Every month the SafeStart website features news, advice and discussions of the biggest topics in human error and safety performance. Here’s a rundown of the most popular posts of 2015.
Top 10 Causes of Distracted Driving—and What They All Have in Common
By far our most popular post of the year, this list provides a telling look at what causes the majority of traffic fatalities. It’s easy to guess a few of the items on this list, like eating while driving and fiddling with the car radio. But the biggest driver (pardon the pun) on driving incidents is likely to surprise you—which could be why this post drew so many readers.
Don’t Turtle at the Thought of PPE
This write-up of Bullard’s Turtle Club provides a demonstration of the importance (and effectiveness) of PPE. It also shows why it’s so essential to deal with the human factors that affect PPE noncompliance. Whether someone joins the Turtle Club or sustains a serious injury hinges on whether they remember to wear their protective equipment—and this post provides a great overview of the issue.
Infographic on Slips, Trips and Falls
Earlier this year we launched our free guide on slips, trips and falls. At the same time, BLR’s EHS Daily Advisor rolled out an infographic that illustrates the major issues on the topic of slips, trips and falls. The data for the infographic was developed from a joint survey conducted by BLR and SafeStart. It’s the second survey the two companies have partnered on and the infographic’s popularity demonstrates just how widespread of a problem slips, trips and falls are.
5 Tips for an Effective Toolbox Talk
Many safety professionals find toolbox talks challenging. This discussion of ways to improve on toolbox talks was a hit in large part because its practical suggestions are easy to adopt regardless of the format of your safety talk. It also provides a good refresher for even the most polished presenters.
Forging Safety Success as One of America’s Safest Companies
Scot Forge is one of the greatest safety success stories in the last few years. The metal forging company won the America’s Safest Companies Award in 2014 and has sustained its safety performance through 2015. This post introduced a case study on Scot Forge and outlined some of the impressive improvements the company has seen since reinvigorating their safety program in 2010.
5 Ways to Use Safety Posters Effectively
Safety posters are a staple at many worksites. Their effectiveness varies greatly based on how and where they’re displayed, what’s on them, and a number of other factors. Because safety posters and signs can play a big role in your safety efforts, this post compiles a number of tips to make sure you’re getting the most of your safety displays.
Complacency: A Serious Problem
Not only did the safety industry get a new magazine this year in Safety Decisions, but that magazine began featuring SafeStart’s own Ray Prest. This post was the official announcement of Ray’s Beyond Compliance column, which provides his thoughts on how to look beyond the standard compliance measures to achieve safety success. With articles like “Giving Safety a Common Language” and “Complacency Deserves a Place on OSHA’s Top 10”, it’s safe to say that people are taking notice of Ray’s industry insights.
4 Major Sources of Danger for DIY Renovations
Your employees have access to PPE, up-to-date procedures and dedicated safety professionals when they’re at work. But when they go home all they have to rely on is their own safety skills. DIY renovations are one of the most obviously dangerous activities that happen off the job, and this collection of advice was a favorite for raising the profile of at-home hazards.