Freeze Pak, a division of Oregon Potato Co., faces $92,400 in fines from Washington’s Department of Labor & Industries (L&I) for three repeat-serious violations, along with two serious and one general violation.L&I began an investigation of the facility in June after the worker suffered a fractured wrist and partially amputated finger when his hand got caught in a conveyor while he was cleaning under it. It’s the third time in three years that workers for the company have suffered amputation injuries on the job.Working in and around hazardous machinery and equipment requires safety procedures, known as lockout/tagout, to prevent the machinery from starting or moving during service and maintenance. The penalty for the repeat-serious lockout/tagout violation is $52,800. L&I has cited the employer four times in three years for similar violations; three of those involved a finger amputation. The investigation also found two instances where Freeze Pak did not adequately guard machinery to protect employees from exposure to serious injuries like broken bones, amputations, permanent disability or death. Both cases involved problems with a waste conveyor. The employer was cited for the same two violations in December 2014. Because of that, they’re considered repeat-serious violations and carry a penalty of $13,200.Two serious violations cited were for lack of a written energy-control program to prevent inadvertent startup of machine or equipment, and for not providing suitable tools to protect employees from hazards while working the conveyor. Those violations each carry a penalty of $6,600.The company also was cited for one general violation for not inspecting and replacing worn parts on a “door closer” on the conveyor that wasn’t working. General violations typically do not carry a penalty.As a result of the repeat-serious violations associated with an amputation injury, the employer has been identified as a severe violator and will be subject to follow-up inspections to determine if the cited conditions still exist in the future.Freeze Pak has appealed the citation.

OSHA’s silica rule has weathered its court challenge and remains in effect, with a three-judge panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia on Dec. 22 rejecting all five objections raised by  industry groups.In the United States, more than 2 million workers currently are exposed to some level of silica. In 2016, OSHA published a final rule regulating workplace exposure to silica, Occupational Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica (29 CFR 1910, 1915 and 1926).The court, in its decision, noted that petitions to review the silica rule came from both industry and unions. “A collection of industry petitioners believes OSHA impermissibly made the rule too stringent and several union petitioners believe OSHA improperly failed to make the rule stringent enough.”The industry groups petitioned for review of five issues:Whether substantial evidence supports OSHA’s finding that limiting workers’ silica exposure to the level set by the rule reduces a significant risk of material health impairment.Whether substantial evidence supports OSHA’s finding that the rule is technologically feasible for the foundry, hydraulic fracturing and construction industries.Whether substantial evidence supports OSHA’s finding that the rule is economically feasible for the foundry, hydraulic fracturing and construction industries.Whether OSHA violated the Administrative Procedure Act (APA) in promulgating the rule.Whether substantial evidence supports two ancillary provisions of the rule; one that allows workers who undergo medical examinations to keep the results confidential from their employers and one that prohibits employers from using dry cleaning methods unless doing so is infeasible.“We reject all of industry’s challenges,” wrote judges Merrick Garland, Karen Henderson and David Tatel.”The labor movement worked for decades to win these lifesaving measures, and we are proud to see these standards remain the law of the land,” said AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka. “I want to thank all of those who contributed to this great victory, including the Obama administration and the career staff at the Department of Labor. Now we must turn our efforts to making sure this standard is put into full effect, enforced and protected from further attacks so that workers are finally protected from deadly silica dust.”The unions requested review of two parts of the rule:The requirement that medical surveillance for construction workers be provided only if the employee has to wear a respirator for 30 days for one employer in a one-year period.The absence of medical removal protections.“We reject the unions’ challenge to the construction standard’s 30-day trigger for medical surveillance,” wrote the judges. They added, however: “We hold that OSHA was arbitrary and capricious in declining to require MRP for some period when a medical professional recommends permanent removal, when a medical professional recommends temporary removal to alleviate COPD symptoms, and when a medical professional recommends temporary removal pending a specialist’s determination.”The judges concluded that OSHA “failed to adequately explain its decision to omit medical removal protections from the rule and remand [back to OSHA] for further consideration of the issue.”“This is a huge win for millions of workers in construction, foundries, mining, shipbuilding and many other industries,” stated Jessica Martinez, co-executive director of the, National Council for Occupational Safety and Health. “Low-wage workers and those in the informal sector can now be assured of safer working conditions.”

