Powered by iReportSource Frank King, nationally-known suicide prevention and postvention speaker and trainer, was a writer for The Tonight Show for 20 years, is a corporate comedian, syndicated humor columnist, and podcast personality, who was featured on CNN’s Business Unusual. Depression and suicide run his family. He’s thought about killing himself more times than he can count. He’s fought a lifetime battle with depression, and thoughts of ending his life, turning that long dark journey of th...
Aug 29, 2019•50 min•Ep. 72
Powered by iReportSource Catch this on-location interview with VPPPA Chairman of the Board Mr. J.A. Rodriguez Jr. and Mr. Terry Schulte - VPP Director at NuStar. We talk about what the VPP framework can do for non-VPP participants and how VPPPA can help them solve even the most basic safety compliance challenges. You can find me on LinkedIn! Post a LinkedIn update letting me know what you think of the podcast. Be sure to @ mention Blaine J. Hoffmann or The SafetyPro Podcast LinkedIn page. You ca...
Aug 28, 2019•51 min•Ep. 71
Powered by iReportSource What’s the difference between personal/occupational safety and process safety? Wesley Carter from the Amplify Your Process Safety podcast will get into this and more on this special episode recorded on location at the VPPPA National Safety Symposium in New Orleans. Find out more about Wesley and Amplify Consultants by checking out the Amplify Your Process Safety Podcast wherever you listen to podcasts or by visiting www.amplifyconsultants.com . Join me in New Orleans for...
Aug 27, 2019•34 min•Ep. 70
Don't Miss this Free, On-Demand Webinar Powered by iReportSource Complacency is a state of mind where a worker is out of touch with the hazards and risks around them. It can show up in a number of ways: over-confidence, lack of care, mindlessness, actual physical signs, a rushed approach to the work, frustration, fatigue, your mind not being totally on-task, cutting corners…the list goes on and on. Complacency is one of the most problematic mindsets that can contribute to injuries and incidents ...
Aug 19, 2019•7 min
Powered by iReportSource OSHA requires that employees who are or may be exposed to toxic substances or harmful physical agents be given access to their medical and exposure records. Further, OSHA requires that such records be maintained for a long period of time because often the symptoms of the illnesses that come from the exposure don’t appear until many years later. OSHA’s requirement to maintain medical and exposure records applies to all employers who have employees exposed to toxic substan...
Aug 13, 2019•25 min•Ep. 69
Fundamentals of Total Worker Health Keeping workers safe is the foundation upon which a TWH approach is built. To tal Worker Health integrates health protection efforts with a broad spectrum of interventions to improve worker health and well-being. The Fundamentals of Total Worker Health Approaches is the practical starting point for employers, workers, labor representatives, and other professionals interested in implementing workplace safety and health programs aligned with the Total Worker Hea...
Jul 19, 2019•43 min•Ep. 68
Powered by iReportSource In this episode, I interviewed by Mr. Nick Lamparelli, the host of Profiles in Risk Podcast . We talk about general liability and risk management - something we don't touch on enough on the SafetyPro Podcast. We discuss my work with iReportSource and managed workflows for incident investigations. I want to dedicate this episode to the incredible development team over at iReportSource for all the hard work that goes into building an incredible service that safety pros can...
Jun 29, 2019•55 min•Ep. 67
Powered by iReportSource Responsible employers know that the primary goal of a safety and health program is to prevent workplace injuries, illnesses, and deaths, as well as the suffering and financial hardship these events can cause for workers, their families, and their employers. Employers may find that implementing these recommended practices brings other benefits as well. The renewed or enhanced commitment to safety and health and the cooperative atmosphere between employers and workers is l...
May 31, 2019•1 hr•Ep. 66
Join the Community of Safety Pros today! Join the Community of Safety Pros today! Fatigue and its safety implications are an important topic that likely impacts every single industry. According to the National Safety Council , when people don’t get the sleep they need, they aren’t able to physically or mentally function at optimal levels - routine tasks feel more demanding. Reaction times slow. People become more forgetful, make poor decisions, and don’t communicate or coordinate well with their...
May 07, 2019•55 min•Ep. 65
Powered by iReportSource ANNOUNCEMENT: Visit VPPPA to register for the National Symposium and join me as I podcast on location! Listen to this episode for some details. Let me know what you think. Send an email to info@thesafetypropodcast.com and share with me your thoughts about VPP or the VPPPA. Please tell a friend or colleague about the podcast. It would mean the WORLD to me! You can also find me on LinkedIn! Post a LinkedIn update letting me know what you think of the podcast. Be sure to @ ...
