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Construction 

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Plan for 

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■ Serious 

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& Fatalities 

A Call for a 

New Focus 

■ Best 

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OF THE 


OF SAFETY ENGINEERS 


contents 

December 2008 PS Online at www.professionalsafety.org Volume 53, Number 12 

features 

26 

32 

40 



Construction 


Plan for 

Excellence 

■ Serious 

Injuries 

& Fatalities 

A Call for a 

New Focus 

■ Best 

New Tools 

for Training 

Practices 

Safety Management 

Preconstruction Safety: 

Plan for Safety Excellence 

By Carmen Shafer 

Construction safety does not begin in the field. It takes planning 

and forethought to be effectively implemented in the 

field. The SH&E professional needs to be involved during all 

stages of a project—from procurement and preconstruction to 

daily safety activities. 


Serious Injuries & Fatalities: A Call 

for a New Focus on Their Prevention 

By Fred A. Manuele 

Worker injuries have been dramatically reduced in U.S. industry, 

but much of that reduction has been in the less severe injury categories. 

Serious injuries have not been reduced equivalently. This article 

examines types of activities in which serious injuries occur, presents an 

instrument for studying injury severity and calls for SH&E professionals 

to conduct a gap analysis of their organizations’ existing safety management 

systems. 

Continuous Improvement 

Employee Engagement: 

Improving Participation in Safety 

By Joshua H. Williams 

Optimizing safety culture requires active employee engagement for safety, 

so many organizations are seeking ways to improve the level of that 

engagement. This article reviews strategies that organizations can implement 

to achieve this goal, including the use of innovative programs for 

safety, providing mentoring to newer employees and implementing 

behavior-based safety initiatives. 

DECEMBER 2008 




Cover: Photo highlights this issue’s lead feature, “Precon - 

struction Safety: Plan for Safety Excellence.” The article, 

which begins on p. 26, discusses how to plan safety into 

a construction project through goal setting, bidding procedures 

and daily safety activities. 

26 

Professional Safety is a blind peerreviewed 

journal published monthly 

by the American Society of Safety 

Engineers, the oldest and largest safety 

society. Professional Safety keeps the 

professional occupational SH&E specialist 

informed on developments in the 

research and technology of accident 

prevention, industry best practices and 

safety management techniques. 

SUBSCRIPTION PRICES 

Professional Safety (ISSN 0099 0027) is published 

monthly by the Ameri can Society of Safety Engineers, 

1800 E. Oakton St., Des Plaines, IL 60018-2187 USA; 

phone +1 (847) 699-2929; fax +1 (847) 296-3769; profes 

sionalsafety @asse.org; customer service @asse.org; ASSE 

website: www.asse.org. 

U.S., Canada and Mexico—$60.00 per year; $5.50 per 

copy; $94.00, 2 years; $120.00, 3 years. Public and educational 

institution libraries—$51.00 per year; $78.00, 2 years; 

$106.00, 3 years. Foreign—$70.00 per year; $6.50 per copy; 

$111.00, 2 years; $145.00, 3 years. U.S. funds drawn on U.S. 

bank. Public and educational institution libraries—$60.00 

per year; $96.00, 2 years; $126.00, 3 years. Add $60.00 per 

year for airmail. 

The basic association subscription price for Professional 

Safety is $17.50. 

Periodicals postage paid at Des Plaines, IL, and at additional 

mailing offices. POSTMASTER: Send address corrections 

to Change of Address Dept., Professional Safety, 1800 

E. Oakton St., Des Plaines, IL 60018-2187 USA. Requests for 

back issues should be made within three months of publication. 

Judgments made or opinions expressed in Professional 

Safety feature articles, news sections, letters to the editor, 

meeting re ports or related journal content do not necessarily 

reflect the views of the Editor, nor should they be 

considered an expression of official policy by ASSE. They 

are published for the purpose of stimulating independent 

thought on matters of concern to the safety profession 

and its practitioners. 

Correspondence should be addressed to the Editor. 

No responsibility will be assumed for manuscripts not 

accompanied by self-addressed envelope and return 

postage. Editor reserves the right to edit manuscripts and 

other submissions in order to improve clarity and style. 

Professional Safety copyright ©2008 by the American 

Society of Safety Engineers. All rights reserved. Permis - 

sion to reproduce articles must be obtained from the 

Editor. Single-copy and academic reprint permission is 

also available through the Copyright Clearance Center 

[+1 (978) 750-8400]. No copyright is claimed in any works 

of the U.S. government that may be published herein. 

PRINTED IN THE USA 

2 PROFESSIONAL SAFETY DECEMBER 2008 www.asse.org

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• Learn how to become an AWPT Training Center 

• Discover how to join IPAF and how AWPT can help your business 

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AWPT operator training meets or exceeds OSHA and ANSI standards 

The IPAF training program is the most 

successful and widely recognized in the 

world. It has already trained thousands and 

thousands of operators in the safe and 

productive use of modern platforms – and 

its PAL Card is recognized everywhere as 

proof of high quality training. 

This training is available in North America 

from AWPT-approved training centers. 

AWPT is IPAF’s North American subsidiary. 

Safety legislation everywhere increasingly 

demands training to a recognized level and 

the AWPT program meets or exceeds the 

intent of the new international standard, 

ISO 18878. 

Your business relies on the productivity of 

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OF THE 




contents 

continued 

EDITORIAL STAFF 

Sue Trebswether Editor 

(847) 768-3433; strebswether@asse.org 

Tina Angley Associate Editor 

(847) 768-3438; tangley@asse.org 

Cathy Wegener Assistant Editor 

(847) 768-3414; cwegener@asse.org 

Publication 

Design Inc. 

Design Consultants 

departments 

6 

8 

10 

16 

18 

22 

46 

In the Loop 

President’s Message 

President Warren Brown calls on 

members to attend PDC and support 

the Foundation. 

Dates & Places 

Reader Feedback 

Industry Notes 

Rules & Regs 

Best Practices 

Tips for selecting the proper 

work gloves 

50 Standards 

Developments 

54 

56 

60 


Using simulations to help 

employees practice job tasks 

safely 


A how-to on using YouTube to 

create a training simulation 

Product Pulse 

69 Classifieds 

Back Page 

72 Safety photo of the month 

and more 

18 

6 

46 

EDITORIAL REVIEW BOARD 

Frank G. D’Orsi, CSP, ARM, Chair 

Daniel H. Anna, PH.D., CSP 

Peter D. Bowen, CSP, ERM, ARM, CPEA-S&H 

Salvatore Caccavale, CHMM, CPEA 

Jeffery C. Camplin, CSP, CPEA 

Steve Minshall, CSP, CIH 

Ernest Stracener, CSP, CHMM 

Thomas Sjostrom, P.E., CPEA 

SOCIETY OFFICERS 

Warren K. Brown, CSP, ARM, CSHM 

President 

C. Christopher Patton, CSP 

President-Elect 

Darryl C. Hill, CSP 

Senior Vice President 

James D. Smith, M.S., CSP 

V.P. Finance 

Richard A. Pollock, CSP 

V.P. Professional Development 

Fred J. Fortman 

Executive Director 

ADVERTISING 

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Fox Associates—Los Angeles 

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Fox Associates—New York 

phone (212) 725-2106 • fax (212) 779-1928 

Advertising Inquiries 

AdInfo.ASE@foxrep.com 

ARTICLE REPRODUCTIONS 

Authorization to photocopy items for internal, personal 

or educational use is granted by ASSE, provided the 

appropriate fee is paid directly to the Copyright 

Clearance Center (CCC), 222 Rosewood Dr., Danvers, 

MA 01923 USA; phone +1 (978) 750-8400; www.copy 

right.com/UseAccount/IconJr/prodchoice.html. 

(Reference Code No. 0099-0027.) 

Professional Safety is available free online to ASSE 

members at www.professionalsafety.org. Articles are 

also available via microform and/or electronic databases 

from ProQuest, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 

48106-1346 USA; phone +1 (800) 521-0600. For specific 

format details, visit www.proquest.com. 


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In the 

Loop 

LifeSpan 

Technologies’ new 

white paper proposes 

a less expensive 

solution for fixing 

the national bridge 

problem. 

The rate of 

privateindustry 

workplace 

injuries 

and 

illnesses 

has 

continued 

to decline 

for the 

sixth 

consecutive 

year. 

White Paper Offers Cheaper Fix 

for Bridge Problem 

Anew white paper that describes a four-step 

process for fixing the national bridge problem 

is available from LifeSpan Technologies. The paper 

is the second of its kind; the first, released 

in August 2007, described a path toward 

restoring structurally deficient bridges. 

The new white paper describes a process 

that would allow repairs and replacement 

bridge projects based on risk priorities 

and precise engineering data. LifeSpan 

says if Congress implements this process, 

bridge cost savings at the federal and 

state level could be greater than 30%. “Our 

proposed process . . . can easily provide 

billions of dollars in savings,” says Life- 

Span CEO Peter Vanderzee. “In this era of 

severely limited federal and state funding, 

we are convinced that every bridge 

classified as structurally deficient, or that 

has a sufficiency rating less than 50, 

should have a technically appropriate advanced 

condition assessment solution deployed prior to 

repair or replacement funding authorization.” 

LifeSpan reports that adopting advanced condition 

assessment technologies is the most effective 

means for transportation departments, railroads, 

cities and other bridge owners to gather information 

on structurally deficient bridges to more accurately 

diagnose problems, define safe operating 

parameters and plan repair projects. The white 

paper can be ordered by sending an e-mail to 

whitepaper@lifespantechnolgies.com or by calling 

(770) 234-9494. For more information, visit www 

.lifespantechnologies.com. 

Workplace Injury & Illness Rate 

Continues Downward Trend 

The rate of nonfatal workplace injuries and illnesses 

in private industry has continued to 

decline for the sixth consecutive year. The Bureau 

of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) report released on Oct. 23, 

2008, states that in 2007, injuries and illnesses 

occurred at a rate of 4.2 cases per 100 equivalent 

full-time workers, which is a decline from 4.4 cases 

in 2006. Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao says the 

21% decline over the past 6 years and the 4.5% 

decline for the past year “show the effectiveness of 

the strategy of targeted enforcement coupled with 

prevention though compliance assistance to promote 

a culture of safety at the workplace.” 

The BLS report can be found at www.bls.gov/ 

news.release/osh.nr0.htm. 

NIOSH Sets PPE Guidelines 

to Protect Against 

Hazardous Drugs 

Arecent NIOSH report recommends that 

employers provide appropriate PPE to health- 

6 PROFESSIONAL SAFETY DECEMBER 2008 www.asse.org 

care workers who work with hazardous drugs to 

minimize exposure and help protect them from 

skin rashes, cancer and 

reproductive disorders. 

The report, found at 

www.cdc.gov/ 

niosh/docs/wp 

-solutions/2009 

-106, outlines recommended 

safe 

work practices for 

gloves, eye and face 

protection, gowns, 

respiratory protection, 

sleeve, hair and shoe covers 

and PPE disposal. Some 

recommendations include using powder-free 

gloves, changing gowns every 2 to 3 hours if they 

contain no permeation information, avoiding eye 

glasses with side shields as they do not offer adequate 

protection to the eyes from splashes, and 

using sleeve covers constructed of coated materials 

to provide additional protection. 

NIOSH recommends minimizing hazardous 

drug exposure through engineering controls (e.g., 

closed system transfer devices, compounding aseptic 

containment isolators) and administrative controls 

(e.g., implementing work practices, training 

programs and management policies), and that PPE 

be used to reduce exposure when engineering and 

administrative controls are not possible. 

ISEA Launches New 

Online Career Center 

The new Safety Equipment Industry JobBase, 

from International Safety Equipment Association 

(ISEA), is an online interactive job board to 

match qualified professionals with prospective 

employers. The free site, geared toward the safety 

equipment industry, offers job seekers, ISEA member 

companies and the safety equipment industry a 

highly targeted resource for employment connections. 

“We’re very 

excited about Safety 

Equipment Industry 

JobBase because 

we know how critical 

it is for employers 

in this industry 

to attract first-rate 

talent with a minimum 

expenditure 

of time and resources,” 

says Daniel Shipp, ISEA president. 

Job seekers may post their resumes, browse and 

view available jobs based on certain criteria and 

create a search agent to provide e-mail notifications 

of jobs that match their criteria. Employers can post 

jobs, include company information and a link to 

their website, and search for candidates based on 

their criteria. The job site is available at www 

.safetyequipment.org.


President’s 

Message 

Change is a constant in our world 

and we must proactively prepare and 

be ready for what the future holds. 

Securing Our Future 

“For tomorrow 

belongs to the 

people who 

prepare for 

it today.” 

—African proverb 

If you’re like me, you considered many factors when you joined ASSE. Perhaps you 

wanted to network with fellow safety professionals. Maybe you wanted to be associated 

with a leading organization like ASSE. Or perhaps you were seeking leadership 

skills, career growth or professional development opportunities. 

For me, one of the most important reasons I joined the Society and continue to be involved 

are the myriad professional development opportunities that ASSE offers and, in 

particular, the annual Professional Development Conference (PDC). I have always found 

this event enlightening and productive, yet studies of PDC attendance indicate that slightly 

less than 10% of our membership takes advantage of this opportunity. These same studies 

also show that more than 20% of those who do attend are not ASSE members. 

