Fay Feeney and C. Gary Lopez have been named the 2017 recipients of the highest honor bestowed by the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE).“ASSE Fellows have demonstrated exemplary achievements to the society and the profession,” said ASSE President and Fellow Tom Cecich, CSP, CIH. “Fay and Gary are highly deserving of this special designation.”Fay FeeneyFeeney, CSP, ARM, has been involved in workplace safety for nearly 40 years as a business leader, academic lecturer, published author and conference presenter. She is a founding member of ASSE’s Women in Safety Engineering and has served as chair of the ASSE Foundation. She is the chief executive officer for Risk For Good, which advises corporate leaders on governing emerging risks for sustainable business strategies.“Fay has been instrumental in fostering a culture that promotes diverse thought and membership,” said ASSE member Michael Murray. “She has influenced the lives of so many young professionals.”An ASSE member since 1979, Feeney is a strategic thought leader who has advanced the safety profession through education, research and leadership development. Her boardroom safety focus emphasizes a people-first culture that aligns with investor interest in human capital and sustainability.“Fay is an innovator, relationship builder, problem solver, motivator and mentor who is willing to stretch others to reach their goals,” said ASSE Fellow Kathy Seabrook. “She has the ability to see the bigger picture where collaboration and partnerships are key.”Feeney is a long-time member of EHS Today’s Editorial Advisory Board, and has been a presenter at EHS Today’s Safety Leadership Conference.Feeney was enthusiastic about safety when she accepted the honor. Make no bones about it; “I love safety, let me repeat that, I LOVE safety,” said Feeney, who added that being named a Fellow “means the world to me.”Noting that “Safety is at the foundation of meaningful lives and safety professionals are uniquely qualified to be stewards of workplace safety,” Feeney noted her family members and colleagues who had influenced her along the journey, then spoke directly to the audience.“Let’s talk about you and your role in making work safe for people. For those who speak to hard hats, I admire you,” said Feeney. “My career has been in conference rooms speaking to hard heads.”She said the business value of EHS professionals in a rapidly changing world requires anticipating new risks. “We must now integrate a strategic risk approach along with compliance assurance. We do so by listening to all views, including opposing ones.”She urged EHS professionals to connect their safety efforts to what she called “equality of opportunity.”“Right the wrongs of the system in building an inclusive, safe culture that provides a fair process for all,” Feeney suggested, adding, “Be the voice with leadership making a business case for investing in people or as investors call us, human capital. I ask you to see something, say something, so something… Let’s move the needle and make the world of work safer, healthier and sustainable.”Gary LopezGary Lopez, CSP, is area vice president for Arthur J. Gallagher Risk Management Services, and has been active in the safety field for 40 years. Lopez is chair of ASSE’s Government Affairs Committee and previously was chair of the Standards Development Committee. For decades, he has promoted a holistic approach to managing risk.“Since I’ve known Gary, he’s worked diligently to integrate safety into the management fabric of his employers,” said ASSE member Alex Scott. “He understands that safety goes beyond just focusing on employee injuries.”An ASSE member since 1977, Lopez is experienced in all aspects of occupational safety and health, including building workplace safety cultures and demonstrating how managing risk financially benefits an organization. He has been involved in standards writing, hazard studies and working with government regulatory agencies.“Gary is the consummate safety professional,” said ASSE Fellow George Pearson. “He is driven and ambitious, yet mild-mannered and easy to work with. He’s an expert in his field, showing meticulous technical prowess.”Feeney and Lopez were honored during ASSE’s Safety 2017 Professional Development Conference & Exposition, held June 19-22 in Denver.The Fellow designation recognizes an ASSE member’s lifetime commitment to worker safety and health. Nominees must have a track record of significant contributions to the occupational safety and health profession for 20 years. To see the society’s list of Fellows dating back more than 50 years, visit ASSE Fellow recipients.
