Clean and tidy work facilities lead to better morale in manufacturing environments, according to a new study from Tork, an Essity brand.
A recent survey conducted by the hygiene brand revealed the manufacturing employees cite operational efficiency; safety and hygiene; and organization of the workplace as the top three factors influencing happiness on the job.
“It is apparent that the conditions of manufacturing environments are uniquely important to employers and employees alike,” the company stated in a press release. “In an industry that requires constant attention to minimize risk and improve compliance with safety regulations, a well-run, orderly facility helps plant managers ensure operations run smoothly and without setback…. Efficiency, safety, and hygiene not only boost employee productivity but also their overall happiness.”
Overall, 94% of respondents said that a hygienic, healthy and risk-free work environment affected the level of happiness they felt at work.
The availability of cleaning products impacted productivity as well as happiness for nine out of 10 workers surveyed. In fact, 87% reported that wiping and cleaning tools help them get the job done.
“Happiness and productivity go hand-in-hand, particularly in fast-paced, high-risk environments like manufacturing,” said Maryellen Anastasio, Essity marketing manager, in a statement. “Facilities should consider the tools they are using and adopt safe and hygienic solutions that will not only improve operational efficiencies but also motivate and engage employees. By making these changes, employers are sending a message that they care about their workers’ happiness and well-being.”
A comprehensive combustible dust standard still does not exists, and the Chemical Safety Board (CSB) is seeking further input to put one in place.
The federal agency has extended its deadline for comment to December 31 from companies, regulators, inspectors, safety training providers, researchers, unions, and the workers of dust-producing operations.
Information received from responses will be used to "to explore the conditions that influence the control and management of combustible dust in order to seek out a deeper understanding of the real-world challenges to preventing dust explosions and, more importantly, new opportunities for safety improvements," the CSB stated.
Four recommendations to date have been issued to OSHA stressing the need for an issuance of a comprehensive general industry standard for combustible dust, and combustible dust safety is on the agency’s Drivers of Critical Chemical Safety Change list.
The CSB examined statements from workers and management and identified the factors influencing dust hazard risk perception, most notably:
Hazard awareness: the degree to which workers and management have practical real-world understanding of combustible dust hazards will impact how they react to their environment when they observe dust;
Previous incidents and fires: observing fires or hot work activities in a combustible dust environment that did not result in an explosion could create a false sense of security;
Regulatory oversight: regulatory requirements do not reinforce one another. For example, sanitation requirements under the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) may meet food quality concerns, but not be sufficient to prevent a dust explosion;
Sanitation: management and workers focus on cleaning all the time, providing a sense of vigilance; however, hazardous dust accumulation rates may exceed cleaning efforts;
Ability to recycle material: in facilities where material can be recycled or reprocessed, there may be a greater tolerance for spills or leaks; and
Perceived difficulty in housekeeping efforts: as dust accumulates on hard-to-reach and overhead surfaces workers perceive that those surfaces are too hard, or too dangerous, to reach for cleaning.
With previous findings and additional input, the CSB aims to further explore these factors in order to prevent future accidents. Read more about the agency's efforts to keep workers safe from combustible dust and how to provide input on the CSB website.
One in 4 high school students and one in 6 middle school students are distracted in school zones each day, according to Safe Kids Worldwide.
Since 2013, the pedestrian fatality rate in school zones for 12-19 year olds has increased 13%, according to Safe Kids Worldwide.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has called on motorists, caregivers, teachers and drivers alike to stay cognizant and obey school zone signage and stop-arm laws.
A recent string of tragedies in Florida, Indiana, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky drove NHTSA Deputy Administrator Heidi King to release a video relaying the importance of school zone safety.
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View the slideshow to see additional recommendations from the NHTSA.
One in 4 high school students and one in 6 middle school students are distracted in school zones each day, according to Safe Kids Worldwide.
Since 2013, the pedestrian fatality rate in school zones for 12-19 year olds has increased 13%, according to Safe Kids Worldwide.
The National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) has called on motorists, caregivers, teachers and drivers alike to stay cognizant and obey school zone signage and stop-arm laws.