I challenge each of you to take a close look at this comprehensive opportunity for professional 

development and I urge you to join us in San Antonio next June. You won’t be 

disappointed. More than 600 proposals to present were submitted for Safety 2009, and just 

over 200 were selected. These presentations will be delivered by high-quality speakers 

and will cover a comprehensive array of pertinent, timely subjects. 

Along with the technical presentations at PDC, you’ll find many other opportunities for 

advancing your professional development. For example, the practice specialties and common 

interest groups will host events during which you can meet and talk with fellow 

members who face similar challenges and can offer valuable insight. By talking with your 

colleagues, you will expand your network, which will lead to future opportunities and 

personal growth. And through these interactions, you will forge friendships that will last a 

lifetime. Bottom line: Your professional development is best managed by you and the 

PDC is an opportunity you should not miss. Now is the time to plan to attend and to get 

it into the budget before the end of the year. 

In addition to ensuring our individual futures through continuing education and ongoing 

involvement in ASSE, we all must work to secure the future of this great profession 

and to support our student members, who are our future leaders. One of the best ways to 

do this is by supporting the ASSE Foundation. 

I challenge each of you to give to the Foundation. Through the support of ASSE members, 

regions, chapters and corporations, the Foundation awards scholarships, funds fellowships 

and supports safety research—all of which are important for our future and our 

legacy. I recognize that these are difficult economic times, but you need not give a large 

amount to make this a success. If every member gave just $4, we would meet the goal to 

award $130,000 in scholarships—and we each could proudly say that we helped our students 

achieve their goals of becoming safety professionals. 

To further encourage each of you to contribute before the end of the year, I will personally 

match the first $2,000 donated to the Foundation during the month of December— 

and please remember that by donating by Dec. 31, you’ll receive the added benefit of a 

tax deduction. 

This year has seen its share of turmoil and uncertainty. We also witnessed a historic 

presidential election in the U.S. Change is a constant in our world and we must proactively 

prepare and be ready for what the future holds. As 2008 draws to a close and we look 

toward 2009, I wish you good luck and I hope to see you in San Antonio. 


Warren K. Brown, CSP, ARM, CSHM

YOU CAN MAKE IT HAPPEN. Improving the safety culture of your 

organization could be transformational in the performance of your safety program. 

■ Assess strengths and weaknesses 

■ Transform your organization by improving your safety culture 

■ Develop strategies that lead to injury reduction 

■ Apply principles to increase effectiveness of programs 

Learn more at www.asse.org.

Dates & 

Places 

“If opportunity doesn’t knock, build a door.” —Milton Berle 

Featured 

Event 

December 18 

CONFINED SPACE course in San Diego, CA. Contact 

Pacific Safety Council; (888) 846-4200; info@safety 

councilonline.com; www.safetycouncilonline.com. 

December 18-19 

DISASTER/EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT & BUSINESS 

CONTINUITY PROGRAMS workshop in Orlando, FL. 

Contact NFPA; (800) 344-3555; 

www.nfpalearn.org. 

January 5-6 

ARC FLASH PROTECTION & ELECTRICAL SAFETY 

workshop in Cincinnati, OH. Contact American 

Trainco; (877) 978-7246 or (303) 531-4560; www 

.americantrainco.com. 

January 6-7 

OSHA ELECTRICAL SAFETY-RELATED WORK PRAC- 

TICES course in Dallas, TX. Contact AVO Training 

Institute Inc.; (877) 594-3156; www.avotraining.com. 

COSTA 

MESA, 

CA 

January 22-23 

BUILDING A 

SUCCESSFUL 

SAFETY CULTURE 

SYMPOSIUM 

Leading authorities 

in culture 

change will present 

solutions that 

will have an 

impact on your 

safety efforts, 

transforming the 

performance of 

your organization’s 

safety 

program. 

Send event 

announcements to 

professionalsafety 

@asse.org. 



ARC-FLASH HAZARD ANALYSIS 

seminar in Dallas, TX. Contact 

AVO Training Institute Inc.; 

(877) 594-3156; www.avotrain 

ing.com. 

December 19 

AERIAL LIFT SAFETY TRAIN- 

THE-TRAINER course in Tampa, 

FL. Contact Crane Tech; (800) 

290-0007; www.cranetech.com. 

December 19 

■ COMPETENT PERSON 

TRAINING FOR FRAME, TUBE & 

COUPLER INSPECTION course in League City, TX. 

Contact Scaffold Training Institute; (281) 332-1613; 

www.scaffoldtraining.com. 

December 21 

HAZWOPER REFRESHER course in Shafter, CA. Contact 

Westec; (866) 493-7832; www.westec.org. 

December 22 

DISASTER SITE WORKER course in Hillside, IL. Conact 

The National Safety Education Center; (800) 

565-5317 or (815) 753-6902; www.earnyourcard.com. 

December 29 

FORKLIFT OPERATOR workshop in Anaheim, CA. 

Contact JoshuaCasey Corporate Training and Education; 

(714) 245-9440; www.joshuacasey.com. 


UDPATE FOR GENERAL OUTREACH TRAINER course 

in Orlando, FL. Contact OSHA Training Institute 

University of South Florida Education Center; (800) 

852-5362; www.usfoticenter.org. 

December 30 

CPR & FIRST AID course in Lancaster, PA. Contact 

High Safety Consulting Services; (717) 653-8106; 

www.highsafety.com. 

January 5-6 

OSHA GUIDE TO INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE course in 

Portland, OR. Contact OSHA Training Institute 

Pacific Northwest Education Center; (800) 326-7568 

www.ce@u.washington.edu. 

January 7 

EXCAVATION workshop in Seattle, WA. Contact 

Evergreen Safety Council; (800) 521-0778 or (206) 

382-4090; esc@esc.org; www.esc.org. 

January 8 

DOT HAZMAT TRAINING course in Cleveland, OH. 

Contact Environmental Resource Center; (919) 469- 

1585; www.ercweb.com. 

January 12 

ANNUAL HAZARDOUS WASTE REFRESHER course in 

Seattle, WA. Contact Northwest Center for Occupational 

Health and Safety; (800) 326-7568 or (206) 

543-1069; ce@u.washington.edu; www.osha.wash 

ington.edu. 

January 15 

SAFETY: PART OF MANAGEMENT & SUPERVISION 

course in Seattle, WA. Contact Evergreen Safety 

Council; (800) 521-0778 or (206) 382-4090; esc@esc 

.org; www.esc.org. 

January 16 

INTRODUCTION TO OSHA FOR SMALL BUSINESSES 

course in Lakewood, CO. Contact OSHA Training 

Institute Rocky Mountain Education Center; (800) 

933-8394 or (303) 914-6420; rmec@rrcc.edu; www 

.rrcc.edu/rmec. 

January 16 

SAFETY IN THE LABORATORY course in Natick, MA. 

Contact the Laboratory Safety Institute; (508) 647- 

1900; www.labsafetyinstitute.org. 

January 18-21 

■ MATH REVIEW, ASP & CSP EXAM PREPARATION 

& CORPORATE SAFETY MANAGEMENT in Costa Mesa, 

CA. Contact ASSE Customer Service Department; 

(847) 699-2929; customerservice@asse.org; www 

.asse.org. 

January 19 

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY & HEALTH STANDARDS FOR 

CONSTRUCTION workshop in Decatur, IL. Contact 

The National Safety Education Center; (800) 565- 

5317 or (815) 753-6902; www.earnyourcard.com. 

■ Current month advertiser 

PHOTO COURTESY COSTA MESA CONFERENCE & VISITOR BUREAU

January 19-21 

■ FRAME, TUBE & COUPLER & SYSTEM 

TRAIN-THE-TRAINER workshop in 

Houston, TX. Contact Scaffold Training 

Institute; (281) 332-1613; www.scaffold 

training.com. 

January 20 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION 

COMPLIANCE workshop in Cleveland, 

OH. Contact Transportation Management 

Group Inc.; (866) 572-8644; www 

.tmgihazmat.com. 

January 20-22 

MACHINE SAFEGUARDING seminar in 

Rockford, IL. Contact Rockford Systems 

Inc.; (800) 922-7533; sales@rockfordsys 

tems.com; www.rockfordsystems.com. 

January 26-30 

CERTIFIED CLINICAL & BEHAVIOR-BASED 

ERGONOMIC SPECIALIST seminar in 

Harahan, LA. Contact ISR Institute; (800) 

414-2174; www.isr-institute.com. 

January 29 

APPLYING OSHA RECORDKEEPING RULE 

& REVIEW workshop in Madison, WI. 

Contact Wisconsin Safety Council; (608) 

258-3400; www.wisafetycouncil.org. 

February 2 

■ CIH ONLINE REVIEW course. Contact 

Bowen EHS; (866) 264-5852; www 

.bowenehs.com. 

February 2-3 

INTRODUCTION TO BEHAVIOR-BASED 

SAFETY seminar in Humble, TX. Contact 

OSHA Training Institute Southwest 

Education Center; (800) 723-3811; www 

.teex.org/prt. 

February 2-4 

RESPIRATORY PROTECTION workshop in 

Seattle, WA. Contact OSHA Training 

Institute Pacific Northwest Education 

Center; (800) 326-7568 or (206) 685-3089; 

ce@u.washington.edu; www.osha.wash 

ington.edu. 

Dates & Places continued on page 14 

January 21-22 

LEADING WITH SAFETY seminar in San 

Diego, CA. Contact BST; (800) 548-5781; 

bstusc@bstsolutions.com; www.bstsolu 

tions.com. 

January 22 

CPR/FIRST-AID REFRESHER course in 

San Diego, CA. Contact Pacific Safety 

Council; (888) 846-4200 or (858) 621- 

2313; info@safetycouncilonline.com; 

www.safetycouncilonline.com. 

January 22 

■ RIGHT-TO-KNOW INSTRUCTOR TRAIN- 

ING course in Plymouth, MN. Contact 

Employers Association Inc.; (888) 242- 

1359; www.employersinc.com. 

January 22-23 

■ BUILDING A SUCCESSFUL SAFETY CUL- 

TURE SYMPOSIUM in Costa Mesa, CA. 

Contact ASSE Customer Service Department; 

(847) 699-2929; customer 

service@asse.org; www.asse.org. 

January 25-31 

■ MATH REVIEW, ASP & CSP EXAM 

PREPARATION & SAFETY MANAGEMENT I 

& II in Atlanta, GA. Contact ASSE 

Customer Service Department; (847) 

699-2929; customerservice@asse.org; 

www.asse.org. 

January 26-27 

STRATEGIC RISK CONTROL seminar in 

Houston, TX. Contact Risk and Insurance 

Management Society Inc.; (212) 

286-9292; www.rims.org. 

January 26-30 

TAPROOT ADVANCED ROOT-CAUSE 

ANALYSIS TEAM LEADER TRAINING 

seminar in San Antonio, TX. Contact 

System Improvements Inc.; (865) 539- 

2139; www.taproot.com. 


www.asse.org DECEMBER 2008 PROFESSIONAL SAFETY 11

PROTECTION YOU CAN TRUST 

“When you have the latest, stylish design in safety eyewear, 

you’ll want to wear them. This makes it easier to respect the 

safety rules.” Laurie, assembly technician. 


Request 12 at www.psads.info or 

http://prosafety.hotims.com/22653-12

PROTECTION YOU CAN TRUST 

“For me, comfort is almost as important as protection. Comfort 

and freedom of movement help me to perform efficiently and at 

my best.” Peter, supervisor. 




Dates & 

Places 

continued 

from page 11 

February 2-4 

TAPROOT INCIDENT INVESTIGATION & 

ROOT-CAUSE ANALYSIS workshop in 

Lake Charles, CA. Contact System 

Improvements Inc.; (865) 539-2139; info 

@taproot.com; www.taproot.com. 

February 2-5 

GUIDE TO INDUSTRIAL HYGIENE seminar 

in Decatur, IL. Contact The National 

Safety Education Center; (800) 565-5317; 

www.earnyourcard.com. 

February 2-6 

LASER SAFETY OFFICER WITH HAZARD 

ANALYSIS course in Orlando, FL. Contact 

Laser Institute of America; (800) 345- 

2737; www.laserinstitute.org. 

February 3 

MANAGING EXCAVATION HAZARDS course 

in Tampa, FL. Contact OSHA Training 

Institute University of South Florida 

Education Center; (800) 852-5362; 

www.usfoticenter.org. 

ST. 

PETERSBURG, FL 

February 9-13 

29TH ANNUAL OCCUPATIONAL 

SAFETY & HEALTH WINTER 

INSTITUTE 

This annual event provides practical 

information and a forum for the 

exchange of ideas among participants 

such as industrial hygienists, 

personnel specialists, occupational 

health nurses, managers, supervisors, safety personnel and occupational physicians. 

Technician cerfiticate programs are offered and designed to recognize 

individuals who have completed a select set of requirements outlined for an 

industrial hygiene, safety or environmental technician. 

February 4-5 

AUDIOMETRIC TESTING & HEARING 

CONSERVATION workshop in Birmingham, 

AL. Contact The Deep South 

Center for Occupational Health and 

Safety; (205) 934-7178; dsc@uab.edu; 

www.uab.edu/dsc. 

February 5 

FORKLIFT OPERATOR workshop in San 

Diego, CA. Contact Pacific Safety Council; 

(888) 846-4200 or (858) 621-2313; 

info@safetycouncilonline.com; www 

.safetycouncilonline.com. 

