Practical Facilities Tips, News & Advice.
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 […]
Repeated safety incidents are driving the healthcare worker burnout epidemic and threatening patient care across America. That’s according to a new report from Canopy, a safety platform provider that surveyed over 1,000 healthcare leaders and staff nationwide. The report found that more than one in four healthcare workers face safety incidents daily or weekly—a crisis […]
On February 4, the Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) released a new safety video on its investigation into the fatal combustible dust explosions and fires at the Didion Milling facility in Cambria, Wisconsin, on May 31, 2017. Five of the 19 employees working on the night of the incident were killed. The other 14 were […]
California has reported the country’s first positive hantavirus rodent detection of 2026, a stark reminder that this relatively rare but deadly disease remains an active threat. The disease gained renewed attention last year following the tragic death of Betsy Arakawa, wife of legendary actor Gene Hackman, from hantavirus pulmonary syndrome (HPS). “Rodent-borne diseases didn’t disappear after last year’s tragedy,” said […]
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 […]
Rising workplace violence, especially in healthcare and other client-facing sectors, points to a growing security challenge that demands facility managers’ attention. According to recent research from Verkada and The Harris Poll, 82% of healthcare workers want their employers to increase security measures, with 77% reporting no improvements in the past year. While strong security has […]
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 […]
Back to Basics is an article series that highlights important, but possibly overlooked, information facilities management professionals should know. The injury rate for workers in the warehousing and storage industry is 4.8 injuries per 100 workers, according to Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) data—higher than the average rate of 2.7 injuries per 100 workers for all U.S. […]
Editor’s note: FM Perspectives are industry op-eds. This piece was originally posted by sister publication EHSLeaders, which is hosting a webinar on workplace violence prevention on Dec. 8. Free registration is available here. Twenty-year-old Amber Czech, a welder at a manufacturing facility in Cokato, Minn., was recently killed at work. According to charges filed by the Wright County Attorney’s […]