Thomas J. Bukowski

Can safety culture be regulated? The National Transportation Safety Board recently hosted a forum to discuss what – if any – role the government can play in influencing a positive safety culture in the transportation industry.

After a prolonged legal battle, new limits on truck driver hours of service are now in effect. But some industry stakeholders, labor unions and transportation safety advocates continue to disagree on whether the new regulations will increase driver safety and health and how the trucking industry will be affected.

To help truck drivers be physically and mentally prepared for the demands of their jobs, the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration mandates a minimum number of hours drivers must sleep on days they drive. What these regulations cannot take into account, however, is whether drivers who have a sleeping disorder have actually achieved restful sleep before getting behind the wheel.

Personal protective equipment may be the best – or only – way to help protect cleanup workers against floodwater-related hazards.

Firmenich is the recipient of the 2012 Robert W. Campbell Award

Obese and severely obese workers tend to have more frequent and costlier injuries than normal-weight workers, but part of the responsibility rests on U.S. workplaces. S+H explores simple, inexpensive workplace changes companies can make to encourage workers to maintain a healthier weight.