February 8-14 

■ SEMINARFEST 2009 in Las Vegas, NV. 


(847) 699-2929; customerservice 

@asse.org; www.asse.org. 

February 9-13 

■ 29TH ANNUAL OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY 

& HEALTH WINTER INSTITUTE in St. 

Petersburg Beach, FL. Contact North 

Carolina Occupational Safety and Health 

Education and Research Center; (888) 

235-3320; http://osherc.sph.unc.edu. 

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ASP (Safety Fundamentals) 

Las Vegas NV ..................................................Feb 23–25, 2009 

Houston TX......................................................Mar 23-25, 2009 

Atlanta GA .......................................................Apr 13-15, 2009 

Dallas TX .........................................................May 11-13, 2009 

Springfield MO ................................................Jun 10-12, 2009 

Seattle WA .......................................................Jul 13-15, 2009 

Las Vegas NV ..................................................Aug 10–12, 2009 

CSP (Comprehensive Practices) 

Las Vegas NV ..................................................Feb 26–28, 2009 

Houston TX......................................................Mar 26-28, 2009 

Atlanta GA .......................................................Apr 16-18, 2009 

Dallas TX .........................................................May 14-16, 2009 

Springfield MO ................................................Jun 15-17, 2009 

Seattle WA .......................................................Jul 16-18, 2009 

Las Vegas NV ..................................................Aug 13–15, 2009 

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February 9-13 

CONFINED SPACE TECHNICIAN II CERTIF- 

ICATION workshop in Baton Rouge, LA. 

Contact Roco Rescue Inc.; (800) 647-7626 

or (225) 755-7626; info@rocorescue.com; 

www.rocorescue.com. 

February 10 

SAFETY IN THE LABORATORY course in 

Natick, MA. Contact The Laboratory 

Safety Institute; (508) 647-1900; www.lab 

safetyinstitute.org. 

February 12-14 

NATIONAL HEARING CONSERVATION 

ASSOCIATION CONFERENCE in Atlanta, 

GA. Contact National Hearing Conservation 

Association; (303) 224-9022; nhca 

@gwami.com; www.hearingconserva 

tion.org. 


■ REDUCING LOSSES FROM OCCUPATION- 

AL HEALTH RISKS & ENVIRONMENTAL 

EXPOSURES seminar in Scottsdale, AZ. 


(847) 699-2929; customersevice 

@asse.org; www.asse.org. 


HAZWOPER 24-HOUR TRAINING course 

in Cary, NC. Contact Environmental 

Resource Center; (919) 469-1585; www 

.ercweb.com. 


■ FRAME, TUBE & COUPLER & SYSTEM 

TRAIN-THE-TRAINER workshop in Houston, 

TX. Contact Scaffold Training Institute; 

(281) 332-1613; www.scaffoldtrain 

ing.com. 


ASBESTOS CONTRACTOR/SUPERVISOR workshop 

in Tucson, AZ. Contact ETC Compliance 

Solutions; (520) 321-1999; mail 

@e-t-c.com; www.e-t-c.com. 

February 17 

DEPARTMENT OF TRANSPORTATION COM- 

PLIANCE workshop in Cleveland, OH. 

Contact Transportation Management 

Group Inc.; (866) 572-8644; www.tmgi 

hazmat.com. 


FALL ARREST SYSTEMS workshop in Anchorage, 

AK. Contact OSHA Training 

Institute Pacific Northwest Education 

Center; (800) 326-7568; www.ce@u.wash 

ington.edu. 

February 19 

EVACUATION & EMERGENCY PLANNING 

seminar in Mesquite, TX. Contact OSHA 

Training Institute Southwest Education 

Center; (800) 723-3811; www.teex.org/prt. 


TRAIN-THE-TRAINER FORKLIFT OPERATOR 

workshop in Lakewood, CO. Contact 

OSHA Training Institute Rocky Mountain 

Education Center; (800) 933-8394 or 

(303) 914-6420; rmec@rrcc.edu; www 

.rrcc.edu/rmec. 


INDUSTRIAL ERGONOMICS PROCESS workshop 

in Raleigh, NC. Contact The 

Ergonomics Center of North Carolina; 

(800) 644-3746 or (919) 515-2052; www 

.theergonomicscenter.com. 


■ ASP & CSP EXAM PREPARATION workshops 

in Las Vegas, NV. Contact SPAN 

International Training; (888) 589-6757; 

www.spantraining.com. 

January 24-26 

MACHINE SAFEGUARDING seminar in 

Rockford, IL. Contact Rockford Systems 

Inc.; (800) 922-7533; sales@rockfordsys 

tems.com; www.rockfordsystems.com. 


ELECTRICAL SAFETY FOR INSPECTORS 

workshop in Valley Forge, PA. Contact 

AVO Training Institute Inc.; (877) 594- 

3156; avotraining@avotraining.com; 

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Reader 

Feedback 

Professional Safety 

encourages readers to 

write to Reader Feedback 

in response to any 

specific articles, editorials, 

letters, columns 

and news reports published 

in PS. The editors 

reserve the right to 

select which letters will 

appear and to edit 

letters for brevity and 

clarity. Send letters to: 

Reader Feedback 

c/o 

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1800 E. Oakton St. 

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fax (847) 296-3769 

e-mail professional 

safety@asse.org. 

Management Must 

Take the Safety Lead 

Judith Erickson’s article, “Corporate Culture: 

Examining Its Effects on Safety Performance” 

(Nov. 2008, pp. 35-38) made some excellent points. 

Certainly, it is true that a strong corporate safety 

culture is vital to safety success. 

The article also correctly points out that “safety 

professionals do not control the corporate culture.” 

The responsibility for a strong safety culture must 

belong to the management team that controls the 

resources and workers necessary for production of 

goods and/or services. 

When safety professionals attempt to assume 

leadership for the corporate safety culture they are 

not only trying to push a rope, they also may be 

counterproductively excluding management from a 

more proactive and effective safety leadership role. 

A more appropriate role for safety professionals is 

to identify and facilitate management actions and 

programs that drive safety excellence—and thus 

the safety culture. 

The article also makes the irrefutable point that 

many safety efforts are often not supported by evidence 

but rather by tradition and oft-repeated safety 

platitudes. It was, therefore, puzzling to see in the 

same article safety activities such as training, audits 

and accident investigations lumped together as safety 

professional duties—without any mention of a 

role for management in these functions. It may be 

traditional for safety staff to perform these activities, 

but is it the most effective approach My experience 

has convinced me that the more management (and 

employees) are involved in safety efforts such as 

inspections/audits and incident investigations, the 

better the safety culture. There are many effective 

and tested ways to achieve this involvement. 

While safety professionals should certainly demonstrate 

“their genuine concern for employee welfare,” 

it is far more important that management 

sends this message. The main role of the safety function 

should be to provide the best possible guidance 

to line managers who possess the authority and the 

responsibility to drive the organization’s safety culture. 

It is a fine thing to be seen as the place to go for 

safety expertise and advice, but if safety professionals 

are viewed as the organizational lead for safety 

they have failed their organizations. 

Jim Loud, M.S., M.P.H., CSP 

Creede, CO 

B o w e n E H S , I n c . 

Professional Development for Health 

& Safety Experts since 2003 

CIH 

Online Review 

Feb. 3, 2009 - Mar. 26, 2009 

ASP/CSP 

Online Review 

Apr. 7, 2009 - May 28, 2009 


http://prosafety.hotims.com/22653-17 


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Industry 

Notes 

New symbol 

highlights the location 

of emergency 

descent controls on 

mobile elevating 

work platforms. 

EQUIPMENT SAFETY 

Manufacturers Agree on 

Voluntary Decal to Boost Safety 

Manufacturer members of International Powered 

Access Federation (IPAF) have agreed on a new 

symbol that will signpost the location 

of emergency descent controls. Emergency 

descent systems are found on 

all types of mobile elevating work 

platforms, yet their location and operation 

differs from machine to 

machine. “This new symbol is a 

practical visual aid,” says IPAF’s 

Tim Whiteman. “We encourage 

manufacturers to fit this as standard 

on new equipment and 

rental companies to fit this decal 

to their existing fleets.” 

IPAF recommends that the 

decal be positioned to clearly 

indicate the location of the 

emergency descent controls and that operators 

make sure someone at ground level knows how to 

use the controls in an emergency. Manufacturers 

can obtain the decal artwork from the Resources 

section of www.ipaf.org. 

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT 

Cal State Developing 

Occupational Safety Courses 

To meet the local demand for qualified occupational 

safety and heath professionals, California State 

University, Bakersfield (CSUB) has joined with local 

safety engineers to develop courses in occupational 

safety, safety management, fire safety and HazMats 

and industrial hygiene. The program is also being 

supported through funding from Work Force 

Staffing, a locally owned staffing company. “There 

is a huge demand for a local occupational safety 

program,” explains Brooks Whitehead, owner and 

president of Work Force Staffing. “We’re pleased to 

ASSE Congratulates President-Elect Obama 

Following his historic election on Nov. 4, 2008, ASSE issued a statement to congratulate 

President-Elect Obama. The Society also pledged to work with his 

administration to help shape the nation’s occupational safety and health agenda. 

A 

SSE joins with all Americans in the sense of gratefulness that we live in a 

nation where the democratic process provides a peaceful means for political 

transition. On behalf of our members, ASSE congratulates President- 

Elect Barack Obama on his election, and applauds his and Senator John McCain’s 

campaigns for the spirited debate about the future direction of our nation. 

We look forward to working with the Obama Administration and Congress 

to help shape an agenda for occupational safety and health that can reflect the 

experience and expertise of our 32,000 members in saving lives and preventing 

injuries and illnesses. We fully support President-Elect Obama in saying that this 

is not the time to “fall back on the same partisanship,” which, as in other issues 

facing this nation, has marked the occupational safety and health debate in 

recent years. We expect that, with his leadership, creative and meaningful ways 

to confront long-standing occupational safety and health issues can be achieved 

by encouraging the entire safety and health community to work together to 

achieve safer and healthier workplaces across the nation. 


be part of making this educational program available 

in Bakersfield.” 

The new series of courses will enable students 

earning a bachelor’s degree in environmental 

resource management to attain a concentration in 

occupational safety and heath. ASSE’s Educational 

Standards Committee is assisting with course content 

development. 

For information on CSUB’s program, contact 

Aaron Hegde at (661) 654-2495; shegde@csub.edu. 

OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDS 

Report Examines PCBs 

in Construction Materials 

In its new white paper, “What You Need to Know 

About Managing PCBs in Construction Materials,” 

Environmental Health & Engineering (EH&E) 

examines an emerging environmental issue. 

According to EH&E, PCB-containing building 

materials represent a newly discovered and significant 

liability for building owners, real estate developers, 

REITS, financing institutions and contractors. 

The white paper, available as a free download by 

registering at www.eheinc.com/resources_white 

papers.htm, details a proactive strategy to avoid 

regulatory mishaps and to accurately assess the 

costs of required remediation efforts before construction 

so that the costs can be predicted and 

minimized in the project budget. 

MINING SAFETY 

MSHA Posts Safety Bulletins 

MSHA recently posted two Safety Sense bulletins 

to provide safety information to the mining community. 

The first flier covers remote control continuous 

mining machines, which have been involved 

in 31 deaths since 1984. The bulletin, available at 

www.msha.gov/Alerts/SafetyFlyers/102008Proxi 

mityDetection.pdf, recommends that mine owners 

use proximity detection technology to prevent 

these incidents. 

The second flier focuses on circuit breaker identification 

and the importance of energy isolation. It 

can be accessed at www.msha.gov/Alerts/Safety 

Flyers/CircuitBreakerID102008.pdf. 

HEALTHCARE SAFETY 

FDA Launches Drug Safety 

Information Portal 

Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has 

launched a website to provide consumers and 

healthcare professionals with a single source of 

safety information about prescription drugs. 

Information on the site includes drug labeling; 

drugs with a risk evaluation and mitigation strategy; 

links to a searchable database of clinical trials; 

drug-specific safety sheets and drug safety podcasts; 

warning letters, import alerts and recalls; and 

regulations and guidance documents. Visit the site 

at www.fda.gov/cder/drugSafety.htm.

VEHICLE SAFETY 

USFA Releases Report 

on Highway Vehicle Fires 

In a recently issued special report, U.S. Fire 

Administration (USFA) examines the causes and 

characteristics of highway vehicle fires. An estimated 

258,500 highway vehicle fires occur annually 

resulting in 490 deaths, 1,275 injuries and $1 billion 

in property loss. The report, Highway Vehicle Fires, is 

based on 2004 to 2006 data and it indicates that 84% 

of highway vehicle fires 

occur in passenger vehicles. 

Unintentionally started fires 

(29%) and equipment failure 

(28%) are the leading causes 

of highway vehicle fires. 

Sixty-two percent of highway 

vehicle fires originate 

in the engine, running gear 

or wheel areas of the vehicle, 

USFA says. View the 

report at www.usfa.dhs.gov/downloads/pdf/ 

tfrs/v9i1.pdf. 

CONSTRUCTION SAFETY 

Tower Erectors Review Critical 

Aspects of Tower Site Safety 

During a recent webinar, National Association of 

Tower Erectors (NATE) Chair Don Doty, discussed 

how site managers can ensure recognized standards 

for safety during the management, construction, 

installation and maintenance of tower sites. 

