We’ve all been changed by the experience of living through a pandemic. We figured out how to sanitize groceries, mute ourselves on Zoom and keep from killing our roommates. But we’re also tackling bigger, existential questions — how can we, individually and collectively, find meaning in the experience of this pandemic?

Original Air Date: May 23, 2020

Guests: 

David Kessler — Tyrone Muhammad — Nikki Giovanni — John Kaag — Alice Kaplan

Interviews In This Hour: 

Grief Is A Natural Response To The Pandemic. Here’s Why You Should Let Yourself Feel It. — 'You Smell Death': Being A Mortician In A Community Ravaged By COVID-19 — Nikki Giovanni Reads a Poem of Remembrance — Does Philosophy Still Matter In The Age Of Coronavirus? — Why Camus' 'The Stranger' Is Still a Dangerous Novel

Siplast, a leader in advanced building envelope systems, introduced the WALLcontrol Monolith VP Adhered AWB, an addition to its existing WALLcontrol air and water-resistive barrier systems portfolio. The WALLcontrol Monolith VP Adhered AWB is a self-adhered, vapor-permeable air- and water-resistive barrier.

At New Philanthropy Capital’s annual conference, charity leaders discussed their experiences of engaging with the new government

Are we willing to reject the broken ‘as is’ and push towards a more radical new way of learning and working together?

Charities need stability and clarity from next week’s announcement – more ambitious interventions can wait

Rachel Reeves, the Chancellor of the Exchequer, also announced an increase in employers’ National Insurance contributions and a huge rise in health spending

In this special episode of If Walls Could Talk, Walls & Ceilings Associate Editor Michael Levitt speaks with Phampena Inc.’s Taide Pham, Hien “H” Pham and Trinidy Pham. The company is on the cover of W&C’s September issue and has grown into an industry leader since being founded in 2010.

NovaWrap Building Wrap is a 100 percent synthetic breathable weather-resistant barrier for residential and commercial applications.

As the construction industry relies more and more on BIM for building projects, there is pressure mounting for the cost estimator to use BIM for takeoffs.

Innovation drives progress. And in Amarillo, Texas, there is a new hub for innovation on the campus of Amarillo College. It is called Innovation Outpost, and the building’s renovation nods to the past with an eye on the future.

If you want to learn about campaigning, look to the community activists who seek no fame or fortune, just local change

In this video, W&C speaks with Agent Wall Systems’ Adam Taubman.

Help protect construction workers from injuries caused by falling tape measures with the Gear Keeper RT4 5603 Retractable Tape Measure Tether.

Washington – Gauging the effectiveness of federal and state-run OSHA programs is one of the Department of Labor’s biggest challenges, according to the DOL Office of Inspector General.

Geneva — A new guidebook from the International Labor Organization is intended to help employers compile data on key performance indicators related to safety and health.

An insurer sues an alarm company for failing to respond when a subscriber’s pipes burst, but a lack of a contract negates the claim.

In Michigan, an arsonist set the plaintiff’s liquor store on fire.

Should an individual in an indoor work setting use the same preventive measures for heat stress as someone working in an outdoor setting?

How can we better measure our safety culture?

The ANSI-approved standard aligns with the enterprise security risk management (ESRM) approach, serving as a tool to safeguard cannabis organizations and their assets by taking a holistic perspective.

Austin, TX — Three out of 4 workers aren’t satisfied with their employers’ safety efforts, results of a recent survey show.

Sacramento, CA — Workers involved in setting up, tearing down and operating live events at public entertainment venues will now be required to receive specified occupational safety training and certification, under a new California law.

Washington — Three days after the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration determined that hazardous materials transporters do not have to comply with California’s rest and meal break requirements, the American Trucking Associations filed a petition asking the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration to pre-empt the requirements for all commercial motor vehicle drivers.

Washington — A group of 19 congressional Democrats is urging, “in the strongest possible terms,” the Department of Transportation to deny a recent American Trucking Associations petition on California’s meal and rest break rules for commercial truck drivers.

Washington — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration on Dec. 21 granted a petition to pre-empt California’s meal and rest break rules for commercial motor vehicle drivers, stating that the rules are incompatible with current federal hours-of-service regulations and cause “a disruption in interstate commerce.”

