#safetyculture Archives - McCraren Compliance

National grain safety week set for March 27-31

Posted on March 6, 2023March 8, 2023 by McCraren Compliance

Original article published by Safety+Health

Photo: OSHA

Washington — OSHA and its Alliance Program partners in the agriculture industry are teaming up to host the seventh annual Stand Up 4 Grain Safety Week.

The observance will take place March 27-31.

Each year, hundreds of workers are injured or killed by preventable hazards in grain storage and handling, OSHA says. The industrywide initiative is aimed at raising awareness of these hazards by providing employers and workers with educational opportunities, resources and training on best safety practices.

The event starts at 10 a.m. Central each day, with a hybrid kickoff event scheduled for March 27. Registrants will have free access to virtual training sessions during the rest of the week, with each day featuring a different focus and resources:
March 28: Powered industrial trucks (presented in Spanish at 2 p.m. Central)
March 29: Preventive maintenance and a bonus event, emerging health issues in agricultural settings
March 30: Heat and extreme weather (presented in Spanish at 2 p.m. Central)
March 31: Anhydrous ammonia and fumigation

Employers can register and post information about their event at StandUp4GrainSafety.org.

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.

National Stand-Down to Prevent Struck-By Incidents set for April

Posted on February 11, 2022 by McCraren Compliance

First published by Safety+Health an NSC publication

Photo: CPWR

Washington — The third annual National Stand-Down to Prevent Struck-By Incidents is expanding to a full week from a one-day event.

Set to take place April 11-15, the stand-down is a collaborative effort led by NIOSH’s National Occupational Research Agenda Construction Sector Council. The event, scheduled in conjunction with National Work Zone Awareness Week, is aimed at raising awareness of struck-by hazards and ways to prevent them. According to OSHA, the four most common struck-by hazards are being struck by a flying, falling, swinging or rolling object.

CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training and the NORA Construction Sector Council’s struck-by work group have scheduled a series of webinars throughout the week. Topics will include work zone safety, lift zone safety, heavy equipment and dropped objects.

CPWR also is offering various online resources, including infographics, toolbox talks, research and two on-demand webinars from last year’s stand-down: Cranes & Lifting – Avoiding Struck-By Incidents Under the Hook and Preventing Struck-By Incidents: Learning by Experience.

NSC celebrates 25 years of National Safety Month

Posted on June 2, 2021 by McCraren Compliance

First published by Safety+Health an NSC publication.

Itasca, IL — The National Safety Council, together with sponsor VelocityEHS, is encouraging employers to dedicate the month of June to improving their safety culture in recognition of National Safety Month. This year is the 25th anniversary of NSM, an annual observance created to inspire people to keep each other safe.

NSC launched NSM in 1996 to promote safe behaviors around the leading causes of preventable injuries and deaths at work, on the roads and in communities. According to the most recent data available, fatal work injuries and roadway deaths are on the rise, with 5,333 U.S. worker fatalities in 2019 (the highest total in more than a decade) and an estimated 42,060 people killed on the nation’s roads in 2020 – the highest number since 2007.

NSM participants have access to a variety of free materials on four weekly topics:
Week 1 – Prevent Incidents Before They Start: Identifying risks and taking proactive safety measures to reduce hazard exposure is crucial to creating a safe workplace.
Week 2 – Address Ongoing COVID-19 Safety Concerns: As the pandemic continues, employers play an important role in the expanding of operations, building trust around vaccines, promoting mental health and more.
Week 3 – It’s Vital to Feel Safe on the Job: Being yourself at work without fear of retaliation is necessary for an inclusive culture. The focus of leading organizations goes beyond only physical safety.
Week 4 – Advance Your Safety Journey: Safety is all about continuous improvement. Whether organizationally or individually, NSC and VelocityEHS can help provide guidance as organizations move forward in safety maturity.

“As organizations navigated the biggest workplace safety hazard in a generation, traditional safety risks never paused, and far too many people did not make it home to their loved ones at the end of their day,” NSC President and CEO Lorraine M. Martin said. “This year, we aim to inspire and support the EHS community to make people’s lives safer on and off the job. We are deeply grateful to VelocityEHS for their generous support of this important observance and shared commitment to safety.”