A recent string of tragedies in Florida, Indiana, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky drove NHTSA Deputy Administrator Heidi King to release a video relaying the importance of school zone safety.
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View the slideshow to see additional recommendations from the NHTSA.
Unintentional deaths from injuries rose 5.3% between 2016 and 2017.
New analysis from the National Safety Council (NSC) indicates unintentional deaths hit their highest number in history in 2017.
The data, released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), shows fatalities resulting from preventable accidents rose to 169,936 in 2017, a 5.3% increase from 2016.
"For years, the United States has accepted unintentional injuries as an unavoidable reality. These data show us that our collective complacency costs us 466 lives every day," the NSC stated. "The truth is, there is no such thing as an accident. We know what to do to save lives, but as a nation, we have not consistently prioritized safety at work, at home and on the road."
The number of preventable fatalities was driven in large part by the opioid epidemic in the United States.
An American is killed accidentally every three minutes by a drug overdose, a motor vehicle crash, a fall, a drowning, a choking incident or another preventable occurrence, according to the NSC.
PEERLESS peer·less adjective: MATCHLESS, INCOMPARABLE (Merriam-Webster)
At this year’s Safety Leadership Conference in Louisville, I had the opportunity to tour Kentucky Peerless Distilling Co.
The downtown distillery blossomed from a family-run business that was originally founded in the 1880s. Fourth-generation owner Corky Taylor and son Carson Taylor revived the business in 2015 with the goal of producing a world-class whiskey. In the past three years, the small-batch distillery already has made a name for themselves, its straight rye whiskey ranking number one in the world.
“We want to make sure it’s done right,” Corky told tour attendees in a special appearance.
Despite this seeming like a standard distillery tour on the surface, the embodiment of what truly is quality, or what is peerless, parallels directly to occupational health and safety efforts.
Safety professionals want a world-class safety program and culture to permeate throughout their organization. In my experience, the industry thrives on passion and attention to detail, just as the leadership and 25 employees at Kentucky Peerless do.
The goal of the distillery is to have a product that is unmatched when compared to other whiskey producers such as Jim Beam, or to be “peerless” as its namesake suggests. To do this, Corky and family created a process that they think will help them achieve that goal.
In the end, each company, no matter what the size, is making whiskey that consumers will enjoy, but the journey to get there is what sets them apart. And this is where lines are drawn to safety.
You can have a solid safety program, but the journey you take to get there is what will drive safety excellence in your organization.
For example, Kentucky Peerless is adamant about using a sweet mash in the fermentation process while many larger producers use a sour mash. In a sweet mash, fresh yeast is used, while a sour mash uses a small amount of leftover mash from the previous process.
The difference in starting a fresh batch every day, that attention to detail, inevitably contributes to the company’s rye whiskey ranking and sets them apart.
And the same goes for safety. Hazards always are changing and evolving. Using a cookie cutter approach, assuming everything will be the same day-to-day, will not lead to world-class excellence.
A true safety leader will develop processes and programs specifically designed to address hazards and issues within his/her specific organization.
If he/she happens to accept a position at another organization, the leader isn’t going to take the boilerplate program he/she implemented. He/she is going to start fresh and identify the things that are needed to bring the new company into the ranks of world-class excellence.
In the end, safety professionals have one common goal of making sure everyone goes home safe each day. What sets leaders apart are those who look at hazards with a fresh eye every morning, who implement policies and procedures that solve unique issues and who strive to be peerless. These are the professionals and organizations who drive world-class safety excellence, just as Kentucky Peerless leads the world in straight rye whiskey.
View the latest products from EHS Today's November issue.
EHS Today's print edition highlights the latest personal protective equipment, software and safety products ranging from footwear to training.
Our November issue features innovations from MSA, MCR Safety, Ergodyne, AutomationDirect, Mezzanine Safeti-Gates Inc. and Graphic Products.
To view product descriptions and photos, use the arrows to move back and forth through the slideshow.
More than 400 people will lose their lives over the weekend.
Preliminary projections from the National Safety Council (NSC) show 433 people may be fatally injured and another 49,400 seriously hurt in auto accidents over the 2018 Thanksgiving holiday.