According to Doty, several components are critical 

to tower safety: 

•Identify qualified contractors. Doty advises 

hiring only those companies that have a written 

safety and health program in place and whose 

crews have completed OSHA-required training. 

“Every year we hear of tower service companies 

that operate without proper training, equipment 

and sometimes even the experience to do the job 

at hand properly and safely,” he says. “The result 

of sending untrained employees up a tower could 

be catastrophic.” 

•Maintain a safe tower site. Doty says that climbing 

safety features such as an unobstructed, secure 

climbing ladder that is in good repair, and a properly 

installed, maintained and functioning safety climb 

system go a long way toward preventing incidents. 

•Provide additional site safety indicators. “Ensure 

that proper safeguards for RF exposure are in 

place when tower work is being conducted,” Doty 

says. “Make certain appropriate site signage is displayed 

for worker safety and to prevent nonauthorized 

individuals from gaining access to the area.” 

The webinar is currently available for viewing at 

www.natehome.com. 

DRIVER SAFETY 

Distracted Driving a Major 

Concern, NTSB Official Says 

Acting National Transportation Safety Board 

(NTSB) Chair Mark Rosenker recently called for 

Industry Notes continued on page 20 

An 

estimated 

258,500 

highway 

vehicle 

fires occur 

annually 

resulting in 

490 deaths, 

1,275 

injuries 

and 

$1 billion 

in property 

loss. 

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Industry 

Notes 

continued 

from page 19 

better recognition of the many hazards 

caused by driver distractions and the 

need to prevent these types of crashes. 

In a recent speech, Rosenker noted that 

many of NTSB’s recommendations 

stem from crashes involving distracted 

driving by commercial and school bus 

drivers carrying passengers, and by 

teen drivers distracted by cell phones 

and other passengers. 

Rosenker also highlighted distraction 

problems in other modes of transportation, 

citing the recent commuter 

rail collision in California that killed 25 

people. In that incident, the engineer 

was engaged in text messaging almost 

up to the moment of the accident. 

Rosenker pointed to the promise of 

innovative technologies to improve 

roadway safety. “The technologies that 

hold the greatest potential for improving 

motor vehicle safety are the collision 

warning and adaptive cruise 

control systems.” 

To read the complete speech, visit 

www.ntsb.gov/speeches/rosenker/ 

mvr081014.html. 

OCCUPATIONAL HAZARDS 

Comment on NIOSH’s 

HexChrom Guidance 

NIOSH is conducting a public review of 

its draft guidance document on occupational 

exposure to hexavalent chromium. 

The document provides a review of current 

literature and an update of NIOSH 

policies on occupational exposure to hexavalent 

chromium (CrVI) compounds 

including an assessment of: 

1) critical animal, human and in vitro 

studies on occupational exposure to 

CrVI; 

2) relevant quantitative risk assessments 

about occupational exposure to 

CrVI; 

3) appropriate methods for sampling 

and analysis of CrVI compounds in the 

workplace; 

4) basis for the revised recommended 

exposure limit for CrVI compounds; 

5) other NIOSH recommendations for 

protecting workers from occupational 

exposure to CrVI. 

NIOSH will accept written public comments 

until Jan. 31, 2009. A copy of the 

draft document, instructions about providing 

written comments and information 

about public meetings are available at 

www.cdc.gov/niosh/review/public/144. 


Engineering Innovation 

Essay Contest Announced 

Designing a new product takes creativity 

as well as attention to details and design 

requirements. Often, engineers use an 

object as an example, then make improvements 

for safety, function or aesthetics. 

To encourage young people to think 

about engineering, EngineerGirl! is 

sponsoring an essay contest. The group 

has posted three images to its website 

(www.engineergirl.org/id=10104) and 

offers these directions: Choose one of the 

three images (right), then think about 

the object in the picture: 

•What is it What might it be used for 

•What are the design’s most important 

features 

•What was the engineer’s role in making 

this product and what engineering 

principles were used 

The contest is open to girls and boys in 

three age categories: 8 to 11; 12 to 14; and 

15 to 18. Each group also has a word 

limit: 500 words for ages 8 to 11; 750 

words for 12 to 14; and 1,000 words for 15 

to 18. Entries are due by March 1, 2009, 

and must be submitted using an online 

form found at www.engineergirl.org/ 

id=10106. 

TEEN SAFETY 

AAA Study Reveals Gaps 

in Parents’ Knowledge of 

Risks Facing Young Teens 

A new survey by AAA reveals that 

many parents allow their children to 

ride in cars under conditions they know 

are dangerous, and many are unaware 

of the increasing risk of dying in a car 

crash their young teens face well before 

they reach driving age. AAA surveyed 

an online panel of 1,350 parents of children 

ages 12 to 17. 

According to the results, 96% of parents 

of teen drivers correctly identified 

the dangers of driving with multiple 

teen passengers or even one teen passenger 

(65%), yet nearly half (47%) say their 

teen rides with another teen driver at 

least once a week. In addition, more 

than 1 in 7 (15%) parents of nondriving 

high school students allow their child to 

ride with a teen at least weekly. 

The results also indicate that parents 

who allow their young teens to ride with 

new teen drivers are likely unaware of the 

danger involved. Despite research showing 

that crash risk begins to rise significantly 

at age 12, the survey found that 9 

of 10 parents surveyed said that a child’s 

risk of dying in a car crash does not significantly 

increase until age 15 or later. 

“Teen crash risks increase long before 

teens start driving by themselves, so parents 

should talk to their children about 

being a safe passenger well before they 

reach driving age,” says AAA CEO and 

President Robert Darbelnet. AAA offers 

parent-teen driving agreements and tips 

tailored for parents based on their child’s 

driving status at www.aaa.com/public 

affairs. The survey is available at www 

.aaapublicaffairs.com/Assets/Files/ 

TeenDriverSafetySurveyv4.pdf. 

EMPLOYEE WELLNESS 

WorkLife Initiative 

Releases Guidance on 

Improving Worker Health 

A guide for establishing workplace programs 

that sustain and improve worker 

health is now available at www.cdc.gov/ 

niosh/worklife/essentials.html. The 

guide, “Essential Elements of Effective 

Workplace Programs and Policies for 

Improving 

Worker Health 

and Well-Being,” 

is a key part of the NIOSH WorkLife 

Initiative, which is intended to identify 

and support comprehensive approaches 

to reducing workplace hazards and promoting 

worker health and well-being. The 

document identifies 20 components of a 

comprehensive work-based health protection 

and health promotion program 

divided into four areas: organizational 

culture and leadership; program design; 

program implementation and resources; 

and program evaluation.

February 8-14, 2009 

CONTINUING EDUCATION AND TRAINING 

FOR THE SAFETY PROFESSIONAL 

AMERICAN SOCIETY OF SAFETY ENGINEERS 

www.asse.org

Rules & 

Regs 

Hotlinks 

ASSE 

American Society 

of Safety Engineers 

www.asse.org 

CSB 

Chemical 

Safety & Hazard 

Investigation Board 

www.csb.gov 

DHHS 

Dept. of Health 

& Human Services 

www.dhhs.gov 

DOE 

Dept. of Energy 

www.doe.gov 

DOL 

Dept. of Labor 

www.dol.gov 

DOT 

Dept. of 

Transportation 

www.dot.gov 

EPA 

Environmental 

Protection Agency 

www.epa.gov 

MSHA 

Mine 

Safety & Health 

Administration 

www.msha.gov 

NIOSH 

National Institute 

for Occupational 


www.cdc.gov/niosh 

NRC 

Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission 

www.nrc.gov 

NTSB 

National 

Transportation 

Safety Board 

www.ntsb.gov 

OSHA 

Occupational 


Administration 

www.osha.gov 

RAIL SAFETY 

FRA Issues Final Rule on Advanced Train Braking Technology 

Federal Railroad Administration (FRA) has revised the regulations governing freight power brakes and 

equipment by adding a subpart that addresses electronically controlled pneumatic (ECP) brake systems. 

Designed to provide for and encourage safe implementation and use of ECP brake system technologies, 

the revisions contain specific requirements relating 

to design, interoperability, training, inspection, testing, 

handling defective equipment and periodic 

maintenance related to ECP brake systems. 

According to FRA, under the new rule, advanced 

brake technology will enable locomotive engineers 

to have better train control, lower the risk of derailment 

and allow trains to safely travel longer distances 

between required brake tests. 

“The concept is simple, better brakes allow trains 

to operate more safely,” says DOT Secretary Mary 

Peters. ECP brakes provide numerous safety and 

business benefits, compared to conventional air 

brake systems that have changed little since the 

1870s, Peters explains. ECP technology provides 

simultaneous and graduated application and release 

of brakes on all rail cars within a train, resulting in 

shorter stopping distances, longer trains that can 

operate at faster speeds, improved fuel efficiency 

and reduced emissions. It also complements other 

advanced rail safety technologies such as positive 

train control systems, Peters says. 

The rule permits trains to travel up to 3,500 miles 

without stopping periodically for certain routine 

brake inspections—more than double the current 

limit—because ECP brake systems contain continual 

electronic self-diagnostic “health check” capabilities 

that inform train crews when maintenance is required. 

The rule requires that ECP brake systems fully 

comply with existing industry standards and that 

certain railroad operating rules and training programs 

be modified to ensure workers have the 

knowledge and skills required to properly use the 

systems. 

The final rule, which takes effect Dec. 15, 2008, is 

available at ww.fra.dot.gov/Downloads/Counsel/ 

FRA_ECP_Brake_Final_Rule.pdf. 

ELECTRICAL SAFETY 

OSHA Seeks Comments on Workplace Electrical Product Safety 

OSHA is seeking comments on a proposal submitted to the agency by the European Commission (EC) to 

permit the use of a Supplier’s Declaration of Conformity (SDoC) as an alternative to OSHA’s Nationally 

Recognized Testing Laboratories (NRTL) product approval process for certain electrical and other products 

used in the workplace. NRTLs are independent laboratories that have met OSHA’s requirements for 

performing safety testing and certification of electrical and other products used in the workplace. The laboratories 

test and certify these products to determine whether they conform to appropriate U.S. product 

safety testing standards. An SDoC is a written statement, produced by an equipment manufacturer or 

supplier, stating that a product meets or conforms to a specified test standard or a set of requirements. 

The comment period closes on Jan. 20, 2009. Details are available in the Oct. 20, 2008, Federal Register 

(www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_documentp_table=FEDERAL_REGISTER&p_id=21181). 

AIR QUALITY 

EPA Strengthens Standards for Lead 

EPA has issued new air quality standards designed to dramatically improve public health protection, particularly 

for children. The standards tighten the allowable lead level to 0.15 g/m 3 —10 times lower than 

the previous standards set in 1978. The new standards were established after review of the science on 

lead, advice from the Clean Air Scientific Advisory Committee and consideration of public comments. 


NTSB Issues 2009 

Most Wanted List 

National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) has issued 

its 2009 Federal Most Wanted List of safety improvements. 

Created in 1990, the list is designed to raise public 

awareness and support for safety issues considered 

critical to improving transportation safety. Several new 

issues were added this year: 

•Improve the safety of emergency medical services 

(EMS) flight operations. In 2006, NTSB issued a special 

investigation report addressing the safety issues involved 

in these operations, including recommendations for 

improvement. However, Federal Aviation Administration 

has not implemented the changes. Nine EMS accidents 

resulting in 35 fatalities have occurred in the past year. 

•Restrict cell phone use by motorcoach drivers. 

“Research shows that using a cellular telephone while 

driving degrades driving performance,” NTSB says, 

“resulting in slower reaction times, slower driving speeds 

and increased instances of attention lapses.” In 2006, the 

board recommended that Federal Motor Carrier Safety 

Administration (FMCSA) prohibit cell phone use, except 

in emergencies, by drivers of passenger-carrying vehicles 

or school buses. 

•Require use of electronic on-board data recorders by 

all motor carriers. For 30 years, NTSB has advocated use 

of on-board recorders for all motor carriers to increase 

hours-of-service compliance by commercial drivers. The 

recorders would also result in more accurate data on 

accident conditions. According to the board, the FMCSA 

proposal is not applicable to all operators subject to 

hours-of-service regulations, does not establish the proper 

incentives and does not create a level playing field for 

compliance. 

Among the issues removed from the list were positive 

train control and fatigue in the railroad industry, both of 

which have been on the list since its inception, and aircraft 

fuel tank flammability. For the complete list, visit 

www.ntsb.gov.

EPA’s action sets two standards: a primary 

standard to protect health and a 

secondary standard at the same level to 

protect the public welfare, including the 

environment. 

Because the existing ability to monitor 

lead is not sufficient to determine whether 

many areas of the country would meet 

the revised standards, the agency is redesigning 

the nation’s lead monitoring 

network, which is necessary to assess 

compliance with the new standard. By 

October 2011, EPA will designate areas 

that must reduce lead air emissions. States 

will then have 5 years to meet the new 

standards. For more information, visit 

www.epa.gov/air/lead. 

