January 2022 Recap: In Other News and What you May Have Missed
The 24-hour news cycle has many benefits like constant, real-time news updates as they occur as well as an increase in the overall amount of news we consume. While we are more up to date on the latest news, more than ever, all of these sources, and questioning the legitimacy of these sources, can be overwhelming and time-consuming.
With busy personal and professional lives, you may not catch all of the important and relevant safety news of the past month. To help you out, at the end of each month, we will post a curated list of the most important safety-related news so that you don’t miss anything.
How healthy is your Job? - News Medical and Life Sciences
Research investigating the relationship between work has demonstrated that work plays a central role in health.
Why this matters: Recent research from the Journal of Social Science and Medicine looks at how work and wellness (and safety) influence each other, particularly how organizational policies can effect worker safety and health.
Can tech improve mental health, addiction, among workers?
- Canadian Occupational Safety
It is important for workplaces to equip workers with the right tools because workplaces can negatively impact health.
Why this matters: Mental health is a major occupational health and safety issue no matter what industry you’re in. This article looks at how technology and online platforms can provide recovery programs and services to those struggling with addiction and mental health.
This includes promoting mental health in the workplace, which benefits employee mental health, providing peace of mind to them and management that their safety is being monitored. Your happiness is definitely impacted when you know you will look after that day by your employer – that makes a difference.
50 years of OSHA: Video highlights major accomplishments
A new video from OSHA commemorates the significant accomplishments and events that have transformed workplace safety and health during the agency’s 50-year history. To help OSHA mark its first 50 years of safety and health of workplaces nationwide, the agency commemorates major accomplishments and important events throughout its history. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh, Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Douglas Parker and past agency assistant secretaries provide commentary, reflect on the agency’s past and continued mission.
OHS legislation: Reviewing the year that was – OHS Canada
The year 2021 saw not the end of COVID-19, but instead the continuation of uncertainty and a further shifting workplace safety reality, where vaccines became readily available and policies mandating their use were challenged.
Why this matters: This is a helpful, succinct snapshot of the most important Canadian occupational health and safety legislation of the past year (also relevant to the US in many cases). Some if not much of this legislation could affect your employees.
How to Overcome Safety Complacency in the Workplace - EHS Today
Training supervisors and frontline employees to ask effective questions at strategic moments can help trigger critical thinking and situational awareness.
Why this matters: This article identifies the common-but-rarely-addressed occupational safety issue of complacency which can impact situational awareness and therefore, the worker’s safety.
What are the trends in health and safety for 2022? - Canadian Occupational Safety
Engaging with the workforce to understand the challenges and need for mental health supports will assist health and safety practitioners in helping to identify solutions and services for the employer to help support employees who are suffering from mental health challenges.
Some trends include the area of health and safety becoming more recognized and treated as a regulated profession, as well as a focus on internal controls and checks and balances for more social and environmental responsibility. Read the other predicted trends below.
Ethical impact of AI on health, safety and wellbeing - Safety & Health Practitioner
In safety and health, AI solutions are crunching data from a huge range of sources to generate predictive risk assessments, from the structured information in method statements and sickness records through to unstructured big data.
Do you wear a smartwatch or fitness band? Or maybe an exercise app on your phone? AI is already impacting our lives and this article addresses the ethical use of this technology with the public and what is done with the data/personal details of the users.