Apr 10, 2019•7 min•Ep. 65
Powered by iReportSource In this announcement, I reveal a new strategic partnership that strengthens the high quality, actionable safety info you have come to expect from this podcast! I am excited to make this announcement.
Apr 10, 2019•4 min•Ep. 65
Powered by iReportSource Every day, thousands of lives are lost due to work accidents or fatal diseases linked to work activities. These are deaths that could and should have been prevented and must be in the future. Whether you are an employee, a manager or a business owner, you share a common goal – you don’t want anyone to get hurt on the job. Improved productivity stems from ensuring people operate in workplaces that provide transparency and build trust throughout their operation and supply ...
Mar 13, 2019•24 min•Ep. 64
Powered by iReportSource NIOSH developed the Dampness and Mold Assessment Tool for both general buildingsCdc-pdf and schoolsCdc-pdf to help employers identify and assess areas of dampness in buildings. “Implementing regular visual inspections for dampness can help to identify trouble areas before they become major problems and help to prioritize maintenance and repair,” said David Weissman, M.D., director of NIOSH’s Respiratory Health Division. “The Dampness and Mold Assessment Tools provide an ...
Mar 04, 2019•23 min•Ep. 63
Powered by iReportSource Safety Inspection or Safety Audit? This issue has come up before, and I want to tackle it in this episode. So some coaching is going on in this episode. First, let’s get the definitions out of the way: Inspection: Physical checks for acceptable conditions conducted at the direction of regulatory requirements, guidelines, policies, procedures, etc. outlined in your overall safety manual or as a part of a safety management system. Audit: An independent review of the effect...
Mar 01, 2019•27 min•Ep. 62
Powered by iReportSource How Do I Get The Most Out of My Safety Conference Attendance? A professional safety conference always best treated as a learning experience. Your company is probably footing the bill, and so you may be tempted to handle your next safety conference as a paid vacation. Don’t do that, as you’ll be missing one of the most significant growth opportunities in this field and your career. Here, I’ve included four simple tips to get the very most out of your attendance in a safet...
Feb 27, 2019•19 min•Ep. 61
Powered by iReportSource Every safety leader wakes up each morning looking to avoid any accidents. And, each day, you want to take steps to improve your culture of safety. That’s no easy task, which is part of why an analytics dashboard is so helpful in giving you the information you need to do just that. Listen to this episode to get a quick introduction into 4 ways you can use data to improve your safety culture. Use data to drive shared accountability A great scorecard tells a story of what’s...
Feb 17, 2019•21 min•Ep. 60
Join the Community of Safety Pros today! Join the Community of Safety Pros today! Does your company help develop employees through coaching? Not to be confused with training, or even consulting, coaching is a much more collaborative process that helps to bring out someone’s best work. Two-thirds of employees cite that coaching improved their performance within their company and also improved their satisfaction (1). Coaching sessions can include open-ended questions and discussion on personal and...
Feb 12, 2019•39 min•Ep. 59
Powered by iReportSource Each year, you want to do all you can to protect the health and safety of your workers. You know that those investments pay off. After all, the average return on safety investment is as much as $4.41 for every dollar that’s been spent. But how do you prioritize your safety and health investments? Depending on the resources you have available this year and beyond, here are four areas to invest in: 1. Safety performance indicators It’s so essential for any business to be a...
Feb 04, 2019•33 min•Ep. 58
Join the Community of Safety Pros today! Join the Community of Safety Pros today! What are some of the top mistakes employers make when it comes to OSHA recordkeeping? (article link HERE ) Even with good intentions, here are some of the top mistakes that can happen, resulting in major headaches and even citations: Not understanding what an OSHA-recordable work restriction is Not using enough detail in records Not using a system to track employees’ days away from work and other events Not keeping...
Feb 04, 2019•29 min•Ep. 57
Powered by iReportSource Findings from a survey conducted by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) show that precautionary measures to minimize worker exposure to high-level disinfectants (HLDs) are not always used. The study results were recently published in the journal Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology. The recent release is one of a series of reports detailing results from the 2011 Health and Safety Practices Survey of Healthcare Workers, the largest fed...