FIRE PROTECTION 

NFPA Seeks Comments 

on Codes & Standards 

All NFPA codes and standards are 

revised and updated every 3 to 5 years 

in revision cycles that begin twice each 

year. National Institute of Standards and 

Technology, on behalf of NFPA, published 

a request for comments (Oct. 28, 

2008, Federal Register) on the technical 

reports that will be published in NFPA’s 

2009 fall revision cycle. Sixty reports are 

published in NFPA’s 2009 Fall Revision 

Cycle Report on Proposals and will be 

available for comment on Dec. 29, 2008. 

Comments received by March 6, 2009, 

will be considered by the respective 

NFPA committees before final action is 

taken on the proposals. For more information, 

visit www.nfpa.org. 


New OSHA Site Launched 

to Help Prevent Fatal 

Falls in Construction 

As part of its efforts to share information 

on compliance assistance and outreach 

resources, OSHA has launched a new web 

page, “Preventing Fatal Falls in Construction” 

(www.osha.gov/doc/falls/prevent 

ingfalls.html). The site includes various 

links related to construction falls and 

methods to prevent them. Among the 

links included are those to OSHA’s Construction 

eTool, QuickCards containing 

fall safety tips, the Alliance Program 

Construction Roundtable web page and 

other resources. 

EMERGENCY PLANNING 

EPA Amends Community 

Right-to-Know 

Reporting Regulation 

EPA has finalized reporting requirements 

under the Emergency Planning 

and Community Right-to-Know C Act 

(EPCRA). The changes include clarification 

on how to report hazardous chemicals 

in mixtures, and changes to Tier I 

and Tier II forms. Facilities subject to 

these regulations, as well as state emergency 

response commissions, local emergency 

planning committees and fire 

departments should become familiar 

with the new regulations. For more 

information, visit www.epa.gov/oem/ 

content/epcra/index.htm. 


Ontario Proposes 

Mandatory WC Coverage 

for Construction Workers 

Ontario plans to introduce legislation 

that would make workers’ compensation 

coverage mandatory for individuals 

working in the construction industry 

who are currently not covered. The proposed 

legislation would make it mandatory 

to extend benefits and services 

contained in the 1997 Workplace Safety 

and Insurance Act (WSIA) for independent 

operators in construction and some 

other individuals in the construction 

industry who are currently not covered. 

The proposed amendments would 

take effect 3 years after being passed to 

allow the Ontario Workplace Safety and 

Insurance Board (WSIB) to develop sys- 

Rules & Regs continued on page 24 

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Rules & 

Regs 

continued 

from page 23 

tems to support the proposed changes. 

Under the proposed rule, workers would 

have access to financial compensation for 

lost wages, coverage for certain healthcare 

costs and job retraining services they 

are currently not entitled to unless they 

voluntarily register with WSIB for 

optional coverage. The proposed legislation 

would reportedly extend WSIA coverage 

to some 90,000 individuals in the 

construction industry currently not subject 

to mandatory coverage. 

For more information, visit www.wsib 

.on.ca/wsib/wsibsite.nsf/public/home_e. 

RAIL SAFETY 

Rail Safety Legislation 

Signed Into Law 

The Rail Safety Improvement Act of 2008 

(Public Law 110-432) was recently enacted, 

reauthorizing the Federal Railroad 

Administration (FRA) and providing 

$1.625 billion for the U.S. federal rail 

safety program from 2009 through 2013. 

The rule includes several significant rail 

safety measures. It: 

•revises hours-of-service requirements 

for employees engaged in various 

capacities; 

•requires railroad carriers to submit 

to DOT a fatigue management plan; 

•requires regulations to modify the 

on-duty or rest hours to be in line with 

federal hours-of-service law; 


•provides that a railroad carrier is 

deemed to know the acts of its managers 

and supervisors in proceedings about 

violating hours-of-service requirements; 

•requires owners of track to adopt certain 

safety practices to prevent the deterioration 

of railroad bridges and reduce 

the risk of human casualties, environmental 

damage and disruption to the 

U.S. transportation system that would 

result from a catastrophic bridge failure; 

•requires railroad carriers to establish 

a toll-free telephone service to report signal 

malfunctions and disabled vehicles 

blocking railroad tracks at grade crossings, 

and includes provisions about use 

and posting of the toll-free number; 

•requires railroad carrier to remove 

from its right-of-way at all public highway-rail 

grade crossings vegetation that 

may obstruct pedestrian or operator 

view of an approaching train; 

•declares that it is U.S. policy to 

develop new technology that can prevent 

loss of life and injuries at highwayrail 

grade crossings; 

•requires increased FRA railroad safety 

inspection/enforcement personnel; 

•requires minimum training standards 

and curriculum for railroad 

employees charged with inspecting track 

or railroad equipment; 

•requires railroads to provide emergency 

breathing apparatus and appropriate 

training for all crew members on 

freight trains carrying hazardous materials 

that would pose an inhalation hazard; 

•requires certification of train conductors 

and carmen, including employees 

performing mechanical inspections, 

brake system inspections, or maintenance 

on freight and passenger rail cars; 

MSHA Launches Initiative 

to Bolster Mine Safety 

MSHA has launced a new safety initiative 

designed to highlight the leading causes of 

mine fatalities in the 21st century. The Safety 

Targets Training Program will focus on 

addressing and eliminating the most common 

causes of repeat fatal accidents that 

occurred from 2000 to 2008. Ten training 

modules are in development for coal and 

metal/nonmetal mines. According to MSHA, 

the 20 topics to be covered account for 75% of the 

causes of fatalities that occurred in the targeted 

9-year period. 

“In spite of the dramatic drop in mining fatalities over the last century and 

recent declines to all time lows, we are still experiencing unnecessary fatal accidents,” 

says acting MSHA Administrator Richard Stickler. “Most of these fatalities 

occurred not in major disasters, but one and two at a time. While they do 

not get the attention that some larger mine accidents have received, they are 

just as tragic and they are preventable.” 

The materials will reach the mining industry through outreach efforts, targeted 

mass mailings and the agency’s website. For more information and a list of leading 

fatality catagories in coal and metal/nonmetal mines, visit www.msha.gov. 

•establishes grants to provide emergency 

grade crossing safety improvements 

at locations where there has been a 

collision with a school bus or involving 

three or more serious injuries or fatalities; 

•directs NTSB to provide certain 

assistance to families of passengers 

involved in a rail passenger accident that 

results in a major loss of life. 

For more information on the legislation, 

visit http://thomas.loc.gov/cgi 

-bin/bdquery/zd110:H.R.2095:. 

AIR QUALITY 

EPA Sets Emission 

Standards for Nonroad 

Spark-Ignition Engines 

EPA has issued a final rule setting emission 

standards for new nonroad sparkignition 

engines and equipment. The 

exhaust emission standards apply starting 

in 2010 for new marine spark-ignition 

engines, including first-time EPA 

standards for sterndrive and inboard 

engines. The exhaust emission standards 

apply starting in 2011 and 2012 for different 

sizes of new land-based, sparkignition 

engines at or below 19 kW. 

These small engines are used primarily 

in lawn and garden applications. The 

agency is also adopting evaporative 

emission standards for vessels and 

equipment using any of these engines. 

Published in the Oct. 8, 2008, Federal 

Register, the rule is effective Dec. 8, 2008. 


OSHA Launches Efforts to 

Promote Safe Construction 

Crane Operations 

OSHA is seeking comments on a proposed 

rule for cranes and derricks in 

construction that would apply to the 

estimated 96,000 construction cranes in 

the U.S., including 2,000 tower cranes. 

The proposed standard addresses key 

safety issues, including ground conditions, 

assembly and disassembly of 

cranes, operation of cranes near power 

lines, operator certification and training, 

use of safety devices and signals, and 

crane inspections. Details on submitting 

comments are available in the Oct. 9, 

2008, Federal Register. 

To coincide with the proposed rule, 

the agency has initiated a National Crane 

Safety Initiative to address safety hazards 

during construction crane operation. The 

initiative builds on steps taken by OSHA 

earlier this year to raise awareness on 

crane safety and increase enforcement of 

the current standards, including launching 

local emphasis programs in several 

areas to inspect high-rise construction, 

stakeholder outreach and additional 

training on crane safety. For more information, 

visit www.osha.gov.

HANKS 

To Our Great Team of Authors 

John Austin, Western Michigan 

University 

Bryan Bailey, LJB Inc. 

Frank Baker, Employers Security 

Insurance Co. 

Lisa Barfield, Terra Inc. 

Tom Beardsley 

Walter S. Beattie, Matrix Risk 

Consultants Inc. 

Renee Bessette, Sperian Hearing 

Protection 

Michael F. Blair, Liberty Mutual 

Insurance Group 

Sarah Bloom, ASSE 

Carol Boraiko, Middle Tennessee State 

University 

Howard A. Bose, Indiana University 

of Pennsylvania 

Janice K. Britt, Terra Inc. 

Jay A. Brown 

Ellen Clas, Clas Consulting LLC 

Pat Clemens, APT Research 

Kevin Coghlan, EH&E Inc. 

Henry P. Cole, Southeast Center for 

Agricultural Health and Injury 

Prevention, University of Kentucky 

Chuck Connelly, Radians Inc. 

Elaine T. Cullen, Prima Consulting 

Services 

Jerry Davis, Auburn University 

Deepesh Desai, Humantech Inc. 

J. Nigel Ellis, Ellis Fall Safety Solutions 

Judith A. Erickson, Erickson 

Associates 

Laurent Fragu, URS Qatar LLC 

Craig Galecka, LJB Inc. 

Gerald W. Gammel, Dixie Chemical Co. 

E. Scott Geller, Virginia Tech 

David D. Glenn, Wachovia Insurance 

Services Inc. 

Corporate affiliation at time of publication 

Howard J. Gordon, MACTEC Inc. 

Nicole Gravina, Western Michigan 

University 

Mark D. Hansen, Range Resources 

Corp. 

Hongwei Hsiao, NIOSH 

Yueng-Hsiang Huang, Liberty Mutual 

Research Institute for Safety 

Steve Isaacs, University of Kentucky 

Vladimir Ivensky 

Harry R. James, Terra Inc. 

Robert C. James, Terra Inc. 

James F. “Jay” Jennings, 101st 

Sustainment Brigade 

James P. Kaletta, Safety Management 

Solutions 

E. Andrew Kapp, University of 

Wisconsin-Whitewater 

Clark Kilgore, APT Research 

Joseph W. Klancher, Mayo Clinic 

Jennifer Lange, Building Safety 

Solutions 

Del Lisk, DriveCam Inc. 

Timothy J. Lutz, NIOSH Mining 

Injury Prevention Branch 

Bruce W. Main, design safety engineering 

inc. 

Fred A. Manuele, Hazards, Limited 

Joan Mazur, University of Kentucky 

Robert E. McClay 

Oliver F. McDonald, RasGas Co. Ltd. 

E.A. “Tony” McKenzie, NIOSH 

Dan McNeill, ASSE 

Donna McPherson, Kimberly-Clark 


Michael S. Melnik, Prevention Plus Inc. 

William M. Montante, Marsh USA 

Inc. 

Tyler Morley, Danner and LaCrosse 

Footwear 

Melvin L. Myers, Southeast Center for 

Agricultural Health and Injury 

Prevention, University of Kentucky 

Steven A. Oskowitz, Grocers 

Insurance, Argonaut Group 

K. Praveen Parboteeah, University of 

Wisconsin-Whitewater 

Helmut W. Paschold, Ohio University 

Carl Potter, Potter & Associates 

Deb Potter, Potter & Associates 

John R. Powers Jr., NIOSH Protective 

Technology Branch 

Mahood Ronaghi, NIOSH Protective 

Technology Branch 

Michelle M. Robertson, Liberty 

Mutual Research Institute for Safety 

Peggy E. Ross, Baxter Healthcare 

Carmen Shafer, Shafer Safety Solutions 

LLC 

Nigel J. Shanks, RasGas Co. Ltd. 

John Springston, Sandler Occupational 

Medicine Associates Inc. 

Thomas Suski, Industrial Scientific 

Corp. 

Michael Taubitz, General Motors Corp. 

Jessica Trybus, Etcetera Edutainment 

Mary Vorndran, Mayo Clinic 

Scott Walker, Briggs & Stratton Corp. 

William Weiss, Mayo Clinic 

Joshua H. Williams, Safety 

Performance Solutions 

Ken Wilson, PDAge Inc. 

Brad Witt, Sperian Hearing Protection 

Willard Wood, The Boeing Co. 

Eva Wright, Middle Tennessee State 

University 

To learn about writing for Professional 

Safety, visit www.professionalsafety.org



Preconstruction 


Plan for safety excellence 

By Carmen Shafer 

IIN THE AUTHOR’S EXPERIENCE, many construction 

companies still only address safety at the point of 

contact—in the field once a project has mobilized. 

However, safety does not begin in the field. It takes 

planning and forethought to be effectively implemented 

in the field. Therefore, the SH&E professional 

needs to be involved during a project’s procurement 

and preconstruction phases. Safety personnel can also 

have a positive effect on the procurement process and 

the entire company if planning begins at the corporate 

level, before procurement activities are even initiated. 

To produce positive safety performance at the project 

level, planning and goal setting must take place on 

both the corporate and project levels. 

This article examines goal setting and planning on 

the corporate level, discusses key safety input and 

considerations during the procurement and bidding 

stages of a project, outlines specific issues that must be 

addressed before project mobilization, and reviews 

project safety planning and daily planning activities. 

