California considers ranking heat waves after investigation of extreme heat deaths |
California could become the first state in the nation to adopt a ranking system for heat waves, much the way meteorologists categorize hurricanes. Legislation announced by state Insurance Commissioner Ricardo Lara would create a system to warn communities of potentially deadly heat and encourage |
OSHA’s vaccine mandate could be headed to the Supreme Court
The fight over the judicial stay of OSHA’s Covid-19 shot-or-test rule, which the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fifth Circuit issued Nov. 6, could be “the whole ballgame, from a practical standpoint,” said Sean Marotta, an appellate attorney at Hogan Lovells. He …
By Dave Johnson, Phylmar Group newsletter editor
Not one person on an expert panel of six global safety and health professionals could come up with an example of a company that made a significant positive pivot in safety and health performance based on a leading indicator, according to a July, 2021, article in Industrial Health …
By Dave Johnson, Phylmar newsletter editor
Planning for 2022? For many workplaces, preventing heat illness will be top of mind. Scorching heat waves and wildfires of 2021 are one reason. Media coverage of heat-related work injuries and deaths is another, particularly warehouse conditions. The weight of the White House is another. On September 20…
Artificial intelligence used to address well-being and health
A study by Oracle has revealed that nearly 84 percent of employees have experienced more anxiety and/or stress at work than any year previously. A recent report by WTW showed that focus on well-being and health is a top priority for human resource managers, especially after the …
Five leadership approaches to sustainability
There are five C-Suite personas when it comes to sustainability action, according to Rajeev Peshawaria, CEO of Stewardship Asia Center (SAC) Singapore, and Founder President of the Leadership Energy Consulting Company, Seattle WA.
Steward Leaders:
- Fully understand what’s at stake, and strongly believe it is their responsibility to address
EPA strengthens new chemical safety reviews
The EPA Office of Chemical Safety and Pollution Prevention (OCSPP) announced on October 14, 2021, action to strengthen new chemical safety reviews.
OCSPP’s New Chemicals Division (NCD) has engaged in a top-to-bottom effort to catalogue, prioritize, and improve its standard operating procedures (SOP), decision making, and recordkeeping practices related …
Wildfire smoke harms more people in the Eastern U.S. than West, study shows
On July 20, a haze blanketed the sky across the eastern half of the United States. People from Washington to New York snapped pictures of the abnormal hues — only to learn that the cause originated from wildfires nearly 3,000 miles away.…
OSHA issues 2021 Top 10 Most Frequently Cited Standards
OSHA has announced its preliminary Top 10 most frequently cited workplace safety standards for fiscal year 2021.
The Top 10 most frequently cited workplace safety standards for FY 2021 are:
1. Fall Protection – General Requirements (1926.501): 5,295 violations
2. Respiratory Protection (1910.134): 2,527
3. Ladders …
Cal/OSHA can issue citations for two new categories of violations
A new law (SB 606) significantly expands the enforcement power of Cal/OSHA by creating two new violation categories: “enterprise-wide” violations and “egregious” violations.
Enterprise-Wide Violation:
This bill creates a rebuttable presumption that a violation committed by an employer with multiple worksites is “enterprise-wide” if Cal/OSHA …