The holiday season can bring so much stress to employees – both those who must travel during the holidays and those who stay home – that according to the results of a recent survey conducted by Accountemps, 35 percent of the nation feels more work related-pressure this time of the year. This, coupled with the fact that stress and the unhealthy behaviors people use to manage it, contribute to some of our country’s biggest health problems such as obesity, heart disease and diabetes, is one of many reasons you want your holiday travel to be as stress free as possible.  Basil Elotol is the is the founder and CEO of Triphop, an online travel company. An avid traveler who has traveled all around the globe, Elotol knows the ins and outs of business travel. With all of that travel experience under his belt, Elotol offers these five ways you, as a business traveler, can make your holiday travel as stress-free as possible:Plan ahead – During the holiday season, we often find ourselves pulled between multiple places: family, job, personal wellbeing. In order to help maintain balance, you need to plan ahead. If you know that you will be traveling a few days before Christmas, plan out each part of your trip to ensure all of your competing “priorities” receive attention.For example, let’s say you are traveling to Chicago for three days. Make sure that your flight gets in a day before your meetings to allow time to prepare, decompress from the flight and eat good meal or two (important to help maintain energy and get some enjoyment out of travel time). Next, take a look at various hotels that are near the place of your meetings but not more than 30 – 45 minutes away from the airport. This will aid in cutting down commute times and ensure that you can get to your meetings on time. And finally, you will want to be sure that once your business is complete, you can get home to your family to enjoy some holiday ham and eggnog, so as soon as your last meeting is done, high-tail it to the airport. Your family will appreciate the extra effort.Pick a travel site that has your best interest in mind – If you book your own travel, remember that all online booking sites are not created equal. While many sites promise cheap rates, they often have hidden fees and obscure terms that are tucked away in their 45-page disclosures. A great hotel for $110 dollars a night can easily become $190 dollars with the undisclosed parking fee, taxes and the site’s booking fee.Many popular travel sites now offer a bundle deal if you book your car, hotel and airfare together, but if you do your homework, you will find that you can find lower rates booking the hotel, car and airfare separately. Feel free to break up your travel by booking a hotel on one site and a car on the other. Make sure you do your due diligence when choosing these sites.Check and double check – Once your hotel is booked, don’t just show up the day of your check-in and assume that your name and confirmation number is in the system. Oftentimes, business travelers get frustrated when they have a confirmation email from an online travel booking company only to reach the hotel and find out their reservation is not even in the system. This particularly is important during the holidays and other busy travel times.Make sure you call the hotel company in advance and verify that you are in their system. This takes a few minutes and provides you with a peace of mind. Some travel sites do this for you in advance so that you don’t have to worry about if your reservation is solid or not.Organize and pack important documents – You do not want to wait until the very last minute to collect and organize all of your important documents. Here is a quick checklist of important documents that every business traveler should remember:Passport/travel visa (if traveling abroad).Frequent flyer cards and other loyalty program card numbers (ex: hotel chains and Diner Club).Cash and credit cards - Call your credit card companies before you travel to inform them of your travel (otherwise they might turn them off to prevent perceived fraud).Health insurance cards/document(s).Reservations and itineraries – Print them and save them electronically for easy access.Travel insurance information. As soon as you book a trip, it’s a good idea to double-check that your passports and IDs aren’t expired, and that they will not expire in the middle of your trip if you are traveling internationally. You’ll also want to inform your bank of you’re traveling dates so they don’t assume fraudulent activity and freeze your credit card. Consider emailing yourself a copy of your passport, driver’s license, medical cards and itinerary, so if anything happens to them you’ll be able to access them online. Let family and friends know where you are headed or about any change in plans – While you may have alerted your immediate family to all travel plans, it is always smart to give your itinerary to one other person whether it is a close friend, work colleague, etc. This ensures that if there is a delay in your flight or itinerary and you can’t reach one person, that you have an additional person to contact in case things don’t go as smoothly as you had hoped. Having a few people be in tune with your travel plans helps ease everyone’s state of mind, especially when it comes to international travel. Follow these tips and rest assured you will be well on your way to being less stressed and more confident when you book your next business trip. Bon voyage!

