The SafeStart blog was filled with plenty of insight, tips and expert advice in 2016. Here are some of the most popular posts from the past year.
Most Common Safety Pain Points
There’s no shortage of challenges faced by health and safety managers. After speaking with thousands of safety professionals, we’ve discovered that though the problems may seem endless, most of them are variations on six major issues. From recurring injuries to a lack of safety engagement, it’s worth it to take the time to discover more about what causes the big six safety problems and what you can do about them.
12 Signs of Management’s Commitment to Safety
As a SafeStart consultant, Rhonda Piggee has visited countless worksites. She’s developed a finely honed ability to determine how committed management is to safety. In this post, she shares the twelve signs she looks for to identify how a company’s leaders truly feel about safety
Why You Should Start Clocking Employees’ Stretch Breaks
When SafeStart released its guide on preventing back injuries in February, one of the insights it offered is that not all stretch breaks are equal. As the guide points out, “How you rest your back plays an important role in overall back health. Sitting down and doing nothing while resting could do more harm than good.”
Active breaks are important but they’re only useful if they actually happen. As this blog post notes, scheduling and tracking the frequency and duration of stretch breaks is an effective way to get workers to stretch regularly and to ensure long-term back health throughout the workforce.
3 Indirect Costs of Lost-Time Injuries
The direct costs of workplace injuries are fairly obvious. As the NSC’s Injury Facts document, the medical costs of an injured employee can add up to tens of thousands of dollars. But those costs are only the tip of the iceberg. There are numerous indirect effects of an injury, like reduced productivity and added workplace stress. The costs of these issues may not be immediately apparent, but they can be just as (or more) expensive than the initial costs incurred when someone gets hurt on the job.
Why It’s So Difficult to Recognize Fatigue
Fatigue is an occupational hazard that often gets overlooked. As this blog post notes, the human brain gets worse at identifying fatigue as it gets more tired. This creates a deadly loop in which our risk level increase as a result of fatigue at the same time as our ability to recognize the problem in the moment decreases. The post goes on to outline what can be done to avoid problems created by fatigue.
11 Distracted Driving Awareness PSAs
Everyone knows distracted driving is a serious issue. With so many people struggling to find a solution, we created a guide for distracted driving in the workplace (and elsewhere). And even though not everyone has a comprehensive solution, the efforts to raise awareness of the problem get more creative each year. This blog post gathers 11 of the best distracted driving ads and public services announcements in one spot.
3 Causes of FR Noncompliance
Flame-resistant workwear is an essential part of workplace safety for many employees. But like with other types of PPE, FR can only provide protection when it’s worn. There’s a lot that can influence whether flame-resistance clothing gets used when it’s needed most, from the way it fits and looks to providing training on its proper use. Less obvious issues like human factors also contribute to the use of FR gear and other protective equipment.
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