Access materials and learn more at nsc.org/nsm.

Safe + Sound Week slated for Aug. 9-15

Posted on March 11, 2021March 11, 2021 by McCraren Compliance

First published by Safety+Health an NSC publication.

Photo: OSHA

Washington — OSHA, NIOSH and a coalition of safety organizations – including the National Safety Council – are joining forces for the fifth annual Safe + Sound Week, scheduled for Aug. 9-15.

The national initiative is intended to help promote awareness and understanding of workplace safety and health programs. More than 3,400 employers participated in last year’s event, according to OSHA.

“Successful safety and health programs can proactively identify and manage workplace hazards before they cause injury or illness, improving sustainability and the bottom line,” the agency says. “Participating in Safe + Sound Week can help get your program started, energize an existing one or provide a chance to recognize your safety successes.”

Registration is set to open in July.

McCraren Compliance assists employers in protecting their workers, starting with a comprehensive Work-site Analysis, Hazard Prevention, Controls, and Safety & Health Training.

Please contact us today at 888-758-4757 to learn how we can provide mine safety training and consulting for your business.

Build a strong culture: Tips for ‘talking safety’

Posted on May 26, 2020 by McCraren Compliance

Image: Missouri Department of Transportation

No one can keep an entire organization safe on his or her own. Collaboration is needed to create a strong safety culture in which everyone looks out for each other.

There’s no magic formula to make someone heed safety advice. But improving the atmosphere around safety conversations can make it easier to give and receive advice in a graceful, constructive way. Here are some ways you can do that:

Retire the ‘safety police.’ The “gotcha” approach is counterproductive, experts say. When workers feel they’re being policed, they find ways to hide their unsafe behaviors, resulting in lost opportunities for improvement. To make a genuine, long-term impact, take a persuasive approach rather than a punitive one.

Speak the worker’s language. Instead of presenting the information in the way that makes the most sense to the speaker, consider how the worker will receive it. Before saying anything, take a moment to think about who is being spoken to and what he or she cares about, and tailor the conversation to speak to those motivations. And remember: Good communication goes both ways. Instead of doing all the talking, listen to what workers have to say – especially any questions or objections they bring up, which can reveal their motivations.
Demonstrate care and concern. By far, the greatest reason to give a worker for adopting a safe behavior is concern for his or her well-being, and the best way to avoid the appearance of lecturing is to show concern for that person. Be calm and keep emotions in check to help send the right message.
Focus on specifics. To avoid expressing judgment or disapproval and provoking a defensive reaction, limit comments to the precise unsafe behaviors or conditions that were witnessed.
Get (and give) permission. If you’re concerned that well-intentioned advice will come off as intrusive, it may help to set the stage for the safety conversation beforehand.
Lead by example and encourage others to do the same. Workers tend to do what those around them are doing, so it’s essential to demonstrate safe behaviors in addition to talking about them.

NSC announces task force on safely bringing employees back to work

Posted on April 23, 2020 by McCraren Compliance

Itasca, IL — The National Safety Council has launched SAFER: Safe Actions for Employee Returns, a comprehensive, multifaceted effort to help guide employers through the process of safely resuming traditional work and operations now and in a post-COVID-19 pandemic environment.

The task force comprises nonprofit organizations, businesses, medical professionals, government agencies and trade associations – all with the intention of sharing their expertise to develop industry- and risk-specific resources and recommendations for U.S. employers of all sizes.

The task force will issue recommendations and develop guidance for employers as they navigate the changed work environment and determine the most critical needs to ensure the safety of their workers.

SAFER also will:

Identify complexities with reengaging the workforce by partnering with human resources, legal, labor, health care and workers’ compensation providers
Develop general and sector-specific playbooks for America’s businesses to help them align worker safety with business objectives

“The manner in which employers bring people back to work will define our national response to the pandemic,” Lorraine M. Martin, president and CEO of NSC, said in an April 23 press release. “For more than a century, NSC has been helping employers put safety at the forefront of all their decisions, and we are once again taking action to continue serving this important role. With SAFER, we are confident we’re bringing the best minds together to ensure Americans have the safest transition back to work so we can truly flatten the curve and enable people to live their fullest lives.”

Tag: #safetyculture