoor and indoor heat-related hazards, directing agency resources to where they can have the greatest impact […]
Back to Basics is an article series that highlights important, but possibly overlooked, information facilities management professionals should know. Many workplaces are staffed by workers with different employers—a host company, contractors, and staffing agencies. If you own or operate a facility, you have complete responsibility for the health and safety of your own employees and a […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) renewed the agency’s Outdoor and Indoor Heat-Related Hazards National Emphasis Program (NEP) on April 10. OSHA updated its 2022 NEP to protect workers from outdoor and indoor heat-related hazards, directing agency resources to where they can have the greatest impact by focusing inspections and outreach on industries and workplaces where […]
Contact with electricity or exposure to it remains one of the leading causes of workplace fatalities and injuries in the United States, according to an analysis recently released by the Electrical Safety Foundation International (ESFI). ESFI gathered data on fatal and non-fatal occupational electrical injuries from the Labor Department’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and Occupational Safety […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced on March 16 the launch of its “Safety Champions” Program, a new cooperative initiative designed to assist employers in developing and implementing effective safety and health programs. The Safety Champions Program encourages employers to take proactive steps, guided by a philosophy of continuous improvement, to prevent workplace […]
Building new data centers is a large, complex project involving numerous subcontractors and trades. There are also numerous hazards on a data center worksite, which can include falls from heights; heat stress; struck-by hazards; contact with equipment; caught-in hazards; electrical hazards, including arc flash, electric shock, and electrocution; respirable silica dust; occupational noise; and musculoskeletal […]
U.S. Steel Corp. faces $118,214 in Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) fines for seven serious violations and one other-than-serious violation related to an explosion at its Clairton Coke Works plant last August, the agency announced Feb. 18. OSHA investigators concluded that U.S. Steel and MPW Industrial Services Inc., the cleaning services contractor, exposed workers […]
Back to Basics is an article series that highlights important, but possibly overlooked, information facilities management professionals should know. Are you and your employees prepared for cold winter temperatures and extreme weather hazards? Even if your facility or worksites are outside the country’s “snow belt,” you need to be mindful of cold-weather hazards. Workers unaccustomed to […]
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has cited a fresh-cut vegetable processing company for willfully and repeatedly violating safety requirements after a worker was fatally injured while cleaning and sanitizing a machine, the agency announced Nov. 24. The agency initiated an inspection into Taylor Farms New Jersey Inc. after being notified of a fatality […]