Whenever a natural disaster or tragedy strikes, many invoke the words of popular children’s television host Fred Rogers, told to him by his mother: “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” For these Monitoring Center Excellence Award Winners, the helpers are in the central station, helping all the time, even when they’re off the clock.

National Safe Skies Alliance performs its evaluations under an ISO 9001:2015-approved Quality Management System.

The self-paced program is designed to prepare individuals for obtaining their alarm contractor license and serves as a Level One equivalent certification.

Washington – NIOSH on April 24 issued a recommended worker exposure limit of 1 microgram per cubic meter of air for carbon nanotubes and carbon nanofibers.

Washington – New recommendations issued by NIOSH on Nov. 8 address protecting workers during processes that use engineered nanomaterials.

Washington – NIOSH is seeking comment about its draft bulletin on the health effects of worker exposure to silver nanoparticles.

The recent update to OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard (CFR 1910.1200) changes the requirements for chemical labeling and mandatory employee training. The new Globally Harmonized System creates a universal standard to help keep workers safe and informed about chemical hazards. Because Hazcom is already one of the most frequently violated OSHA standards, it’s essential to know exactly what GHS is and how it affects your business.

Can I modify or handwrite GHS pictograms?

What are the criteria for determining if something is or is not an HNOC?

What are the most common challenges with GHS-compliant signs and labels?

Do all chemical containers need GHS labels?

What can HazCom-covered businesses expect from a proposed alignment with GHS Revision 7?

Are HazCom-covered businesses permitted to use and distribute chemicals purchased from foreign suppliers?

What are the similarities between the OSHA Hazard Communication Standard and the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals?

Today, DMP released its new line of alarm communication radios that are FirstNet Ready and approved for use on FirstNet.

Communication — both with end users and emergency personnel — has always been an essential part of any monitoring business. The methods through which monitoring centers communicate, though, have become incredibly varied.

When I first entered the security industry in 1973, alarm communications were performed by Direct Wire, McCulloh and some high security applications using voice-grade telephone lines configured in “open window” and later “closed window” bridges.

There has been a decided push in both technology and interest — from both security integrators and customers — on the cloud-based services that bring recurring monthly revenue.

TouchTone’s partners face a unique challenge: the phasing-out of legacy copper-wire phone lines, informally known as Plain Old Telephone Service or POTS.

Washington — OSHA has extended until June 30 the deadline to comment on a proposed rule that would revise injury and illness recordkeeping rules.

Iowa City, IA — Organizations seeking better safety results should adopt a more precise accounting system, a group of international researchers suggests.

When a building burns down, a lawsuit arises around a contract waiver between an alarm company, a building owner, and the insurance company.

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.

A worker claiming unsafe working conditions sought unemployment benefits after quitting is role as a technician with a fire services company.   

Under a new proposed rule, the FTC would ban employers from saddling workers with non-compete agreements that prohibit them from working at competitors. 

An Illinois state law ensures that individuals are in control of their own biometric data and prohibits private companies from collecting it unless they meet certain consent criteria.

Salem, OR — Students from Silverton and Hermiston high schools took first-place prizes in this year’s Oregon OSHA media contest to promote young worker safety and health awareness.

Combustible dusts – finely ground organic or metal particles – can be found in a number of industries, the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries states. These industries include food, tobacco, plastics, paper, rubber, textiles, pesticides, pharmaceuticals and fossil fuel power generation.

Dust may look innocuous, but given the right circumstances, it can be deadly.

Between 2006 and 2017, 111 combustible dust incidents resulted in 66 worker deaths and 337 injuries in the United States, according to data from the Chemical Safety Board.

Washington – The National Transportation Safety Board on April 8 issued a series of recommendations to the U.S. Coast Guard and other ferry industry stakeholders following the investigation of a January 2013 ferry crash in New York City.

Washington – OSHA’s Whistleblower Protection Advisory Committee is scheduled to meet March 11 in Washington.

Washington – OSHA is looking to fill 12 positions on its Whistleblower Protection Advisory Committee.

Washington – OSHA administrator David Michaels and stakeholders at a recent Senate subcommittee hearing made their case for strengthening the agency’s statute that protects workers who blow the whistle on employers for violating occupational safety standards.

Washington – The Department of Labor has renewed the charter for the Whistleblower Protection Advisory Committee.

Washington – Failures and mismanagement at the Chemical Safety Board have put public safety at risk, according to a joint staff report filed June 19 in conjunction with a hearing convened by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

Washington – OSHA’s Whistleblower Protection Advisory Committee is scheduled to meet in September to discuss recent reports on whistleblower enforcement.

Washington – Two new members joined OSHA’s Whistleblower Protection Advisory Committee, and 13 current members have been reappointed, Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez announced Oct. 20.

Washington – Nominations for OSHA’s Whistleblower Protection Advisory Committee are being accepted until May 18 to fill six membership positions that will become vacant later this year.

Washington – OSHA has published three new fact sheets outlining workers’ rights and the procedures for filing whistleblower complaints.

Washington – Although OSHA has improved its Whistleblower Protection Programs in recent years, the Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General had concluded that the agency could do more to strengthen protection.

Washington – Stakeholders are encouraged to comment on a draft guidance document from OSHA intended to help employers develop a whistleblower protection program.

Washington – Five years after issuing an interim rule, OSHA has published a final rule regarding how to handle retaliation complaints from railroad workers and public transit workers who engage in whistleblower activities.

Washington – OSHA’s Whistleblower Protection Advisory Committee and its work groups are scheduled to meet April 25-26 in Washington.

Washington – OSHA is seeking nominations for membership on its Whistleblower Protection Advisory Committee.

Washington – OSHA’s Whistleblower Protection Advisory Committee is set for the next two years following Secretary of Labor Thomas Perez’s renewal of the group’s charter.

Washington — Facing a staffing shortage and an increased number of complaints related to the COVID-19 pandemic, OSHA must improve the efficiency of its Whistleblower Protection Program, an audit report from the Department of Labor Office of Inspector General concludes.

Washington — OSHA is asking for public input on an interim final rule that governs the whistleblower protections provision of the Criminal Antitrust Anti-Retaliation Act of 2019.

Washington — OSHA is testing a “streamlined” process of filtering complaints via a yearlong Whistleblower Protection Program pilot program.

Kansas-based Safety Plus First Aid & Safety helps businesses protect their employees and customers with first-aid kits, AEDs, CPR kits and other safety equipment needed in case of a workplace injury or emergency.