Traffic deaths are on the rise; 35,092 people died on our nation’s roads in 2016, an increase of 8 percent and the greatest year-over-year increase in 50 years. There are many factors contributing to this issue, including a rise in distracted driving (smartphones and gadgets), higher road congestion and less experienced drivers.On top of that, costs continue to rise (car damages have increased by $300 per part in the past five years; medical costs have increased by seven percent in the past year; the cost of a auto-related death has increased by 12 percent since 2015). What does these mean for businesses and employees?According to Travelers, the issue is two-fold, fiscal and safety:Many businesses don’t know they’re liable to cover employee auto accidents that occur during business hours, even when the employees are using personal vehicles.65 percent of businesses have employees who use their personal automobiles for business activities (Travelers Risk Index).The costs for employees potentially could include long-term loss of income and medical care (depending on the injury).Chris Hayes, second vice president, Risk Control, Transportation for Travelers, and Dave Nelson, second vice president, Product, Commercial Accounts for Travelers, sat down to talk to EHS Today about these trends and to provide insight on the most common road distractions, the top costs to support these trends and how employers can better protect themselves and employees.EHS Today: Traffic accident deaths rose 8 percent in 2016, which is the largest increase in nearly 50 years. What do you think contributed to that increase?Chris Hayes: The increase in auto accidents and fatalities is a serious problem. There are several contributing factors. As the economy has recovered, people are driving more, and there are simply more cars on the road. Distracted driving remains a big factor. Technology-related distractions like texting, mobile apps, phone cameras, GPS devices and infotainment systems have increased the risk of accidents.EHS Today: Do you have any information on the number or circumstances of the traffic fatalities that were work related? Chris Hayes: According to Bureau of Labor Statistics information from 2015, transportation incidents are the leading cause of fatalities at work. Roadway work fatalities were up 9 percent in 2015, to 1,264. Almost half (629) involved a semi, tractor-trailer or tanker truck. Of the 253 non-roadway work fatalities in 2015, the vehicle most frequently involved was a farm tractor (73).According to the National Safety Council, the average work-related motor vehicle injury claim costs $72,540, nearly twice as much as other work-related injuries.EHS Today: More and more vehicles are “smart,” with safety features like automatic braking systems, blind-spot indicators and backup cameras. Even so, traffic fatalities are on the rise. Does this mean that smart technology isn’t working to help curb serious accidents?Chris Hayes: No. Smart technology continues to help curb accidents, but not all vehicles have these enhancements. In fact, most don’t. It will take time for newer vehicles with these enhanced safety features to become the norm on American roads.And while smart technology is certainly helpful, you should never rely on it completely. Safe driving still requires a lot of driver attention. It’s important that drivers remember these are tools designed to aid in driving, not to take the place of the driver; the driver’s role in staying alert and safe behind the wheel is still critical. A driver who isn’t paying attention may ignore the cues these technologies can provide.Many of these safety features also can be disabled, and a driver may choose to do so if they get annoyed by receiving a lot of alerts they feel are inconsistent with their perspective of the situation.EHS Today: Does technology increase the price of fixing today’s vehicles?Chris Hayes: It certainly can. While technology has helped increase vehicle safety, it can also raise the cost of repairs. It’s no longer as easy as replacing a bumper or a side mirror; many of these parts contain digital equipment that is vital to their operation and makes them more expensive to replace.EHS Today: Many businesses don’t know they could be liable for the cost of an employee’s auto accident, even if the employee was using their own car during business hours. Can you explain why they are liable and best practices to address this issue?Dave Nelson: Many businesses rely on employees to use a personal auto for work, either infrequently (such as a trip to the post office) or on a regular basis (such as marketing and sales calls to customers). The employer will have what is known as “vicarious liability” associated with an employee operating a personal vehicle while on company business.Vicarious liability refers to a situation where someone is held responsible for the actions or omissions of another person. In this case, if an employee is involved in an auto accident that harms a third party, the company may be liable for injuries to the third party – even if the employee was operating their personal automobile at the time of the accident. The important distinction is that the employee is operating their personal auto for work purposes.Best practices for controlling this exposure starts with a written policy. The policy should include expectations regarding the driver’s behavior while driving on company business and require that their motor vehicle record be monitored periodically against an established standard. The policy may also state an expectation that the employee purchase personal auto insurance with certain minimum limits and not allow a business-use exclusion to be attached to the policy.EHS Today: Sixty-five percent of businesses have employees who use their personal automobiles for business activities, according to the 2016 Travelers Business Risk Index. Should companies allow