the feed

Setting expectations and standards through a strong safety training program is one of the best ways to create a safe working environment. In this episode, OH&S Editor Sydny Shepard sits down with Earl Johnson, Director of Safety at Tyson Foods, to discuss the impact and importance of implementing a training program that works for leadership and employees.

Why is having or establishing a strong health and safety program of such crucial importance? Well, put simply: human consequences!

After our last blog post on this topic, we saw an uptick in COVID-19 related questions, understandably. Today I will be addressing one of the more common ones: whether illnesses caused by the virus are recordable or reportable. I’ve included a link below to the latest enforcement guidance memo from OSHA which describes what we need to do to determine work-relatedness.

I will also discuss additional aspects of your safety programs that you might want to review in light of this current pandemic and future ones.  As you read, please keep in mind that the CDC has different COVID-19 reporting requirements for healthcare providers, so if you're in the healthcare industry, please review those.

As an EHS consultant, I’m used to fielding questions on OSHA requirements, but since the beginning of the pandemic the amount has increased exponentially. With that in mind, I’m offering guidance on implementing workplace health and safety hazard processes as it relates to COVID-19.  

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to upend the traditional manufacturing environment. As mandates require organizations to practice social distancing in their facilities, many manufacturers are struggling with how they can safely provide critical workplace training to their frontline employees.

The food processing and manufacturing world is currently in an especially precarious position in this pandemic, as workers often interact in close quarters, and social distancing isn’t always possible. And staying home to flatten the curve (which works!) isn’t always feasible since food, and its production, is essential.

At this point in time, we have enough data to support that the coronavirus is not transmitted via food. It’s an upper respiratory infection — in order to become infected, it has to get transmitted from either an infected individual through microdroplets, or from touching a dirty surface, then transferring the virus by touching your mouth, eyes, or nose.

During the second installment of our Covid Communications webinar series, Intertek Alchemy joined forces with Julie Keich and Lynn Costanza of Campbell’s Snacks to highlight how one company in the food manufacturing and processing industry is navigating the “new normal”.  

Last week during the second of our Covid Communictions webinar series, we asked attendees to share practical procedures and best practices they were carrying out in their facilities to prevent the spread of Covid-19.

Not surprisingly, the tips that followed were thoughtful, helpful, and showcased the forward-thinking required of all industry leaders during this unprecedented pandemic crisis:

Rick Gehrke, Senior Environmental Safety and Health Consultant here at Intertek Alchemy, recently hosted the webinar “Don’t Get Busted! OSHA 2019 Top Five Violations in General Industry”  that covered the specific standards, the hazards and types of associated incidents, penalties, as well as some of things that you can do to protect your people and your organization.

We’ve received many questions regarding OSHA regulations and the use of N95 masks in the workplace for protecting personnel from COVID-19, and whether the respiratory protection standard applies.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, cities and states have shut down their restaurants, bars, and entertainment venues to help slow the spread of the coronavirus. Despite all of this, consumer demand for medical supplies and food continues to increase and truck drivers are crucial for maintaining the supply chain and keeping the economy going. 

To help in efforts to contain the rapid spread of the novel coronavirus, Intertek Alchemy has created a new training course "COVID-19: Overview" to ensure frontline manufacturing, food processing, and service workers know how to:

Leading indicators are one way to provide line of sight into future performance, as well as indicate how you have performed so far. By balancing the use of leading indicators with lagging indicators, you will get an overall comprehensive understanding of exactly where you are and what you need to do, to get to where you want to be.

Joy Inouye, a research associate at Campbell Institute at the National Safety, recently shared key insights and information gleaned from her long history in this field. 

So how to get started?

• Have you ever heard these comments during an incident review?

• “We have walked by that hazard hundreds of time and never saw it!”

• “We can’t see the forest through the trees! We need fresh eyes on our facility to see the hazards we no longer see.”

The National Safety Council's Campbell Award recognizes leading companies in safety that share the NSC’s mission and vision of eliminating all preventable death in our lifetime. We believe safety starts with every individual, every work team, and every organization — and cascades from there into homes, communities, the road, and the workplace.