Setting Goals 

Planning and goal setting are interrelated. Goals 

help encourage growth and identify where the company 

should focus its energies. On the corporate 

level, goal setting involves understanding the company’s 

strategic plan and developing safety goals 

that correspond with that plan. Goal setting should 

also be incorporated into a project in order to 

achieve attainable project-specific safety objectives. 

Carmen Shafer, CSP, CHST, is owner/president Corporate-Level 

of Shafer Safety Solutions LLC, a construction Goal Setting 

safety consulting firm. Shafer has worked In its Voluntary Protection 

in the construction field for 10 years. She holds Programs (VPP) requirements, 

a B.S. in Building Construction Management OSHA considers goal setting 

from Purdue University and an M.S. for safety at the corporate level 

in Occupational Safety Management from to be a key indicator of upper 

Indiana State University. Shafer is a member management’s support of a 

of ASSE’s Northern West Virginia Chapter, company’s safety program. 

a member of the Society’s Construction SH&E professionals need to 

Practice Specialty and a member of AGC work with upper management 

of America’s Safety and Health Committee’s to identify corporate goals and 

Steering Committee. understand how they relate to 


safety. What are the company’s short- and long-term 

goals Is it a small company looking to grow Does 

the company plan to seek work in another facet of 

construction Will the company increase self-performed 

work or delve into construction management 

These goals should be identified by the company’s 

executives and disseminated through the company’s 

strategic plan. 

How does this information affect safety planning 

and behavior on the job Understanding the company’s 

overall future plans greatly affects the SH&E 

professional’s work activities and foci within the 

company. For example, suppose a company determines 

it can make more profit by increasing the 

amount of self-performed work. This could create a 

need for more safety training, additional funds for 

PPE and perhaps more safety staff. If a company 

plans to acquire work in a different region, state or 

country, then it must research potential safety and 

risk management impacts, such as varying safety 

regulations and insurance requirements. 

Planning helps to establish an effective corporate 

safety program; it is addressed in both federal and 

international safety and health standards. ANSI/ 

AIHA Z10-2005 discusses planning as a primary 

means to improve safety performance (ANSI/AIHA, 

2005). Key planning issues addressed in the Z10 standard 

include identifying and prioritizing safety and 

health issues, and identifying risk reduction objectives 

(e.g., goals). The Guidelines on Occupational Safety and 

Health Management Systems (ILO, 2001) also identify 

planning as a key aspect in developing an occupational 

safety and health management system. 

This planning is based on initial and subsequent 

reviews of the existing safety management system. It 

includes identifying the organization’s safety and 

health objectives, preparing plans and assigning 

responsibility for achieving these objectives, deciding 

on a measurement system, and assigning appropriate 

resources to achieve these objectives. 

In addition, OHSAS 18001:1999 addresses planning 

as it relates to setting company safety and 

health objectives and ongoing hazard identification,

isk assessment and risk control (BSI, 1999). 

Ongoing hazard identification and risk assessments 

must be planned to ensure that they are 

proactive, not reactive, activities. Furthermore, 

companies that participate in OSHA’s VPP must 

have a safety management plan that includes goals 

and objectives for meeting those goals. 

Project-Level Goal Setting 

In addition to corporate-level goals and objectivesl, 

planning and goal setting have their place on 

the project level. Project goals should be set and 

communicated with the entire project team before 

mobilization. To ensure that the process is effective, 

project team members, including subcontractors, 

should actively participate. 

AIHA/ANSI Z10-2005 emphasizes the need for 

employees to participate during the planning stage 

because they are “closest to the hazard” and “often 

have the most intimate knowledge of workplace 

hazards” (3.2 and E3.2). Some companies achieve 

employee buy-in by creating a safety charter that is 

signed by the entire project team, including all subcontractors. 

These goals can be as simple as “zero 

accidents” or they may encompass a more complex 

series of expectations to be upheld on the project. 

In any case, they need to be realistic, applicable to 

the project and attainable by the workforce. 

Milestones help the project team work toward a 

goal, track progress and identify potential problems. 

Milestones set throughout the project lifespan 

may help prevent the loss of the entire 

program in the event that an accident occurs or the 

primary goal is otherwise compromised. 

Goal setting and planning, 

considering safety needs 

during the procurement 

and bidding stages, and 

before project mobilization, 

and recognizing 

daily safety planning 

activities can help 

ensure a successful 

construction 

project. 

Bidding & Procurement Issues 

Bidding and procurement activities offer multiple 

opportunities for SH&E personnel to provide 

valuable input. For example, employees involved 

in bidding/procurement (e.g., estimators) should 

be educated to recognize potential safety issues 

such as hazards related to falls, electrical systems 

and confined spaces. This can be achieved by having 

these personnel complete safety training such 

as the OSHA 30-hour construction course. In addition, 

tools such as preconstruction or estimating 

safety checklists can be created to help the procurement 

team identify potential hazards. 

Safety-related information can also be gleaned 

from prebid meetings and contract specification 

requirements. The client may have special safety 

concerns and requirements that must be factored 

into the bid. A hazard analysis created for the project 

based on this information can help identify particular 

safety issues that may have significant cost 

impact. Therefore, the bid and project budget 

should include separate line items for safety costs. 

Safety Staffing/Project Team 

Some projects may be complex enough to 

require full-time safety staffing; others may not 

necessitate a full-time dedicated safety staff. Therefore, 

the project and its requirements should be 


Project team 

members 

must understand 

the 

particular 

safety issues 

inherent in 

the type 

of project 

being bid. 

Hazard Analysis 

A preliminary hazard analysis can be conducted 

after attending the prebid meeting, visiting the site 

to identify existing conditions and determine client 

needs and expectations, and reviewing project specassessed 

while preparing the bid to determine safety 

staffing needs. 

Safety staffing requirements may be contained in 

the specification section outlining the project team 

requirements, the safety and health requirements 

and/or the quality control requirements. Additional 

requirements may be scattered throughout the specifications, 

so they should be thoroughly reviewed 

during the bidding process. 

While bidding a project, the need for a special 

scaffolding setup, engineered fall protection systems 

or certain excavation protection systems may be discovered. 

In such cases, one or more professional 

engineers may be required by law (or by the project 

specifications themselves) and should be considered 

when assembling the project team. 

It is also important to carefully select a project 

team whose members are experienced enough to 

understand the particular safety issues inherent in 

the type of project being bid. Hazards inherent in 

building a bridge, water treatment plant, industrial 

facility or a commercial multistory building are significantly 

different. Similarly, work in occupied facilities, 

renovation and demolition projects differ 

greatly from ground-up construction. Team members 

must be knowledgeable enough to properly 

plan for and handle any hazards that may be present. 

Subcontractor Selection 

Subcontractors selected for a project are part of 

the project team and should be treated accordingly. 

The general or prime contractor should be wary of 

selecting subcontractors based on price alone. If a 

subcontractor works unsafely or has a cavalier attitude 

toward safety, the entire project may suffer 

because of hazards created and resources lost due to 

incidents or related problems. Other subcontractors 

may not have experience in the type of project they 

are bidding and, as a result, may be unaware of related 

hazards or special requirements. 

Some form of subcontractor selection should 

occur before requests for bids are issued. Some companies 

use their own past experiences with a subcontractor 

to determine whether to accept its bid on 

certain projects. Others require prospective subcontractors 

to complete a prequalification form and provide 

information on issues such as OSHA citations 

or injury rates over a period of time, as well as their 

experience modification rate. 

Occasionally, a client will dictate certain prequalification 

requirements that must be met before subtier 

contractors can work on their properties. 

ILO-OSH 2001 Section 3.10.5 outlines several guidelines 

related to contracting activities and ensuring 

that selected contractors and subcontractors maintain 

a level of safety at least equal to that of the controlling 

entity. Additionally, AIHA/ANSI Z10-2005 

Section 5.1.4 recommends that processes be established 

to identify, evaluate and control potential hazards 

relating to the use of contractors including the 

use of safety and health performance data. 

Prequalification requirements must be clearly 

communicated prior to the bid. Additionally, safety 


expectations and requirements should be communicated 

to the subcontractor during the bid phase. For 

example, following a 100% fall protection requirement 

may cost the subcontractor more in materials 

and equipment costs, and the bid should reflect 

those costs. Some subcontractors may not have 

insurance coverage that matches what is required by 

their contracts or may not be willing to agree to the 

hold-harmless agreements included in a contract. A 

copy of the contract(s) used for a particular project 

should be included in the bid proposal in order to 

expedite the award and contracting process later. 

Prebid Meetings 

Valuable information regarding safety can be 

gleaned during prebid meetings. These meetings are 

an opportunity to meet with the client and to walk 

the site to identify conditions that could translate 

into safety hazards. Some of these conditions—such 

as nearby power lines, difficult site access or the 

presence of a school or playground nearby—may 

not be evident on project drawings. 

During a prebid meeting, information such as the 

location and distance of emergency services as well 

as the client’s existing emergency plans (if any) can 

be gathered. Some client facility layouts and work or 

maintenance activities may pose hazards that have 

not been assessed, such as the storage or use of hazardous 

chemicals on site and the presence of confined 

spaces. Additionally, the contractor can get an 

idea of the client’s safety expectations and how those 

expectations are prioritized. 

Client Requirements 

Many clients have particular safety concerns and 

requirements, some of which exceed OSHA requirements 

(e.g., 100% fall protection at 6 ft, full-time safety 

staffing, rules concerning dust, noise, vibration 

and hot work, and special training or certification 

requirements). Occasionally, safety staffing requirements 

are identified in the quality control section of 

the specifications. For example, a client may require 

that a CSP or CIH be present during certain activities 

or be retained for the project’s duration to conduct 

periodic inspections as a part of the project’s quality 

assurance/control plan. In other cases, clients may 

require that a third-party inspector be retained for 

certain activities, such as abatement. 

These requirements can affect the budget if not 

addressed when estimating the project. For example, 

suppose project specifications require the presence 

of a full-time CSP to supervise project safety. 

According to Brauer (2008), the average salary for a 

CSP is approximately $99,244 per year. On a 12- 

month project with a $5 million contract, that salary 

would be more than 2% of the contract amount 

when taking burden costs into account.

ifications and plans. This analysis can help the estimating 

team identify needs such as guardrail systems 

or other fall protection systems, stair towers for 

access, and special fire protection or emergency rescue 

considerations. Some contractors require subtier 

contractors to submit a hazard analysis with 

their bid. This then becomes part of the subcontractor 

selection process and is used as a means to fully 

evaluate the scopes of subcontractors’ bids. In developing 

the overall project hazard analysis, it is useful 

to review similar projects and consider safety issues 

or incidents that occurred to make sure those items 

are addressed before procurement. 

Line Item Safety (Bidding & Budgeting) 

Some companies simply assign a dollar value for 

safety in the bid based on a percentage of the total 

dollar value of a project or on a dollars-per-squarefoot 

basis. While this approach assigns a value to 

safety in the bid, that value may be too small on some 

projects, possibly resulting in a budget gap, and too 

large on others, possibly resulting in the loss of a job 

in a low-bid situation. Some projects may require a 

larger safety expense because of special concerns 

such as public protection, ventilation, air monitoring 

and engineered fall protection systems. 

Anticipated safety expenses should be broken into 

individual components such as staffing, safety equipment 

and fall protection installation. If these expenses 

are lumped together in a bid, the costs may get 

buried in contingency or overhead line items, which 

often are the first to be cut when trimming the bid. If 

line items are included in the bid, they are less likely 

to be eliminated when the estimating team attempts 

to cut costs in a low-bid situation. In a negotiated bid 

situation, the line-item costs can demonstrate to the 

client that the contractor has evaluated a project’s 

safety needs, which may be seen as a value-added 

component and become an effective selling point. 

On large projects, the estimating team must consider 

who is responsible for certain controls. For 

example, if guardrails are needed, who will build and 

maintain them Who is responsible for traffic control 

Who will clean mud off the streets Often, contractors 

assume that someone else has included these costs in 

their bids, only to learn later that no one budgeted for 

them. Assigning responsibility for such activities early 

in the bidding process not only ensures that the cost is 

covered, it also prevents redundancies. 

In any case, one must scrutinize the language of the 

scope of the subcontractor’s bid. Is the subcontractor 

bidding an entire scope of work or did it overlook 

something Did the subcontractor exclude a major 

safety-related item such as fall protection, additional 

client-required training, time for safety meetings or air 

monitoring In some cases, the lowest bids are those 

that exclude some significant portion of the work. 

After winning the job, while buying out the job 

and setting up a budget, it is important to assign 

safety costs as one or more line items. Some projects 

may call for multiple safety line items—for example, 

one for PPE, another for air quality control, another 

for special training. As noted, by identifying these 

various costs as line items they are less likely to be 

cut indiscriminately. 

In the author’s experience, some upper management 

executives have been known to say “there is no 

budget for safety.” To these executives, this means 

they put no limits on funding for needed safety 

items. In other words, if guardrails are needed, then 

guardrails are installed, regardless of the budget. 

Unfortunately, the project team may see it another 

way. Often, they interpret “no budget for safety” 

to mean no money is available to spend on safety 

items, so they go without rather than break the 

budget. To avoid these misunderstandings, budgets 

should be agreed upon by all parties and the policy 

regarding safety spending should be clearly communicated 

at all levels. 