this? Are companies liable if an employee’s personal car malfunctions and causes an accident while it is being used for work?Dave Nelson: The degree to which employees use their personal vehicles for business will vary by business type and job function. A fast-food restaurant may not have a need for employees to operate their cars on company business at all, while a pizza restaurant may hire employees solely to be delivery drivers with their own vehicles. It’s up to each business to determine if the use of employee vehicles makes sense for their business.Employers should establish written standards associated with the use of employee-owned vehicles. It would be appropriate for the employer to expect a vehicle to be properly maintained in accordance with manufacturer recommendations as a condition of employee use. However, the primary or contributing cause of the vast majority of all accidents is driver error, so focusing on proper employee behavior behind the wheel will be the best approach to controlling this exposure.EHS Today: How can employers protect themselves (and employees) from vehicle-related accidents, injuries and fatalities?Chris Hayes: Great question. For starters, a business needs to be aware of who is driving on their behalf and have a risk management plan that accounts for all drivers. This includes not only drivers of trucks and service vehicles, but also company cars and even employees driving their own vehicles for work. Create a culture where safety is taken seriously. Historically, we’ve seen severe accidents occur when employees who don’t typically drive as part of their job get behind the wheel, even for trips on the work site.A written program is great, but an effective safety program should start with senior management. When safety is embraced by supervisors and that is seen by employees, it can make a big difference. It’s also important for a safety program to maintain consistent expectations across all levels of the organization. If senior management takes a “do as I say, not as I do” approach to addressing bad driving habits, employees are less likely to follow policies. Cellphone use is a great example of this. Employees may have read and acknowledged a “no cellphone” policy, but when their manager calls, their first instinct is to pick up the phone. It’s key to set the expectation that safety comes first and calls can be returned later.There is a wide range of driver training tools available to businesses, and while these tools can help to reinforce key concepts of driving safety (such as speed and space management), training shouldn’t be the cornerstone of driver safety program. It is better to hire safe drivers and support them than to hire a risky driver and hope to correct years, or decades, of unsafe driving practices.Beyond training, the use of telematics is an effective way to increase safety in an organization. Having a clear strategy for how to use the information generated by telematics, such as follow-up on driving patterns or influencing driver management and coaching programs, will help ensure its value and success. A Virginia Tech Transportation Institute study revealed a link between effective driver behavior-management systems and reductions in risky driving behavior, but this correlation only holds true when the business successfully uses the information they’ve gathered to coach drivers on how to improve safety. Businesses need to act consistently on any telematics information they receive that indicates potentially problematic driver behavior, and enforcement should be the same at all levels of the organization.
In his session, “Safety Management System Implementation and Leadership,” part of the Construction Track for the 2017 Safety Leadership Conference in Atlanta on Sept. 11-13, Jim Howry will examine “how developing and implementing a safety management system can benefit a company and its bottom line.”Howry, principle research associate at one of the four original OSHA Training Institute Education Centers at Georgia Tech, offer us some insight into his presentation.EHS Today: Can you offer us a description of your presentation and how it relates to safety leadership?Jim Howry: We will look at how developing and implementing a safety management system can benefit a company and their bottom line.Register for the 2017 Safety Leadership Conference today so you don't miss this presentation!EHS Today: Why is the topic of your presentation of interest to you and why is it important to SLC attendees?Jim Howry: I have seen individuals and companies work hard and not succeed because they don’t have a plan. Your Safety Management System is your blueprint to success.EHS Today: What are the takeaways you hope to leave with attendees? Jim Howry: The value proposition in safety.EHS Today: What do you think are some of the most pressing EHS and risk management issues facing corporate leaders and safety professionals in 2017 and beyond?Jim Howry: It doesn’t change. It’s the ever present trade-off of risk versus reward. Risk tolerance is rewarded in every aspect of business except ours. Changing that mind set is difficult. EHS Today: How will this session help attendees be a better resource for their employees and company?Jim Howry: I hope attendees will walk away with a better understanding of the potential positive impacts on their company and their employees through the implementation of a safety management system.(EHS Today's 2017 Safety Leadership Conference and America’s Safest Companies Award Program will take place Sept. 11-13 in Atlanta, GA at the Hilton Atlanta. This event is designed to share best leadership, risk management, compliance and safety practices with EHS professionals hoping to achieve world-class safety at their companies. The conference features 28 sessions across four performance tracks; Safety & Risk Management, Compliance, Construction Safety and Safety Technology.)