In 2017, Thanksgiving was the second deadliest holiday for drivers and passengers, only behind July 4th. Alcohol contributes to more than one-third of fatal crashes during the period.
“Everyone wants a holiday to remember, but not for the wrong reasons,” said NSC President and CEO Deborah A.P. Hersman, in a statement. “Let’s keep our holiday gatherings out of the emergency room by making smart decisions that don’t involve drinking and driving. Plan ahead so you don’t put yourself or others at risk on the road.”
The Thanksgiving holiday runs from 6 p.m. Wednesday, Nov. 21 to 11:59 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 25. With preventable deaths at an all-time high, the NSC provides recommendations to keep drivers, passengers and pedestrians safe.
View the nine driving safety tips in the slideshow.
You remember that class: Napping 101 (although it was more than likely a more academically-focused subject). You would stroll in just in time, or maybe a couple minutes late, knowing the next hour would be the perfect time to sleep.
The teacher’s words went in one ear and out the other and sounded much like Charlie Brown’s teacher. You somehow retained enough to pass the next test and not fail the class. A few months down the road, you already forgot what you had learned.
Disseminating information to your workers is the easy part of training, relatively speaking. The hard part is getting them to be curious, ask questions and—the ultimate end game—retain that safety knowledge.
Employee engagement is a critical component to a world class safety program. While traditional lecture styles work, studies show that using participant-centered approaches such as games, discussions and visual aids could help with retention.
Becky Pike Pluth, who has more than 15 years of experience as a training professional, presented to National Safety Congress (NSC) 2018 attendees about how to spark curiosity using different learning techniques in order to make safety training— and knowledge—more memorable.
The average person will retain 20 minutes of information in a one-hour lecture. However, motivating and engaging individuals could increase the details they will remember later on.
“Stimulating curiosity creates extrinsic reward motivation and creates a more effective learning experience,” Pluth said. “Whatever that curious factor is—what comes before and after it will make it more memorable.”
Pluth, along with Donald Elswick, assistant professor of environmental, health and occupational safety at the University of Findlay, suggested safety managers can use some of the following methods to improve training sessions:
Play a learning game to draw connections to content and help with memory through association.
Use creative visuals.
Play music.
Quotes, statistics or outrageous statements will keep workersinterested.
Have your workers become learning partners to keep oneanother accountable.
Place props and toys on seats and tables.
Provide surveys and polls to gauge opinions.
Start in a different way than what is expected.
Utilize videos to preview content.
Use fill-in-the-blank workbooks.
Take field trips or go outside to change up the learning environment.
Award prizes or incentives for correct answers or participation.
Allow opportunities for creative thinking.
“Curiosity prepares the brain for learning and long-term retention,” Pluth told attendees. “Humor and imagination allow for curiosity and calculated risk-taking. You want to reduce tension and increase retention.”
Next time you’re sitting behind your computer, getting that PowerPoint ready for that toolbox talk or training session, think about what methods you are using to engage your workers.
Think about their reactions. Are they falling asleep? Do they ask more questions? Are your workers motivated to learn more, or do they look at you like you’re Charlie Brown’s teacher? If you’re not getting the reaction you want, think about the different ways you can spark their curiosity.
Leadership in an organization should encourage workers to create.
Good leaders have the responsibility to demonstrate and establish expectations, especially when it comes to creating an innovative culture to solve organizational issues.
J.A. Rodriquez, Raytheon global senior leader of EHSS and VPPPA chairman, closed out EHS Today's 2018 Safety Leadership Conference in Louisville with this message.
"In leadership, organizations do what they see," Rodriguez told attendees. "They very rarely do what they hear."
Assuming certain outcomes can lead to consequences that significantly can impact workers. If a leader begins with a determining a purpose, he/she can forma perspective that drives behavior and priorities and, in turn, a desired outcome.
"As safety leaders, this is key to getting your organization to be innovative and on the same page," he explained.
Collaboration from the top down is the key to having innovation as a mindset, and achieving team member buy-in and unity is essential. There is a balance between getting the job done yourself and getting the job done in ways that deliver optimal results.
"Be that person that's a spark plug to your organizations," Rodriquez said.
Read about five ways a safety leader can facilitate innovation within an organization by viewing the slideshow.