Jan 27, 2019•31 min•Ep. 56
Powered by iReportSource How would you like an OSHA inspector to launch a drone over top your job site or building, looking for hazards and violations? Perhaps workers on the roof, forklift operators in the yard, cell tower workers on a mountain - an OSHA inspector could see it all without even stepping foot on your property. It's not as far-fetched as it may sound. OSHA has authorized the use of drones by certain inspectors to collect evidence during inspections in certain workplace settings. B...
Jan 12, 2019•22 min•Ep. 55
Powered by iReportSource Have you ever struggled to make your safety processes mesh with other existing business processes, like quality or maintenance? By using lean principles and tools it can be easy to do just that. Stop trying to convert workers and take the work to them, in terms/tools they are comfortable using. This can be as simple as using a layered audit approach - piggyback off another inspection that is done frequently. Or leveraging existing operator checks, sprinkling safety-relat...
Dec 23, 2018•36 min•Ep. 54
Powered by iReportSource In this episode, I will talk about preparing for an OSHA inspection and how to best handle the event should one occur. Here, my focus will be what to do up-front, and should a compliance safety and health officer (CSHO) arrive at your facility, what to expect and what you should have ready to make it go smoother. I will also talk briefly about how to handle any alleged violation and potential citations that come your way. Let’s first get some definitions out of the way: ...
Dec 05, 2018•47 min•Ep. 53
Powered by iReportSource OSHA has changed course in its view of employers' post-incident drug testing programs and injury rate-based incentive programs. In a Memorandum to Regional Administrators and State Designees published October 11, the Agency now says most of these types of programs do not run afoul of the anti-retaliation provisions of the injury and illness recordkeeping regulation at §1904.35(b)(1)(iv). This is a massive shift in policy guidance from that published when the Agency issue...
Nov 20, 2018•25 min•Ep. 52
Powered by iReportSource With proper safety training and an air-tight safety program in your workplace, you won’t have to write too many incident reports. However, sometimes, things slip through the cracks, and it results in an incident or near-miss. When this happens, it’s not only mandated by OSHA to report it, but it can be imperative in future prevention of similar events. The best way to go about reporting an incident is to fill out an incident report. The following steps will help you to w...
Nov 15, 2018•25 min•Ep. 51
Powered by iReportSource OSHA's Safety-Related Work Practices standards for general industry are performance-oriented requirements that complement the existing electrical installation standards. These work-practice standard include requirements for work performed on or near exposed energized and de-energized parts of electric equipment; use of electrical protective equipment; and the safe use of electric equipment. These rules are intended to protect employees from the electrical hazards that th...
Oct 09, 2018•27 min•Ep. 50
Mentioned in this episode: www.whosonlocation.com www.mightylinetape.com/podcast http://bit.ly/KPIWhitePaper How do you measure safety in your workplace to enhance performance and reduce employee downtime? There are several tested methods that Environmental, Health, and Safety (EHS) leaders use to reduce employee incidents and illnesses. Among the leading methods, which the Gensuite white paper discusses, are Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)–or leading and lagging indicators. Leading indicators...
Sep 30, 2018•41 min•Ep. 49
In this takeover podcast episode, I visited the offices of Gensuite to talk about wearable tech and the impact it has on safety. Hit the links in these show notes for more info on the cloud-based EHS software solutions Gensuite can provide for your business. Join the over 600,000 users that trust Gensuite with their compliance and EHS software needs. Let me know what you think; send emails to info@thesafetypropodcast.com Find the podcast (and me!) also on LinkedIn , Facebook , Instagram , and Tw...
Sep 08, 2018•36 min•Ep. 48
Powered by iReportSource Throughout OSHA regulations, you will find references to industry consensus standards such as those in Subpart I - Personal Protective Equipment. These PPE regulations refer to ANSI standards as the safety criteria manufacturers must meet when producing eye, face, head, and foot protective equipment. OSHA requires employers to purchase personal protective equipment that bears the ANSI mark to ensure that the equipment provides the maximum protection for the wearers. OSHA...
Jul 21, 2018•26 min•Ep. 47
Powered by iReportSource In almost all industries, we may work with or around machinery. Moving machine parts have the potential to cause severe workplace injuries, such as crushed fingers or hands, amputations, burns, or blindness. Safeguards are essential for protecting workers from these preventable injuries. Any machine part, function, or process that may cause injury must be safeguarded. When the operation of a machine or accidental contact could injure the operator or others in the vicinit...
Jul 14, 2018•38 min•Ep. 46