We're all looking for ways to boost productivity and improve performance without adding additional work hours to our day.
People often overlook an important principle when it comes to effectiveness and efficiency, which is you can’t be efficient until you learn how to be effective. In other words, working faster doesn’t often mean success in the workplace. Productivity expert Rory J. Clark is the creator and innovator of Focus Selling, a performance system used by executives to exceed performance expectations when it comes to increasing profit. Clark’s goal is to inspire excellence in leadership, teamwork and performance through the renovation of individual mindsets. Here are his seven tips on how to be more productive and gain an extra hour in your work day.
EPA shortly will begin a hazardous waste cleanup at Plating Inc., an abandoned zinc and chromate plating facility at 888 N. Prior Ave. in St. Paul, Minn.The 21,100 square-foot building houses 82 open vats of cyanide, caustics and chromium, along with another 76 drums of other chemicals. Asbestos also been found in the deteriorating building.EPA expects it will cost $1.6 million and take about 65 work days to clean up spilled chemicals, empty and clean the vats and dispose of all hazardous waste.The agency said it will go door-to-door in the surrounding community to notify residents and business owners and respond to their questions and concerns about the project. For information about the project as it unfolds, visit: response.epa.gov/Plating-Inc
How likely are you to be replaced by a robot or a computer program? It depends, according to a new report, “How Vulnerable Are American Communities to Automation, Trade and Urbanization?” Workers in data entry, telemarketing and watch repair are most likely to be targeted by automation, while surgeons...not so much.The study, prepared by the Center for Business and Economic Research (CBER) and the Rural Policy Institute’s Center for State Policy at Ball State University, found that the rise of automation and offshoring could extend such job losses beyond the factory floor.“Automation is likely to replace half of all low-skilled jobs,” says CBER director Michael Hicks. “More worrisome is that there is considerable concentration of job loss risks across labor markets, educational attainment and earnings. This accrues across industries and is more pronounced across urban regions, where economies have concentrated all net new employment in the United States for a generation.” The study also found that low risk of automation is associated with much higher wages, averaging about $80,000 a year. Occupations with the highest risk of automation have incomes of less than $40,000 annually. The top automatable occupations, number of jobs and average annual salary includes data entry keyers, 216,000, $29,000; mathematical science occupations, 1,800, $66,210; telemarketers, 237,000, $23, 530; insurance underwriters, 103,000, $65,000; tax preparers, 90,400, $36,450; photographic process workers and processing machine operators, 28,800, $26,590; library technicians, 101,800, $34,750.The least automatable occupations, number of jobs and average annual salary includes recreational therapists, 18,000, $45,890; emergency managers, 10,000, $67,330; first-line supervisors of mechanics, installers and repairers, 447,100, $63,010; mental health and substance abuse social workers, 117,000, $42,170; audiologists, 13,200, $74,890; orthotrists and prosthetists, 8,300, $64,430; health technologists and technicians, 102,200, $41,260; and hearing aid specialists, 5,900, $49,600.While drafters, computer programmers, data entry keyers, statisticians and mathematicians and film and video editors were considered the most “offshorable” occupations, the list of “least offshorable” occupations closely mimicked the list of least automatable occupations, with the edition of the 6,800 oral and maxillofacial surgeons who average an annual wage of $233,900.
Steven Simpson, a construction worker from Brooklyn, N.Y., made a fatal choice on July 22 when he returned alone to his work site, a luxury apartment building under construction, to retrieve something he forgot. Simpson apparently became stuck in an elevator during a power outage in the building and, not wanting to miss his son’s ninth birthday party, pried open the doors and tried to crawl out.When power was unexpectedly restored, the elevator began to move, crushing Simpson between the doors of the elevator and the floor.Simpson’s family started looking for him when he didn’t return home that night and didn’t respond to their urgent phone calls. Using an app, they traced his phone to the construction site, but no one was there to let them in. They tried to report him to the police as a missing person, but were told to come back with more information.A coworker coming in to work the next day found him and called the police at 7 a.m. Simpson was pronounced dead at the scene.Crystal Mack, Simpson's wife, told WNBC in New York: “He knows it was his son's birthday and he knows my birthday is in September. He wanted to do something for me for my birthday so he's working to get this extra money and now he's gone.” Simpson’s employer called the situation “tragic,” adding, “Our hearts go out to the family and friends of the victim.”
