Morris had me on the phone. It was 1974 and he was calling from Brooklyn, New York. I had a waxed handlebar mustache that year, and my workmates at the manufacturers’ rep were calling me Rollie Fingers because he was pitching for the Oakland Athletics in the World Series.

Not long ago, Ray asked the Wallies who post daily on The Wall at HeatingHelp.com what advice they would give someone just starting out in this business. Here’s some of what they had to say. There’s a lot of street-smart experience here.

This is a voluntary consensus standard. It uses recognized management system principles in order to be compatible with quality and environmental management system standards such as ISO 9001, ISO 14001 and ISO 45001.

What’s that one worksite habit that really grinds your gears? Every safety pro has one pet peeve they hate to see but can’t seem to eliminate. Bad safety habits happen on every job site, but breaking those habits isn’t as easy as slapping workers on the wrist or offering them rewards.

It’s a fact of life in every industrial facility: Heavy machinery and a cavernous room are a bad combination. The noise generated in such an environment quickly becomes intolerable, not to mention dangerous for those working there.

In 2016, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) empowered miners with a new wearable device according to Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. NIOSH researchers have documented that a continual personal dust monitor has created a 90% decrease in dangerous levels of dust for miners reducing pneumoconiosis (black lung).

Today, optrel, a leading manufacturer of active eye protection products, introduced its new crystal2.0 welding helmet with Crystal 2.0 Lens Technology (CLT2.0) — representing a quantum leap forward in optical clarity for welders before, during, and after welding.

The natural gas meter may be the textbook example of something that is said to be “hidden in plain sight.” Every structure – from house to hospital and grocery store to commercial warehouse – that uses natural gas as the feedstock for its furnaces, stoves or water heaters has at least one of the (usually) gray boxes bolted to its exterior.

Employees working at water treatment plants face danger every day. The work is inherently treacherous, as water makes every step potentially hazardous, and sometimes even life-threatening.

A manufacturer of robotic road painting systems, RoadPrintz Inc., based in Cleveland Heights, Ohio, unites pioneering innovation with sound engineering to produce operator-driven vehicles equipped with cutting-edge technology for the painting of road symbols without the use of stencils.

With climate change in mind, it is imperative that industries evaluate current heat safety practices and explore the potential of core body temperature-sensing wearables that accurately predict heat strain, improve worker productivity, and mitigate adverse heat-related health outcomes.

Safety doesn’t stop just because it’s hot outside. As temperatures start to rise, it’s time to invest in summer-friendly workwear.

The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) says it is “encouraged” after seeing newly released data that shows a continued decrease in occupational injuries and illnesses, but thinks even more can be done to protect workers. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported Nov. 9 that workplace injuries and illnesses at private industry employers were down by 48,500 cases in 2016 compared to the previous year.

The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) is seeking a new Executive Director (ED), a position based in Park Ridge, Illinois and one that reports to the organization’s President and its Board of Directors. Founded in 1911, ASSE has a global membership of more than 36,000 safety, health and environmental practitioners worldwide. ASSE advocates on behalf of its members while also providing robust professional development, training and networking opportunities. ASSE has an annual budget of approximately $18M, staff of 75, and operates a robust network of 152 chapters in the United States and internationally.

The newest addition to Vector Solutions' LMS offers seamless learning experiences for faster, more efficient skill development as well as increased knowledge retention and engagement.

New helmet has exclusive new features.

Over 900 AD community members attended the 2023 AD North American Meeting – Industrial & Safety – U.S. and Safety Network Divisions in Colorado from September 12 to 15 for a week of networking and collaboration.

Tyndale announces the completed expansion of their Houston DC to 118,260 square feet, which is more than 50% more square footage than its original size.

As an organization highly committed to safety, it was important to this premium retailer that they take a proactive approach to control any hazardous energy that could impact safety and/or the efficiency of their stores – and the sooner the better. 

The OSHA standard on control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout) general industry is one of the top 10 most frequently penalized OSHA standards for FY 2022.

The lockout-tagout process will keep workers safe when maintaining equipment in the field. Use these steps to develop the proper LOTO procedure for your worksite.

While commonly associated with planned shutdowns and turnarounds, SU/SD operations also encompass routine operational cycles and processes that occur independently of these events. These SU/SD operations produce various risks that need to be carefully managed to ensure the safety, reliability, and efficiency of industrial facilities. 

Collaboration aims to enhance refining operations and workforce with advanced AI-Assisted technologies, including a new generation of alarm management solutions.

