The future of safety

How will the COVID-19 pandemic change the field of occupational safety and health?

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Cain

Chris Cain

Executive director
CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training


The pandemic is causing every OSH practitioner in the construction industry to focus on protecting worker health. While our industry tends to focus on PPE first, the Hierarchy of Controls is gaining traction, and engineering and administrative controls not seen on worksites previously are becoming the norm. Because we expect this hazard to be around for a long time, I believe an emphasis on health will continue. This increased attention also gives OSH practitioners more visibility within their companies, elevating the importance of the field.

OSH practitioners should take the opportunity to ensure that not only controls for COVID-19 are in place, but also persistent hazards like falls and silica are controlled. In addition, because industry and workplace hazards and stressors impact workers’ overall health and well-being, practitioners need to consider psychosocial and mental health risks and learn how to address them by identifying and helping management control these risks.

The pandemic is already creating permanent shifts in OSH training. Innovative methods of online learning, which were evolving pre-pandemic, are now rapidly being adopted. They will continue to grow with new technologies, likely becoming standard practice if shown to be effective.

 

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Karma
June 19, 2020
We need to be at the table. It was a completely new world for others while it is within my scope of training and experience.

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Karma
June 19, 2020
Your industry did a great job of working hard to make the PPE, particularly in the shifting sands of what is needed. Thank you!

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Sharon Hebert
July 1, 2020
I would think that training for safety professional would have been first to be educated and be free knowing that we were all laid off or cute in hours. Classes are being held at a enormous amount of money at this time of rescission. same on you for making this so hard on the front line safety professionals.

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Linda G rhodes
July 1, 2020
Totally agree and well said. Effective EHS requires strategy, though within many organizational cultures, EHS professionals are not empowered to contribute in that way. COVID-19 and other major challenges to businesses can, and hopefully will, drive long overdue adjustments to how EHS is positioned, supported and prepared to increase strategic value.

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Craig M. Gage, SMS
July 3, 2020
COVID-19 response has fundamentally changed the way many perceive safety. Prior to COVID-19 operational barriers to safe work practices were ubiquitous but when companies saw that they had to drive herculean efforts to get or keep their business open, everything changed. Today many, if not all business operators understand they can, and must do anything to provide a safe workplace for their employees.

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BENSON SAMUEL
July 19, 2020
Need to give more effective training to all employees about covid-19 guidelines

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Travis Armstrong
January 28, 2021
Do you believe that there is a future for someone trying to start up a Safety Consultant business