Featured Videos

featured

Five Things to Know for an Effective Written Respiratory Program

June 18, 2020

Robin Regan, Contributor Whether you work in construction, chemical/pharmaceuticals, healthcare or confined spaces, the risk of exposure to respiratory hazards is inevitable. Just because it’s not always visible, protection against these hazards is more than a nuisance—exposure to dust, gases and vapors can lead to serious, life-threatening diseases. There is no “one-mask-fits-all” approach to respiratory…

Read More >>


An Overdue Update: Respirator Fit-Testing Methods

June 18, 2020

Barbara Nessinger, Editor-in-Chief Respirator fit-testing is a protocol used to evaluate sealing surface leakage of a specific, tight-fitting respirator while it is being worn. Individuals do not have to be issued the same respirator that they are fit-tested with, as long as they are issued a respirator that is the same make, model, style, size…

Read More >>


Protect Employees From Silica Exposure

June 18, 2020

Mark Stromme, Contributor Employees in general industry facilities can be exposed to respirable crystalline silica dust. This exposure occurs during the manufacture of brick, concrete blocks, stone countertops or ceramic products. It also happens when cutting or crushing stone. Industrial sand used in certain operations, such as foundry work and hydraulic fracturing, is also a…

Read More >>


How to Overcome Instincts to Improve Safety

June 18, 2020

No matter who you are or what you do, one major challenge that we all face is overcoming ingrained behaviors to change our actions. Sometimes, these ingrained behaviors make it difficult for us to remember to do something simple, like run an errand on the way home from work. Other times, our ingrained behaviors can…

Read More >>


Gas Detection in the Time of Coronavirus

June 3, 2020

Real-time gas detectors may not be able to detect COVID-19, but they are vital tools for many essential workers. Sanitizing instruments, plus the need to detect new chemicals in the workplace introduced by new sanitization techniques, are creating issues for many instrument users. Bob Henderson, Contributor Keeping workers safe from COVID-19 exposure includes ensuring any…

Read More >>


Best Practices for Employee Safety Amidst the COVID-19 Crisis

June 2, 2020

Elizabeth Cuneo, Contributing Editor The ongoing COVID-19 crisis affects all people and all businesses across the U.S. Because everyone is concerned about safety and health measures right now, it’s important to adopt the necessary safety measures to keep your facility and employees safe. According to OSHA, companies of all sizes should develop an infectious disease…

Read More >>


Prevent the Spread of COVID-19: How to Clean Safety Equipment

June 2, 2020

David Ivey, Contributor These are strange times, with the idea of worker safety now coming to include a whole new dimension of minimizing contact with others and limiting the spread of germs among work crews. This new reality and the many challenges brought on by the current health crisis force us to rethink how we…

Read More >>


Sampling Pump Innovations Make Compliance Sampling Easier

January 29, 2020

By Debbie Dietrich, Contributor In this new decade, health and safety professionals will continue to see advances in monitoring technologies, including connected worker devices, wearables and miniature sensors. Together, these just might revolutionize chemical exposure evaluation. Amidst these innovations lies the heart of air sampling for OSHA compliance: the personal sampling pump drawing air through…

Read More >>


Hear This

Hear This: Noise Conservation in the Workplace

January 29, 2020

By Barbara Nessinger, Editor-in-Chief Some 22 million workers are exposed to potentially damaging noise at work each year, according to OSHA’s most recent estimates. In fact, in 2018, U.S. businesses paid more than $1.5 million in penalties for not protecting workers from noise, with an additional $242 million in workers’ compensation paid out for hearing…

Read More >>


Respirators Stock Photo

Voluntary Use of Respirators: Making Sense of OSHA Regulations

January 29, 2020

By Travis Rhoden, Contributor It is not uncommon for employees to approach their supervisor or safety manager and ask about wearing a respirator, just because they will “feel more comfortable” doing the work. It is also not uncommon for the supervisor or safety manager to be unclear on whether to allow this type of voluntary use…

Read More >>