Doug Backinger of Caster Concepts discusses the growing trend of automation and ergonomics in the materials handling industry.

Imagine a world where industrial accidents are almost non-existent, where robots, drones and AI-powered technologies work together to create the safest possible work environments.

The OSHA investigation determined that the Texas plant's operator failed to install required machine guards or locking devices, exposing workers to hazardous contact with moving machine parts.

This article discusses the most common challenges in lockout tagout implementation, from outdated practices to human behavior.

In today’s dynamic work environments, an increasing number of employees find themselves working alone.

Construction site managers and safety managers bear the responsibility of helping to ensure the safety and security of a jobsite and its workers.

AIHA is encouraging outdoor workers and employers to participate in the app’s open beta testing phase and provide feedback on its functionality. 

Jergens Industrial Supply recently teamed up with custom software development group MindHARBOR Inc. to solve a problem in their supply chain -- and in the process found a new line of Internet of Things (IoT) technology to market to other distributors.

Many distributors looking for ways to fend off disruption (read Amazon) are considering how to repurpose legacy brick-and-mortar facilities, according to NAW – the National Association of Wholesaler-Distributors.

Headquartered in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, BlackHawk is a leading distributor of cutting tools, abrasives and industrial MRO products used in manufacturing, aerospace & defense, energy, auto aftermarket, construction, general industrial, medical and agriculture applications. 

The DPA Buying Group is pleased to welcome twenty new distributor members to its safety & public safety product divisions.

Human competencies that will always be valued include understanding visual inputs, understanding meaning, critical thinking, communication, problem-solving and empathy and caring for others.

The improper handling of hazardous waste brings many potential dangers, from health hazards to environmental damage, in both the short and long term.

Adopting a more personalized design approach to cleaning equipment will help facility maintenance teams build operational resilience, deliver better and safer cleaning outcomes and protect employees.

Requests to ship hazardous and perishable goods across greater distances are increasing in frequency. With the surge of globalization, companies must contend with how to get fragile or potentially dangerous items to suppliers and end-users a world away.

Businesses can achieve maximum success during the holiday season by utilizing AI and automation in their retail shipping operations. The holiday season is critical for companies, but the increased sales often come with shipping headaches. Luckily, artificial intelligence (AI) and automation provide key solutions for simplifying shipping for businesses and customers.

When snow and “ice missiles” blowing off semi-trailers and trucks are added to the equation, the risk factor increases exponentially.

By now, most people are aware of just how essential fleets are to our daily lives — we have the pandemic to thank for that. Click-and-collect culture met with the supply chain fiasco of 2022 has compounded the need for fleets to keep the supply and demand chain moving, enable technicians to deliver field services, and transport both the niceties and essentials of modern life.

In many contexts, the “smart” prefix refers to giving technologies some form of wireless connectivity. That’s not necessarily the case with smart concrete, which covers a much broader range of materials than it may initially seem.

Who makes sure all of that water and electricity continues to flow so it’s there when we need it? There are a million people working at all hours of the day to make sure these resources are always available. 

Doctors met a patient at a surgical center outside Boston to invent a new operation, a way to perform arm amputations that might allow patients to move their prosthetic hands more like real ones. The right arm resting on a blue surgical drape before them came from a cadaver; it’s just the limb, ending at the shoulder. It came from the Anatomy Gifts Registry. Devising a new operation is like re-engineering the anatomy.

Research from the University of Kentucky’s Superfund Research Center (UK-SRC) shows that a diet high in fiber could possibly reverse the adverse effects that environmental toxins have on cardiovascular health. The findings are part of UK-SRC’s “Project #1,” which examines how nutrients affect toxicity caused by polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in vascular tissues.

The respiratory disease caused by a novel (new) coronavirus that was first detected in Wuhan City, Hubei Province, China has now been detected in 32 locations internationally, including cases United States. The virus has been named “SARS-CoV-2” and the disease it causes has been named “coronavirus disease 2019” (abbreviated “COVID-19”).

Twenty-five years ago, as a young safety professional, I struggled to find a set of leadership practices I could call my own. In 1996, I wrote about many of the leadership practices I was already using but found more clearly established in Servant Leadership (Sarkus, 1996).

Behavior is not right or wrong, good or bad. It just is. It is neutral. Approach behaviors with the dispassionate, objective view of a scientist. Not with emotions.

Since health and safety initiatives and overall health and safety commentary seem to be focused towards frontline workers, Positional Leaders appear to be getting a free pass on the safety train that already left the station a long, long time ago.