Washington — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is seeking public comment as it considers a trucking industry petition to preempt Washington state’s meal and rest break rules for commercial motor vehicle drivers, less than a year after granting a similar request in California.

Washington — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration has granted a petition to preempt Washington state’s rules on meals and rest breaks for commercial truck drivers, determining that federal hours-of-service regulations supersede the state’s rules.

Washington — The Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration is asking for comments on petitions seeking to restore California’s and Washington state’s rules on meal and rest breaks for commercial truck and bus drivers.

Silver Spring, MD – Managers hoping to improve their workplace safety climate can reference a new workbook from the Center for Construction Research and Training (also known as CPWR).

Washington — Spurred by the Feb. 3 train derailment and fire in East Palestine, OH, the freight rail industry says it’s taking several “initial steps” to improve safety.

Tumwater, WA — Washington state has adopted a permanent rule that allows the voluntary use of personal protective equipment.

Washington — Better outreach, collaboration and information sharing among federal agencies is needed to improve worker safety in the meat and poultry slaughter and processing industries, the Government Accountability Office concluded in a recently released report.

Washington — Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) is among four lawmakers calling for Secretary of Labor R. Alexander Acosta to address their concerns over OSHA’s responses to a Government Accountability Office report, issued in November, on the health and safety of meat and poultry industry workers.

Minneapolis — Recently released guidance from the state of Minnesota details steps employers in the meatpacking industry should take to reduce worker exposure to COVID-19.

Washington — A new online toolkit from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is intended to assist safety professionals and health officials in assessing COVID-19 pandemic-related prevention and control measures at meat and poultry processing facilities.

Washington — Legislation reintroduced March 11 by Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) and Reps. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) and Bennie Thompson (D-MS) would prohibit line speed increases in meat and poultry-processing plants during the evolving COVID-19 pandemic.

Davis, CA — U.S. counties that are home to beef-, pork- and poultry-processing plants experienced accelerated COVID-19 infection rates during the pandemic, according to a recent study led by a researcher at the University at California, Davis.

Washington — Legislation recently introduced in the House and Senate is aimed at improving working conditions and whistleblower protections in the meat and poultry processing industry.

Washington — A new Government Accountability Office report recommends OSHA look at “available actions” – including developing a standard on infectious disease – to help protect workers in the meat and poultry processing industries.

Washington — The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention is advising dairy and poultry facilities to take steps to protect their workers and the public from exposure to bird flu.

Washington — The White House is calling on stakeholders across all sectors to “commit to save lives” by increasing training on – and access to – lifesaving opioid overdose reversal medications.

Washington – Certain smartphone and tablet applications designed to measure sound levels are accurate and reliable enough to assess occupational noise exposures, according to a new NIOSH study.

When is it appropriate to use the alternative protection measures outlined in OSHA 29 CFR 1910.147 in place of standard LOTO procedures?

New York – Every day, 27 workers suffer on-the-job amputations or injuries that require hospitalization, according to a recent report from the National Employment Law Project.

Washington — Two days after OSHA and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued voluntary interim guidance aimed at preventing the spread of COVID-19 among workers in the meatpacking and poultry-processing industries, President Donald Trump invoked the Defense Production Act of 1950 and declared the facilities “critical infrastructure” in an Executive Order intended to keep meatpacking facilities open.

Washington – NIOSH has developed a sound level meter mobile app designed to measure noise exposure in the workplace.

Atlanta — Almost three-quarters of U.S. employees are concerned about workplace safety standards and cleanliness as a protection against COVID-19, according to the results of a recent survey.

Washington — OSHA has expanded and updated its inspection guidance for animal processing and slaughtering.

Washington — Commercial and charter airlines, aircraft manufacturers, and air tour operators must establish a safety management system, according to a Federal Aviation Administration final rule that went into effect May 28.

In this interview with Prepared Foods, Eyal Rosenthal, CEO of Ever After Foods, Ltd., discusses the company’s advancements in cell-based meat production. Learn how Ever After's technology eschewed the industry standard and is able to produce a high volume, so-far comparatively low cost product.