Joel Pickering, senior vice president of Lendlease Construction, will speak twice in the Construction Track at the 2017 Safety Leadership Conference in Atlanta, Sept. 11-13. Here, he discusses his session about developing leading indicators for construction projects, "Developing Leading Indicators for Your Construction Site."EHS Today: Can you offer us a description of your presentation and how it relates to safety leadership?Joel Pickering: One way to improve the effectiveness of your safety process is to change the way it is measured.Measurement is an important part of any management process and forms the basis for continuous improvement. Measuring safety performance is no different and effectively doing so will compound the success of your improvement efforts.Finding the perfect measure of safety is a difficult task. What you want is to measure both the bottom-line results of safety as well as how well your facility is doing at preventing accidents and incidents. To do this, you will use a combination of lagging and leading indicators of safety performance.So why should leaders use leading indicators? Leading indicators are focused on future safety performance and continuous improvement. These measures are proactive in nature and report what employees are doing on a regular basis to prevent injuries. This is what leaders strive to do.Register for the 2017 Safety Leadership Conference today so you don't miss this presentation! EHS Today: Why is the topic of your presentation of interest to you and why is it important to SLC attendees?Joel Pickering: We have to use all the tools available to us to create an environment that drives us to a zero-incident job site.EHS Today: Please share an example of a personal or professional experience you’ve had related to safety leadership or the topic of your presentation.Joel Pickering: Using leading indicators cuts down on the potential to have an incident, pre-qualification gets good contractors onsite, drug testing reduces threats.EHS Today: What are the takeaways you hope to leave with attendees? Joel Pickering: The takeaways are:Allow you to see small improvements in performance.Measure the positive: what people are doing versus failing to do.Enable frequent feedback to all stakeholders.Be credible to performers.Be predictive.Increase constructive problem solving around safety.Make it clear what needs to be done to get better.Track impact versus intention.EHS Today: What do you think are some of the most pressing EHS and risk management issues facing corporate leaders and safety professionals in 2017 and beyond?Joel Pickering: Reviewing the risks at all levels of the project and implementing a mitigation plan that get passed all the way down to the field level.EHS Today: How will this session help attendees be a better resource for their employees and company?Joel Pickering: I will provide tools in both sessions that they can use once they get back to their sites.(EHS Today's 2017 Safety Leadership Conference and America’s Safest Companies Award Program will take place Sept. 11-13 in Atlanta, GA at the Hilton Atlanta. This event is designed to share best leadership, risk management, compliance and safety practices with EHS professionals hoping to achieve world-class safety at their companies. The conference features 28 sessions across four performance tracks; Safety & Risk Management, Compliance, Construction Safety and Safety Technology.)
