In order to deal with this new safety landscape, employers and workers are also looking to current technology to complement the existing PPE, increasing the safety of the worker, regardless of their situation or setting. This has obviously resulted in a new category of PPET – personal protective equipment and technology. Moving forward, technology will be as integral to the worker’s safety as the steel-toed boots on their feet or 

Pay more attention to communication

When you think of worker safety, what’s the first thing that comes to mind? Is it personal protective equipment like face shields or electrical gloves? Or is it an emergency notification device like a panic button? And while these are all important elements of a strong worker safety program, an area often missed is internal communication amongst the team and organization.

A well-planned and researched OHS policy statement is one of the first steps in elevating the safety of staff members, clearly outlining everything your organization wants to achieve in OHS including goals and objectives, as well as strategies and tactics that will involve the team.

When exposed to extreme heat, people become at risk for either heat exhaustion, heat rashes, or heat stroke. The effects of heat stress can vary from mild to life-threatening, which is why noticing symptoms and treating them early can be crucial to saving a life.

Job Safety Analysis (JSA) stands for job safety analysis. JSA is a procedure that integrates safety practices and behaviors into a specific work task or project, breaking the work into specific potential safety hazards, and showing the safest way to perform the job by mitigating the identified risks. (Additionally, the analysis can expand to all areas of the job, which is called total job analysis.) What is key in a JSA is that the targeted tasks and jobs are specific and not too broad, making it more likely to be successful in alleviating the safety hazards.

Every year, more and more online tracking tools are becoming available, providing an unprecedented range and amount of safety data that can be used to protect workers. There are many types of valuable safety data that you can now track, but here at SafetyLine, we’ve helped you out by narrowing down that long list to 7 crucial safety metrics that you need to leverage and start tracking now to provide the best protection for your team from any existing or potentials hazards in the workplace.

A good safety reputation is a crucial asset in attracting and retaining customers. It plays a significant role in building loyalty, cultivating a sense of community, and working towards brand advocacy amongst customers. A positive safety reputation also provides a sense of reassurance and confidence that customers are making the right choice when they choose you.

According to the International Labor Organization, roughly 2.3 million workers succumb to work-related injuries and diseases from a wide range of safety risks and hazards - that works out to more than 6,000 deaths at work every day. But in which occupations do these injuries and deaths take place? What are the most dangerous occupations to work in? In an article from HR Director Canada, they list five of the most dangerous jobs in the world, highlighting why we should make workplace safety a priority.

Why invest in workplace safety? Employees have the right to a safe and healthy workplace environment. If this is not the case, then workers will be inhibited from performing at their full potential. Productivity and safety go hand in hand. Thus, an organization that invests in safety will be rewarded with more productive employees. 

It is difficult and somewhat complicated to describe what a safe workplace is. However, just because it isn’t easy, that does not mean we should give up on this definition as the safety and wellbeing of our teams and our companies are at a serious stake.

At Safetyline Lone Worker, we have witnessed our partners, clients and even our own team members adapt and evolve to the ever-changing workplace environment

The hospitality industry captures a broad range of professions within the service sector, including food and drink services, lodging, transportation, event planning, and other jobs within the tourism industry. It contributed over $570 billion to the US economy in 2017, making it the second-largest contributor to the country’s GDP falling only behind the Government. According to Statista, the hospitality industry employed over 16.5 million Americans in 2018, representing a 2% increase from 2017.

On the SafetyLine blog, we have published articles about the constantly changing safety landscape, providing you with information that will help keep you safe while out on the job. So which blogs were the most popular and resonated with you most? Of the more than 50 blogs we published last year, here are the top 5 most-read blog posts by our awesome readers. 

As the temperatures plummet and the snow, ice and rain increase, slip and fall injuries see a spike, particularly for those working in these conditions. According to the US Bureau of Labor Statistics, in 2017, there were more than 20,000 work injuries related to ice, sleet and snow. The workers most at risk are obviously those working outside, facing the elements including farmers, fishermen, snow cleanup staff, first responders like paramedics, construction workers, security personnel, and community healthcare workers.

Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and whatever holiday you’ll be celebrating is going to be different this year. There might be socially distanced get-togethers with family (if at all), the annual shopping trips to the mall will be replaced with online orders and for many of us, we will be celebrating and working in our homes where there will be unique safety hazards that have never really been considered before the pandemic. While this season may feel like uncharted waters, there are a number of holiday safety hazards in the home that can be eliminated, or at least mitigated, to ensure your safety while working from home.

Investing in safety isn’t just buying reflective jackets, at least on its own. It’s something that is ongoing and involves a lot of reflecting on how your organization manages risk, protects employees, and actively works towards introducing incremental changes that can add up over time.

As we approach the final month of a surreal year, the temperatures continue to plummet and depending on where you live, snow, sleet and rain will fall even harder. Here in rainy Pacific Northwest where SafetyLine’s headquarter is located, winter brings us increasingly wet streets, walkways, and surfaces, resulting in more injuries (some very serious) from slips, trips and falls at work, at home, and in public.

If you’re concerned that workplace violence is currently an issue or has the potential to become a safety hazard with your team and lone workers – even if it’s at home – you need to determine if you have a violence prevention and mitigation program available through your employer and what the next steps are; if not, you should ask your employer to develop one.

Working from home safety is not a new concept or challenge. But the significant number of people now working from home or remotely is a phenomenon we haven’t experienced before. Because of that, many organizations are trying to learn and adapt as the new normal becomes more and more, well, normal.

If or when a second COVID wave hits a number of areas must immediately addressed to protect your workers such as any needed PPE or sanitizing supplies and restructuring of operations to facilitate social distancing while working. But even ahead of those important priorities, you need to establish dependable and accessible employee communication with management and your team, wherever they may be working – at home, out in the field or back at the office or plant.

While it’s still somewhat debatable at the moment, increasing numbers of COVID-19 cases are showing us that a second wave of the virus may be imminent. The good news is that there may have been lessons learned from the first time, allowing us the privilege of hindsight to improve our tact, better protecting our workers and communities.