Premobilization 

Once a project is awarded, many things must 

occur before work commences. Contracts must be 

negotiated, a project-specific safety plan, schedule 

and site and facilities plans must be developed, and 

a preconstruction meeting must be held. On many 

projects, training must also be scheduled in order to 

prepare for certain tasks. Safety has an important 

place in each of these preconstruction activities. 

Contract Language 

Safety expectations and requirements must be 

communicated in the contract language. Many companies 

include specific safety requirements in the 

scope of work as well as in the body of the contract 

itself. Some companies limit the language to include 

only federal, state and local requirements, a practice 

that can leave much room for interpretation. Or, a 

company may have safety requirements that are 

stricter than the OSHA regulations. If this is the case, 

those requirements should be included in subcontract 

language in order to ensure that all workers 

have the same protection and are following the same 

rules. This is particularly important where multiple 

trades are involved, as one trade may create a hazard 

(and potentially a violation) for another. 

Contracts must be written for any work on a project 

that involves labor since most basic purchase 

orders do not provide the contractor with the same 

protection as a full contract. Insurance requirements 

must also be appropriate to the work location and the 

work being performed, and must be clearly communicated 

in the contract language. Insurance requirements 

for a project may include general liability, 

umbrella policies, workers’ compensation, builder’s 

risk and professional liability. Contract language 

should also include references to indemnification as 

permitted by the state where the work is conducted. 

An attorney should review the contract to ensure that 

the stated requirements are legally enforceable. A 

signed contract and certificates of insurance should 

be required and obtained before work commences. 

Project-Specific Safety Plans 

Every project should have a project-specific safety 

plan (PSSP). This plan is also called a job-specific 


Evaluating 

a project’s 

safety needs 

may be seen 

by clients 

as a valueadded 

component 

and 

become an 

effective 

selling point. 

safety plan, site-specific safety plan or a construction 

accident prevention plan. The PSSP differs from the 

corporate safety plan in that it includes all local 

requirements, client requirements and items identified 

in the preliminary job hazard analysis (JHA). 

The PSSP should only address site issues, so 

items in the corporate safety plan that are not applicable 

to that project are not included. For example, a 

company may have a blasting plan as a component 

of its corporate safety plan that would be left out of 

the PSSP if no blasting will occur. 

A key component of a PSSP is the site’s emergency 

action plan, as required by 29 CFR 1926.50 

and covered in OHSAS 18001:1999 (Clause 4.4.7), 

AIHA/ANSI Z10-2005 (Section 5.1.5) and ILO-OSH 

2001 (Section 3.10.3). Many clients require a PSSP— 

and it is often one of the first documents prepared 

and delivered to the client. The PSSP should be sent 

to each subcontractor with a copy of the contract, 

which in turn should reference the PSSP. This plan is 

a good place to incorporate all safety-related forms 

and checklists that are expected to be in use on the 

project as well. 

Additionally, a PSSP should include project-related 

requirements and specific expectations on topics 

such as attendance at regular safety meetings, coordination 

meetings, training requirements, inspection 

and accident investigation procedures, documentation 

of safety activities, enforcement procedures and 

competent person requirements. During the preconstruction 

meeting, the PSSP should be discussed 

with and distributed to subcontractor site personnel. 

Copies of the plan must be kept at the jobsite for reference 

and review. 

An important element to consider when developing 

a PSSP is enforcement. If the contractor does not 

plan to enforce a particular rule or policy, such as 

100% eye protection or daily safety meetings, then it 

does not belong in the plan. 

Scheduling 

The project scheduler should ensure that safetyrelated 

activities are appropriately accounted for in 

the project schedule. Activities such as installation of 

fall protection systems, design of protective systems 

for excavation and construction of protective enclosures 

can take a significant amount of time. 

Additionally, some activities should not be conducted 

while other contractors or members of the 

public are in the vicinity. For example, painting may 

introduce hazardous vapors into the work area. 

Especially noisy operations may need to be isolated 

from other activities. Activities that can impact public 

right-of ways usually require extra time to set up, 

may require a permit and often are restrictive concerning 

times of day or dates when the work is 

allowed to be performed. 

In addition, work activities and materials delivery 

should be scheduled thoughtfully. For example, 

drywall delivered too far in advance of installation 

or drywall installed before the building is significantly 

enclosed can be exposed to moisture, which 

may present mold problems in the future. 


Site Planning 

Site plans should be reviewed for emergency 

egress needs, traffic flow, materials handling and 

crane setup locations. This process will continue 

throughout the project as the site changes. Storage 

locations should be identified early on to minimize 

double-handling, damage to materials due to moisture 

or weather, and impact on the project’s emergency 

egress routes. Sites located adjacent to 

highways or runways can present different problems. 

For example, if tarps or caution tape are not 

properly secured, a strong gust of wind could result 

in an injury to the public. 

Preconstruction Meetings 

The preconstruction meeting is when the contractor 

sets the tone for the project and communicates 

safety performance expectations. During this meeting, 

the safety charter, if used, will also likely be 

addressed. Copies of the contract, specifications, 

plans and PSSP should be available during this meeting 

should any attendees be unfamiliar with these 

documents. Often, the person who signs the contract 

is not the one performing the work, and details concerning 

safety and contract requirements are not 

always well communicated with on-site personnel. 

During this meeting, any remaining questions 

and concerns should be discussed. For example, perhaps 

a subcontractor has identified a potential safety 

issue that was not noted during the bid. Key 

project stakeholders can now discuss and address 

the issue before it becomes a major concern in the 

field where it could cause delays and add costs. 

Education & Training 

Before the project begins, some members of the 

project team may need additional education or training 

on hazards inherent to a project. Areas such as 

confined spaces, lockout/tagout, HazMat, air quality 

issues and fall protection needs often require project-specific 

training before work begins. 

One approach is to conduct a site-specific safety 

orientation with each employee of each contractor 

before work begins. A well-developed orientation 

can help new contractors and employees adjust 

more quickly to working conditions on the site and 

give them an opportunity to ask questions prior to 

work. ANSI/AIHA Z10-2005 Section 5.2 provides 

some guidelines related to training employees on 

hazard identification and PPE. In addition, OSHA 

requires certain types of training before employees 

are exposed to hazards; these include HazCom, fall 

protection, scaffolding use, ladder use, confined 

space entry, steel erection and forklift operation. 

Project Planning Activities 

Once the project is mobilized and work begins, 

safety must remain in the forefront. Before a particular 

work activity starts, an activity hazard analysis 

should be conducted by the contractor that will be 

performing the work. Regular coordination and 

progress meetings are a good place to disseminate 

information concerning new hazards or changes to

site plans. Additionally, daily hazard analyses are 

used by each crew to ensure that the workers are 

aware of the hazards they may face on that particular 

day and how to avoid them. 

Job & Activity Hazard Analyses 

Each contractor on site should conduct its own 

JHA addressing its work on the project. Some activities, 

such as steel erection, critical lifts, control of 

hazardous energy and confined space entry, require 

a detailed JHA in order to mitigate inherent hazards 

before work begins. OSHA requires plans and hazard 

analyses for many work activities before they are 

performed, including confined space entry, lockout/tagout 

and certain steel erection procedures. 

Similar hazard analyses are required under OHSAS 

18001:1999 Clause 4.3.1. 

Completing a JHA for review by the general contractor 

before work activity can be a challenge for 

contractors that are not familiar with the process or 

that do not know how to construct useful analyses. 

As a result, safety personnel for the prime/general 

contractor may be asked to create a JHA for the subcontractor. 

While this practice may fulfill job requirements, 

it is not as effective in controlling hazards 

because there is less buy-in by the subcontractor and 

it may involve direction of means and methods. 

One contractor addresses this problem by creating 

boilerplate JHAs that include a blank column 

where corrective action items are identified. This 

contractor meets with the subcontractor to tailor the 

boilerplate document to the specific work activity, 

and the subcontractor then fills in the corrective 

action column to identify how it will avoid particular 

hazards. If an incident occurs during the course 

of work, the JHA should be reviewed as a part of the 

incident investigation. This review will identify any 

flaws in the hazard analysis that should then be 

revised to prevent recurrence. 

Coordination & Progress Meetings 

Coordination and progress meetings allow all 

parties to work together to plan and coordinate 

future activities. Safety is often the first topic of discussion 

in these meetings. The safety discussion 

should be applicable to current and future activities, 

and all affected contractors should provide input 

regarding their needs. Changes to the emergency 

plan and site access plan should be discussed in 

these meetings as the project progresses. Hazards 

that one contractor may create must be communicated 

to other affected contractors in order to minimize 

exposure to all affected employees. 

Daily Activity Hazard Analyses 

Most work crews start the day with a huddle. 

During this short meeting, the supervisor reviews 

the day’s activities, telling the crew where they will 

be working, what needs to be accomplished that 

day, what tools they need and what hazards may be 

present. This meeting can be boiled down to a short, 

written, activity hazard analysis that can be 

reviewed with and signed by workers. If conducted 

effectively, a daily hazard analysis may eventually 

take the place of a toolbox talk. 

Reviewing the plan each day keeps safety fresh in 

the workers’ minds. It also allows changing work 

conditions to be addressed and clearly communicated. 

The information delivered is applicable to the 

work employees are performing and reinforces expectations. 

One tool that can be used is a pocketsized 

card which summarizes these reviews and is 

carried by each worker throughout the day. 

If the plan for the day changes—for example, if a 

crane breaks down midmorning and the crew will be 

assigned to a different activity—then another huddle 

meeting should be held before the alternate tasks are 

performed. In addition, each worker should be 

empowered to stop work and call a huddle if s/he 

identifies a hazard not previously addressed or if 

s/he feels that the initial plan is failing. 

Conclusion 

Planning is critical to construction safety. Goal 

setting at the corporate level involves understanding 

the company’s strategic plan and developing safety 

goals which correspond with that plan. Goal setting 

should also be used at the project level to identify 

project-specific safety objectives. 

Safety review and involvement during bidding 

and procurement helps to ensure that safety activities 

are incorporated into project plans and budgets. The 

SH&E professional can provide valuable input by 

ensuring that the employees involved in these 

processes are trained on and aware of safety issues 

affecting the project. In addition, safety-related information 

can be gleaned from prebid meetings, contract 

specifications and clients themselves, and this information 

can be used to create a project hazard analysis. 

Once the project is mobilized and work begins, 

safety becomes a daily issue. Activity hazard analyses 

can be performed by contractors before their 

work activities begin. Hazard information and plan 

changes should be communicated during regular 

coordination and progress meetings. In addition, 

daily hazard analyses are used by each crew to 

ensure that workers are aware of hazards and associated 

preventive measures. 

References 

ANSI/AIHA. (2005). Occupational health and safety management 

systems (Z10.2005). Fairfax, VA: Authors. 

Brauer, R. (2008). Career success: lessons learned from a new 

CSP salary and demographic survey. Proceedings of 2008 ASSE 

Professional Development Conference, Las Vegas, NV, USA. 

British Standards Institution (BSI). (1999). Occupational 

health and safety management systems: Specifications (OHSAS 

18001:1999). London: Author. 

Furst, P.G. (2006). Managing risk through preoperational planning. 

Dallas, TX: International Risk Management Institute. Retrieved 

Oct. 21, 2008, from http://www.irmi.com/Expert/ 

Articles/2006/Furst09.aspx. 

International Labor Organization (ILO). (2001). Guidelines 

on occupational safety and health management systems (ILO- 

OSH 2001). Geneva, Switzerland: Author. 

Nash, J.L. (2005, May). For contractors, safety means planning. 

Occupational Hazards, 67(5), 29-32. 

OSHA. Construction industry regulations (29 CFR 1926). 

Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Labor, Author. 




Serious Injuries 

& Fatalities 

A call for a new focus on their prevention 

By Fred A. Manuele 

OOVER THE PAST FEW DECADES, serious injuries 

and workplace fatalities have been significantly 

reduced. However, statistical trends in the more 

recent past indicate that additional research and 

knowledge are needed about causation and preventive 

measures so that safety professionals can give 

counsel on how these injuries and fatalities can be 

further reduced. To achieve this, SH&E professionals 

must adopt a new mindset that gives serious injury 

prevention a higher priority. 

This will require several actions. The safety professional 

must address the phenomenon that seems 

to have developed in companies which continue to 

report serious injuries and fatalities despite otherwise 

stellar performance. In addition, the myth that 

preventing incidents that occur frequently will 

equivalently encompass severity reduction must be 

debunked. Other factors, such as organizational 

safety culture with respect to preventing serious 

injuries and the effect of the current economic climate, 

must be considered as well. 

To help SH&E professionals in these endeavors, a 

mechanism for an internal study of severity potential 

is provided and the need for improved incident 

investigation is emphasized. In addition, an outline 

is presented for conducting a gap analysis that 

would compare existing safety management systems 

to the provisions of ANSI/AIHA Z10. 

The Safety Performance Phenomenon 

In early 2007, the Alcoa Foundation awarded a 

Fred A. Manuele, P.E., CSP, is president of 

Hazards Limited, which he formed after retiring 

from Marsh & McLennan, for which he was 

managing director and manager of M&M 

Protection Consultants. Manuele has published 

numerous books, including On the Practice of 

Safety and Advanced Safety Management: 

Focusing on Z10 and Serious Injury Prevention. 