Fatal workplace injuries showed a dramatic uptick in 2016, rising by 7 percent over the number of workplace fatalities tallied in 2015. The fatal injury rate also increased from 3.4 per 100,000 full-time equivalent workers in 2015 to 3.6 in 2016. More workers lost their lives in transportation incidents than any other event in 2016, accounting for about one out of every four fatal injuries. Workplace violence injuries increased by 23 percent, making it the second-most common cause of workplace fatality. The Dec. 19 report also shows the number of overdoses on the job increased by 32 percent in 2016, and the number of drug-related fatalities has increased by at least 25 percent annually since 2012. “Today’s occupational fatality data show a tragic trend with the third consecutive increase in worker fatalities in 2016 – the highest since 2008. America’s workers deserve better,” says Loren Sweatt, deputy assistant secretary for OSHA. “[OSHA] is committed to finding new and innovative ways of working with employers and employees to improve workplace safety and health. OSHA will work to address these trends through enforcement, compliance assistance, education and training and outreach.” In 2008, 5,214 workers lost their lives.Sweatt added that the nation’s opioid crisis has invaded the workplace, and “is impacting Americans every day at home and, as this data demonstrates, increasingly on the job. The Department of Labor will work with public and private stakeholders to help eradicate the opioid crisis as a deadly and growing workplace issue.” Peg Seminario, director of occupational safety and health for the AFL-CIO, says the 2016 BLS Job Fatality Report reveals disturbing trends."The increase in job fatalities in 2016 reported by BLS shows that for many groups of workers in this country work is becoming more dangerous and deadly," says Seminario."The 5,190 workplace deaths from injuries means that 14 workers were killed on the job a day, the highest number since 2008 and the highest rate since 2010."She adds that in industries where OSHA and MSHA focus resources and attention, fatality rates declined or remained stable, but that job fatalities are increasing in the growing sectors of the economy, including healthcare and food services, which receive little attention and oversight from workplace safety agencies. The same is true for groups of workers that lack OSHA protection, Seminario adds, including state and local government employees and many "Federal OSHA now has fewer than 800 inspectors and can inspect workplaces on average only once every 159 years," says Seminario, who points out that OSHA’s budget has declined since 2010 and been frozen for years."House Republicans are now seeking big cuts for 2018," she adds. "Fewer resources and less oversight will mean more injuries and workplace deaths. Workers need more safety and health protection, not less."