The U. S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has ruled that EPA must enforce an Obama administration rules that target methane emissions from the oil and gas drilling industry.In July, the federal court struck down EPA’s attempt to suspend protections against leaks of methane and other airborne emissions from oil and gas operations. The 2-1 ruling by the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals resulted from the first lawsuit filed by the Natural Resources Defense Council and others against the EPA over its attempts to delay the methane rules. That ruling gave the government two weeks to appeal the verdict by the three-judge panel, which it did not do. On July 31, nine of the 11 judges of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the EPA rule, which is focuses on the oil and gas drilling industry – specifically fracking operations – and requires companies to find and fix leaks that could contribute to methane and VOC emissions.The court ruled that the Trump administration overstepped its authority under the Clean Air Act when it tried to delay the rule. The Obama administration standards were released in August 2016, and EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt indicated the hold the Trump administration placed on the regulations could be indefinite.On July 5, David Doniger, director of NRDC’s Climate & Clean Air program, commented, “This ruling declares the EPA’s action illegal – and slams the brakes on the Trump administration’s brazen efforts to put the interests of corporate polluters ahead of protecting the public and the environment.”The standards, which targeted new and modified sources of methane emissions that were not covered in EPA’s 2012 rules – mainly fracking operations – were expected to reduce 510,000 short tons of methane in 2025, the equivalent of reducing 11 million metric tons of carbon dioxide. EPA estimated the final rule will yield climate benefits of $690 million in 2025, which will outweigh estimated costs of $530 million in 2025.Reductions in VOCs and air toxics also were expected to yield benefits; however, EPA was not able to quantify those benefits. The standards were expected to reduce 210,000 short tons of ozone-forming VOCs in 2025, along with 3,900 tons of air toxics, such as benzene, toluene, ethylbenzene and xylene.To cut methane and VOC emissions, the proposal required:Finding and repairing leaks;Capturing natural gas from the completion of hydraulically fractured oil wells;Limiting emissions from new and modified pneumatic pumps; andLimiting emissions from several types of equipment used at natural gas transmission compressor stations, including compressors and pneumatic controllers.New York Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, who is one of 11 state attorneys general suing EPA in the same court of appeals over Pruitt’s proposed two-year delay of the Chemical Accident Safety Rule – claiming it exceeds EPA’s authority under the Clean Water Act – tweeted, “Court Stops EPA’s Attempts to Roll Back Methane. Methane is one of the world’s most potent greenhouse gases. There's no time to waste in controlling emissions. Let’s get started.”
Haley & Aldrich, an environmental and engineering consulting firm, has issued an Action Report: Stop Talking About Safety Culture and Get Real About Risk. The report addresses the ways companies can prevent workplace incidents and recommends that manufacturers shift their focus to risk-competence rather than a safety culture focused on compliance alone. The report dispels safety myths, addresses problems with a safety compliance culture and identifies strategies companies can take to reduce incidents in the workplace.“We’ve seen time and time again how some manufacturers are lulled into a false sense of security by complying with safety checklists instead of taking a good, hard look into their potential areas of risk,” said Danyle Hepler, associate scientist, at Haley & Aldrich. “For example, on the day that the BP Deepwater Horizon explosion killed 11 people, ironically, executives were at the facility to celebrate the company’s seventh year without an incident. The company’s ‘incident-free’ track record created the false presumption of safety, which is often counterproductive to preventing future incidents.”According to Haley & Aldrich, communication is one of the most critical components of creating risk-competency. It recommends organizations create an inclusive, interconnected culture – from the executive boardroom to the plant floor – that includes everyone in identifying, measuring and avoiding risk. The following are five effective ways to create a risk-competent culture as outlined in the newly published report:Safety is everyone’s job, and everyone needs to understand risk. It’s important that everyone in the organization feels empowered and committed to creating a safe workplace. This involves creating an atmosphere where employees can feel comfortable reporting potential safety problems and the levels of risk they may be undertaking, and openly discussing near-miss incidents.Safety is as important as performance. Too often, employees feel pressured to cut corners to meet performance goals. In addition to the tremendous personal and property losses that incidents can cause, they also can severely impact a company’s reputation and bottom line. Top management should make it clear that safety equally is as important as production and quality, and that understanding and mitigating the risks associated with production are an expected part of everyone’s job. Create a shared definition of risk. Since different people have different risk tolerances and perceptions of safe operations, each organization needs to define its own risk tolerance, and ensure that it is shared and understood organization-wide. This can be accomplished by bringing individuals across departments together to collaboratively develop this shared understanding.Measure what is, not what should be. Instead of measuring risk based on standard work procedures, focus on actual day-to-day tasks, which may need to deviate from standard processes. Find the gaps in work as imagined versus work as completed to identify hidden risks. Use the data. Collect as much data as you can on what’s really going on in your organization, including identifying safety gaps and determining what you need to do to close them. Make sure you conduct in-depth analysis to get an accurate picture and also consider the severity of incidents. For example, while safety incidents and “recordables” statistically may be decreasing, the number of workplace fatalities grows each year, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Management should determine how all the data will be measured to help further define the organization’s risk parameters and tolerance and more effectively prioritize those risks.