June 2014, Safety+Health

Safety+Health

June 2014

Volume: 189

Edition: 6

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Communication tower safety

As the number of structures needing upgrades has increased, so have worker deaths

May 23, 2014

Thomas J. Bukowski

2 Comments

After 13 workers died at communication tower worksites in 2013 – more than the previous two years combined – OSHA and other stakeholders are taking a closer look at the safety of the industry.

FOUR KEYS TO SUCCESS

Effective safety committees

Are you tapping into workers’ knowledge?

May 23, 2014

Thomas J. Bukowski

4 Comments

What are the characteristics of an effective safety committee? Safety pros and other experts weigh in on creating and maintaining an engaged, productive and enthusiastic group.

HOW MUCH DOES AN INJURY COST?

The ROI of safety

Experts say money spent now results in savings down the line

May 23, 2014

Kyle W. Morrison

8 Comments

Various studies have shown that investing money in workplace safety improvements will result in greater savings down the line. Safety+Health looks at where injury costs come from.

AVOIDING DEPENDENCE

Workers and opioids

What employers and employees need to know about treatment choices

May 23, 2014

Ashley Johnson

No Comments

Opioid painkillers increasingly are being prescribed to treat chronic pain, and their use among injured workers may be dangerous if the drug is unwarranted or misused. What should employers and workers know to help encourage safe use of opioids?

FATIGUE AFFECTS REACTION TIME, MOTOR SKILLS

Sleepy and unsafe

Why aren't workers getting enough rest?

May 23, 2014

Thomas J. Bukowski

3 Comments

A poll by the National Sleep Foundation found that many transportation workers whose jobs demand high levels of alertness go to work without a good night’s sleep. What impact does sleepiness have on job safety, including the effects of cumulative lack of sleep, and how does this affect workers across all U.S. industries?

Editor's Note: Trying again

May 23, 2014

Melissa J. Ruminski

No Comments

Creating a Reader Panel is the topic of this month's Editor's Note.

Washington Update: OSHA hopes hearing will help create better silica rule

May 23, 2014

Kyle W. Morrison

No Comments

For nearly three weeks, OSHA listened to stakeholders’ concerns and input during a series of hearings on the agency’s proposed crystalline silica rule. The end result, the agency hopes, is a final rule that better protects workers from the potentially deadly dust.

State Spotlight: OSHA Region 5

A region-by-region look at injury statistics

May 23, 2014

Safety+Health takes a region-by-region look at injury statistics, this month with OSHA Region 5. Read a listing of the region's emphasis programs and fatality and injury counts by state.

Safety Leadership: Casting a safety shadow

June 1, 2014

Colin Duncan

No Comments

As safety leaders, we focus on helping our organizations become and stay safe. We strive to understand the exposures employees face and find ways of systematically reducing them. We pride ourselves on building cultures that won’t tolerate risk, and developing leaders who carry that mission forward every day.