Some employees just aren’t into their jobs. In fact, that may be true of most employees.The Gallup organization, which regularly measures employee engagement across the country, reports that just 32 percent of employees say they are enthusiastic about and committed to their work and workplace. Rather than focus on why only one-third of employees are engaged, let’s talk about corporate leaders and what they can do to help build enthusiasm and engagement.According to Kerry Alison Wekelo, author of Culture Infusion: 9 Principles to Create and Maintain a Thriving Organizational Culture (www.kerryalison.com), companies don’t have to settle for unmotivated, uncommitted employees. With the right approach, she says, business leaders can improve their corporate culture and motivate employees to perform at their highest capacity.“Successful leaders are the ones who intentionally use their behavior as a positive example,” Wekelo says. “If you expect employees to work overtime for important deadlines, for example, they are much more inclined to do their best if you also stay and work the overtime.”To really get those employees engaged, a leader also must commit to supporting the growth of people and not just systems, products or processes, says Wekelo, who is managing director of human resources and operations for Actualize Consulting.Here are four ways she says leaders can do that:Insist on a healthy work/life balance. Work and home used to have clearer boundaries. Employees worked their shifts and went home to their families. These days, work is just a mouse click or text message away. That can make it tough for both employees and corporate leaders to balance their lives, but Wekelo insists it’s important that they do.“When your life is well balanced, you will be more satisfied, more motivated, happier and healthier,” she says.To achieve that balance, she adds, you need to learn to say “no.” Set boundaries, such as declining to take work calls after 9 p.m. Handle issues as they come up during working hours, so that you aren’t thinking about them after you go home. Leaders should practice this themselves and then help their companies facilitate it for employees.Practice effective communication. Communication isn’t just about what you say, it’s how well you listen, Wekelo says.“You want to be an active listener,” she says. “That means you not only hear the words the other person is saying, but you try to understand the complete message that’s being sent.”To achieve that, you should practice empathy, focus your attention, show you are listening through both verbal and non-verbal responses, suspend judgment, ask questions and verify that you correctly understand the other person’s message.Focus on your people. If employees are happy, customers will have a better experience, Wekelo says. Three key factors to achieving that, she says, are hiring the right people, providing a robust and generous benefits package and prioritizing wellness efforts that encourage employees to exercise and eat right. Show them that you care about their health and welfare outside of what happens at work.Regularly conduct employee surveys. It’s important to ask employees about what’s working and what’s not working.“But remember that surveys that only gather information are not useful,” Wekelo says. “To make them effective, your organization must also provide detailed results back to your team and create an implementation plan that includes some of your employees’ ideas.”“Although every person is different, we universally do well with leaders who focus on appreciation, respect and trust, and who empower teams to add value to the company,” Wekelo says. “Exceptional leaders know how to motivate employees, retain quality talent and cultivate job satisfaction.”

“Leaders must exemplify integrity and earn the trust of their teams through their everyday actions. When you do this, you set high standards for everyone at your company. And when you do so with positive energy and enthusiasm for shared goals and purpose, you can deeply connect with your team and customers.” Marillyn A. Hewson, chairwoman, president and CEO of Lockheed Martin.I received an email this week from a very – make that VERY!!!! – irate reader. It was the kind of email that makes me wonder why I came into work that day. I definitely was not feeling thankful.He accused me (and pretty much all media outlets) of not doing my research, of publishing inaccurate information and pointed out, rightly so upon reflection, that an article I wrote for our web site about three tower employees who fell to their deaths mentioned previous OSHA citations for a previous incarnation of the company. Some were issued to the current owners, and some were for a previous owner.Although I noted that the current owner was not the previous owner, the reader’s point was: Why even mention citations received by a previous owner? Different owner… Different employees… Potentially very different culture… And he was right.While I disagreed with some of the other points he made – and I explained why – I told him I would edit the article to reflect his comments about the previous OSHA citations.He responded back – a couple of times – sharing his experience and perspective. The message that carried across from his comments was not that he was angry with me, something he even noted, but that he was angry about misconceptions people had about his industry and specifically about safety efforts in his industry.His last email to me stated: “I thank you for your correction, your time and professionalism. You have earned my respect.” That was a far cry from his initial email, which said in part: “As a worker in the TV tower construction industry for more than 24 years I would urge the media (in this case, me) to verify or at least semi-verify the ‘mud’ you sling in reporting your news.”I am thankful for that reader. I’m thankful for his passion, his knowledge and his willingness to reach out to me. Don’t get me wrong; I wasn’t thrilled with his initial approach or message (and he wasn’t thrilled with mine), but in the end, we had a better understanding of each other and realized we probably had more in common than not.When I think about him and our email conversation, I am reminded how important conversation and communication is to my position here at EHS Today and to your positions as EHS professionals. As I write this, I’m preparing for our rescheduled Safety Leadership Conference and I’m excited about meeting the representatives from the companies named as America’s Safest Companies for 2017.Their enthusiasm – not only about winning, but about the practice of EHS and the dedication and engagement of their corporate leaders and employees – is inspiring to me. They are, for lack of a better word, evangelists for EHS. They want to share their message with the world.As we head into 2018, that’s my challenge to you: Be an evangelist. Be a leader. Share your knowledge, experience and passion with the world. When people see your passion, they will trust you and they will embrace your message.You have a story to tell. Go tell it.

