Melissa J. Ruminski

Even though so many COVID-19 symptoms are physical, the pandemic has pushed the topic of mental health further into the spotlight.

For many years, I was a member of the team at NSC headquarters. We took part in unannounced drills. We also responded to many real emergencies, and I heard a number of times from colleagues that having a trained team onsite made them feel safer.

After I attended my first Safety Congress & Expo, I understood why it looms so large within NSC. The event’s size and energy were like nothing I’d ever experienced at a trade show. And I’ve continued to feel that energy at each successive show.

As much as I’d like to be a hearty hiker or regard camping as something other than a nightmare, few of my encounters with wildlife have been positive.

June is National Safety Month. First announced in 1996, the annual observance encourages everyone “to help keep each other safe, from the workplace to anyplace.”

It was in the spring of 2020, typing from my kitchen table at the beginning of Illinois’ stay-at-home order, that I first invited you to fend off any feelings of COVID-19 pandemic-related isolation by spending some time each month with our "On the Safe Side" podcast hosts: S+H Associate Editors Barry Bottino, Kevin Druley and Alan Ferguson.

When I’m searching for the latest safety research, I sometimes find myself on websites that are in French, Japanese and other languages. And the Safety+Health website occasionally receives comments from Spanish-speaking readers.

To mark Women’s History Month, Safety+Health Associate Editor Barry Bottino has written about some of the safety issues experienced by today’s working women.

If you’re a back-page reader like I am, you’ll notice right away this month the kickoff of a new column. “On Research” will feature contributors to the Journal of Safety Research, which operates under the day-to-day direction of my National Safety Council colleague, JSR Managing Editor Katie Porretta.