If I say the name “Continental Mills,” you might not immediately recognize the name or the products, because Continental Mills is a smaller, multi-site organization. You might recognize some of their products, though: Krusteaz baking mixes, Ghirardelli Double Chocolate Brownie Mix or Buck Wild snack chips probably ring a bell. The company has over 800 employees at four locations across the country: Washington, Kansas, Illinois and Kentucky.“Smaller operations have unique challenges to achieving safety excellence, mainly in the amount of EHS professional resources available,” said Bob Toohey, CSP, senior manager of EHS for Continental Mills. “Yet, the responsibility to create a zero-loss environment still exists, and OSHA requirements for compliance are no less applicable.”Toohey partnered with Paul English, area safety manager for CMC Steel Texas, to talk about “Overcoming Obstacles to Achieve Safety Excellence” at the Safety Leadership Conference 2017 in Atlanta. Toohey shared his experience in helping smaller, multi-site organizations effectively manage risk and achieve safety excellence with limited professional EHS resources.Toohey said safety takes two, parallel tracks at the company: long-term safety management and daily safety management.The first track examines safety incidents and injuries, said Toohey, who noted that “[incidents] happen when we fail to manage safety programs.” The second track, said Toohey, focuses on “How do we manage safe daily work?”In his presentation, Toohey quoted John Heily, owner and CEO of Continental Mills, who said: “Creating a safe environment is management’s way of saying they care.”Toohey called his safety philosophy “The Power of Zero and 100:” Creating a zero-harm work environment while achieving – or perhaps because of achieving – 100 percent employee involvement and engagement. To maximize limited EHS resources for world-class results, Toohey made these suggestions:Establish EHS roles and responsibilities.Include EHS objectives in employee performance management.Conduct regular internal EHS systems audits that drive continuous improvement. As part of that, determine ways to improve EHS skills and foster knowledge development among employees.Toohey suggested attendees “get organized” for EHS success. “The days of the safety guy or gal are gone,” he said. Safety goes much wider than a single person or a single department. There should be written EHS roles and responsibilities at every level of the organization, suggested Toohey, from the senior vice president of operations to hourly support personnel.In addition, EHS performance should be part of the overall performance management goals for each employee. That means specific EHS objectives included in employees’ annual goals that are tied into any bonuses, just like production or quality goals.Because of limited resources, it takes a village to have excellent safety performance, according to Toohey. He achieves it by engaging members of the safety committee, safety coordinators at the facilities, safety program leads and teams and EHS program sponsors, who manage safety challenges like lockout/tagout, confined space, hazcom, electrical safety, etc., and who are part of site leadership. As part of the aspect of daily safe work, these program sponsors conduct JHA’s and risk predictions, work area inspections and behavior audits. “They’re not just counting injuries,” said Toohey. “They are looking for ways to improve performance.”The site safety coordinator and the EHS program sponsors report directly to the site managers, so everyone is kept up-to-date on safety performance.This attention to detail and responsiveness to safety challenges is paying off at Continental Mills. In 2007-2008, the company had a total incident rate (TIR) that was average for its industry and higher than the company wanted. The safety sponsor model was introduced in 2009, and Toohey noted that started a fairly precipitous drop in the TIR. In recent years, the company’s TIR rate is less than half of the industry rate and since 2015, has dipped into what Toohey referred to as “best in class.”“By involving all leadership and employees in specific EHS responsibilities, the organization grew towards a zero-harm culture,” said Toohey.(The second presentation in this session – “Using Critical Thinking Skills to Be a Better Safety Professional” with Paul English, CSP, area safety manager at CMC Steel Texas – is available in a special webinar presentation. Just click on the link in the presentation title to register and view.)