He is an ASSE Fellow and a recipient of the 

Distinguished Service to Safety Award from 

National Safety Council. Manuele is a 

professional member of ASSE’s Northeastern 

Illinois Chapter and a member of the Society’s 

Engineering Practice Specialty. 


grant to Indiana University of 

Pennsylvania (IUP) to support 

a national forum on fatality prevention 

in the workplace. In a 

news release (Alcoa, 2007) 

announcing the grant, Lon 

Ferguson, chair of IUP’s Safety 

Sciences Department, said: 

The reliance on traditional 

approaches to fatality 

prevention has not always 

proven effective. 

This fact has been demonstrated 

by many companies, 

including some thought to be top performers 

in worker safety and health, as they 

continue to experience fatalities while at the 

same time achieving benchmark performance 

in reducing less serious injuries and occupational 

illnesses. 

The author’s analyses, made over the past several 

years, support Ferguson’s statement. Traditional 

safety management systems may not adequately 

address severe injury and fatality potentials. Others 

have also recognized the phenomenon. For example, 

the membership of ORC Worldwide (formerly 

Organization Resource Counselors) consists of 

about 140 Fortune 500 companies. Many of those 

companies have outstanding safety cultures and 

commendable safety management systems in place. 

However, because some of those companies continue 

to experience fatalities and serious injuries, 

ORC is creating a special system to gather data on 

the specifics of their occurrence. It is expected that 

the system will include fatalities, serious injuries that 

had fatality potential and near-hits that under other 

circumstances may have resulted in serious consequences. 

The data will be analyzed with the hope 

that the outcomes will provide more information 

than is now available for their prevention. 

Collectively, SH&E professionals should ask 

whether there is adequate in-depth knowledge of 

the causal factors for low-probability/serious-consequence 

incidents. The author’s research on incident 

investigations (see p. 34) suggests that there is not. 

Statistical Indicators: Fatalities 

The reduction in both the number of serious 

injuries and fatalities and their rates in recent years 

must be recognized, as they are an indication that 

those involved in the practice of safety are doing 

many things right. The fatality rate data in Tables 1 

and 2 are based on excerpts from National Safety 

Council’s Accident Facts (now Injury Facts) and the 

Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) annual census of 

fatal occupational injuries. The fatality rate is the 

number of fatalities per 100,000 workers. 

Years ending in 1 were chosen as a focal point for 

this review so that an observation could be made of

esults since OSHA took effect in 1971. While employment 

increased more than 280% from 1941 to 

2001, the number of fatalities dropped more than 

67%—and the fatality rate dropped more than 88%. 

This record is highly favorable and complimentary 

to all involved. 

One also cannot ignore the emergence of OSHA 

in 1971 and the greater concentration on workplace 

safety that followed. Using 1971 data as a base, the 

fatality rate was reduced about 75% by 2001. Table 2 

picks up from Table 1 and provides data on fatalities 

and fatality rates since 2001. 

According to the 2001 data, 5,900 fatalities 

occurred and the fatality rate was 4.3. However, consider 

the data for 2002 through 2006. The number of 

fatalities increased 3.2% and the fatality rate 

remained the same. Fatality rates over a 6-year period 

have not varied substantially. 

Why did the number of fatalities increase Has 

there been a reversal of the downward trend experienced 

in previous years Why did the fatality rate 

not continue the remarkable reductions seen in the 

years from 1941 through 2001 Safety professionals 

have a responsibility to promote the causal factor 

research needed to answer those questions. 

Statistical Indicators: 

Serious Injury Trending 

Data on the characteristics of serious injuries and 

workers’ compensation claims frequency have been 

extracted from two sources: National Council on 

Compensation Insurance (NCCI) and BLS. 

National Council on Compensation Insurance 

In 2006, NCCI issued a video, The Remarkable 

Story of Declining Frequency—Down 30% in the Past 

Decade. This 12-minute video reports that workers’ 

compensation claim frequency is down considerably, 

not only in the U.S. but also in several industrialized 

countries. 

However, a 2005 NCCI research brief titled 

“Workers’ Compensation Claim Frequency Down 

Again,” states that “there has been a larger decline in 

the frequency of smaller lost-time claims than in the 

frequency of larger lost-time claims.” 

Consider the trend numbers presented in Table 3 

(p. 34), taken from NCCI’s State of the Line report 

(Mealy, 2005). These data show reductions in selected 

categories of claim values for the years 1999 and 2003, 

expressed in 2003 hard dollars. While the frequency of 

workers’ compensation cases is down, the greatest 

reductions are in lower cost claims. The reduction in 

cases valued from $10,000 to $50,000 is about onethird 

of that for cases valued at less than $2,000. For 

cases valued over $50,000, the reduction is about onefifth 

of that for the less costly injuries. Thus, costly 

claims—those for serious injuries and fatalities—loom 

larger within the spectrum of all claims reported. 

Bureau of Labor Statistics 

For many years, BLS has issued reports titled Lost 

Work-Time Injuries and Illnesses: Characteristics and 

Resulting Time Away From Work and Workplace Injuries 

Table 1 

Table 1 

All Fatalities, All Occupations: 

1941-2001 

No. of Fatality No. of workers 

Year fatalities rate (1,000s) 

1941 18,000 37 48,100 

1951 16,000 28 57,450 

1961 13,500 21 64,500 

1971 13,700 17 78,500 

1981 12,500 13 99,800 

1991 9,800 8 116,400 

2001 5,900 4.3 136,000 

Note. Data based on excerpts from Accident Facts, by National Safety Council, 

1995, Itasca, IL: Author, and “Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 1997-2006,” 

by Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2007, Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Labor, 

Author. The fatality rate is the number of fatalities per 100,000 workers. Years ending 

in 1 were chosen as a focal point for this review so that an observation could be 

made of results since OSHA took effect in 1971. 

and Illnesses. The data in Table 4 (p. 35), taken from 

those reports, indicate that the total number of cases 

resulting in lost work-time and the DART rate (which 

includes cases with days away from work, job transfer 

or restriction) have reduced substantially. From 2000 

to 2006, the number of lost work-time cases dropped 

by 480,518 (28.9%), while the DART dropped 23.3%. 

Those reductions are commendable. 

BLS data on lost work-time injuries and illnesses 

tracks well with NCCI reports with respect to the lost 

workday categories in which the reductions occurred. 

Data in Table 5 (p. 35) are from the BLS’s Lost Work- 

Time Injuries and Illnesses: Characteristics and Resulting 

Time Away From Work reports for the years 1995 and 

2006. Table 10 in those reports is titled “Percent distribution 

of nonfatal occupational injuries and illnesses 

involving days away from work.” It shows the percentages 

of select days-away-from-work categories as 

each category relates to the total number of daysaway-from-work 

cases reported in a given year. 

The decreases (the trends) in the percentages for 

the first four days-away-from-work categories are 

noteworthy. The frequency of incidents resulting in 

lesser injury is down. For the 11-to-20-days-away 

category, the increase of 1.8% only begins to show an 

upward trend. The 9.6% increase for the 21-to-30- 

days-away category deserves attention, as does the 

increase of 35.3% for the 31 or more days-away category. 

Given this, it is recommended that safety professionals 

determine whether increases in the 21-to 

30 and the 31-or-more days-away categories have 

occurred in their organizations’ operations. 

In 2002, OSHA revised the rules on how days 

away from work are counted, so the trend data in 

Table 5 need a closer look. Using the base data from 

the BLS reports for the years 1995 through 2001, and 

assuming the rules had not changed, Alan Hoskin, a 

statistician formerly with National Safety Council, 

statistically projected numbers for the years 2002 and 

2003. He found that the differences are small—1.2% 

and 1.7%—and do not greatly affect the trend data. 

One cannot conclude from the BLS data that the 

number of incidents resulting in severity of 21 to 30 

Abstract: Worker 

injuries have been dramatically 

reduced, but 

much of that reduction 

has been in the less 

severe injury categories. 

Serious injuries have not 

been reduced equivalently. 

This article examines 

types of activities in 

which serious injuries 

occur, presents an instrument 

for studying injury 

severity and calls for 

SH&E professionals to 

conduct a gap analysis of 

their organizations’ existing 

safety management 

systems. 


Table 2 

Table 2 

All Fatalities, All Occupations: 

2001-2006 

No. of Fatality 

Year fatalities rate 

2001 5,900 4.3 

2002 5,524 4.0 

2003 5,559 4.0 

2004 5,703 4.1 

2005 5,702 4.0 

2006 5,703 3.9 

Note. Data based on excerpts from “Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, 1997- 

2006,” by Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2007, Washington, DC: U.S. Department of 

Labor, Author. The fatality rate is the number of fatalities per 100,000 workers. 

Table 3 

Table 3 

Categories of 

Injury Reductions 

Value of claim 

Less than $2,000 34% 

$2,000 to $10,000 21% 

$10,000 to $50,000 11% 

More than $50,000 7% 

Declines 

in frequency 


Characteristics of Incidents Resulting 

in Severe Injuries & Fatalities 

As safety professionals study the characteristics 

of incidents that result in serious injuries and fatalities 

to select predictive indicators from those data, 

they should consider the following general observations 

based on the author’s analyses of more than 

1,200 incident investigation reports. 

1) A large proportion of incidents resulting in serious 

injuries and fatalities occur: 

a) when unusual and nonroutine work is being 

performed; 

b) when upsets occur—meaning normal operations 

become abnormal; 

c) in nonproduction activities; 

d) where sources of high energy are present; 

e) in what can be called at-plant construction 

operations (e.g., a motor that weighs 800 lb and sits 

on a platform 15 ft above the floor needs to be 

replaced, and the work will be performed by inhouse 

personnel). 

2) Many incidents resulting in serious injuries 

and fatalities are unique and singular events, having 

multiple and complex causal factors that may have 

organizational, technical, operational systems or cultural 

origins. 

3) Causal factors for low-probability/high-consequence 

events are not represented in the analytical 

data on incidents that occur frequently and result in 

minor injury. However, such incidents, occurring in 

routine work, may be predictors of severity potential 

if a high energy source was present (e.g., operation of 

powered mobile equipment, electrical contacts). Also, 

certain ergonomics-related incidents are exceptions. 

4) The quality of the incident investigation 

reports reviewed was, on average, abysmal. A large 

percentage of the investigations stopped when 

human error—the so-called unsafe act—was identior 

31 or more days away from 

work has increased. The data in 

Table 4 show that the number of 

lost work-time cases has been 

significantly reduced. The data 

in Table 5 indicate that incidents 

resulting in severity are a larger 

segment of all days-away-fromwork 

cases reported and that 

serious injuries have not been 

reduced at the same rate as less 

severe injuries. 

Debunking the Myth 

To further reduce serious 

injuries and fatalities, safety 

professionals must address a long-held and still 

applied belief that reducing incident frequency will 

equivalently reduce incidents that result in severity. 

The data in this article convincingly show that this 

premise is unsustainable. 

Others have raised the issue as well. At the 2003 

Behavioral Safety Now Conference, James Johnson, 

a managing director at Liberty Mutual Insurance 

Co., said: 

I’m sure that many of us have said at one time 

or another that frequency reduction will result 

in severity reduction. This popularly held 

belief is not necessarily true. If we do nothing 

different than we are doing today, these types 

of trends will continue. 

In 2004, DNV Consulting issued an invitation to 

the process industry titled “Leading Indicators for 

Major Accident Hazards: An Invitation to Industry 

Partners.” The goal was to get the industry to 

finance research into the causal factors for major 

accidents—a goal that was not achieved. In part, this 

invitation stated: 

Much has been said about the classical loss 

control pyramid, which indicates the ratio 

between no loss incidents, minor incidents 

and major incidents, and it has often been 

argued that if you look after the small incidents, 

the major loss incidents will improve 

also. The major reality, however, is somewhat 

different. If you manage the small accidents 

effectively, the small accident improves, but 

the major accident rate stays the same, or even 

slightly increases. 

To recognize that the premises on which the pyramids, 

the triangles or the specific ratios (e.g., the 

300-29-1 ratios) were built are not valid requires a 

major concept change—and the data show this is 

necessary. 

Consider, also, the symmetry between what 

Johnson said in 2003 and a philosophical statement 

of Yogi Berra: “If you keep doing what you did, you 

will keep getting what you got.” Listen to these voices 

and those of DNV and this author. It is obvious 

that frequency reduction does not necessarily produce 

equivalent severity reduction. If safety professionals 

propose nothing different with respect to 

safety management systems than they have proposed 

in the past, serious injury potential will not be 

significantly reduced. The data require that safety 

professionals adopt a new mindset—one that results 

in a targeted focus on preventing low-probability/ 

serious-consequence events.

fied and the corrective action focused on modifying 

worker behavior. The investigations seldom proceeded 

upward into the decision making that may 

have influenced what the worker did. 

Guidelines for Preventing Human Error in Process 

Safety, published by the Center for Chemical Process 

Safety (1994), contains two chapters that provide a 

primer on human error reduction. Excerpts from 

that text follow. 

It is readily acknowledged that human errors 

at the operational level are a primary contributor 

to the failure of systems. It is often not recognized, 

however, that these errors frequently 

arise from failures at the management, design 

or technical expert levels of the company. 

One of the central principles in this book is 

the need to consider the organizational factors 

that create the preconditions for errors, as well 

as the immediate causes. 

Specifics From Certain Studies 

Supporting the foregoing general observations, 

the following specifics were noted in the experience 

of individual companies when analyses were made 

of serious injuries and fatalities. 

•Thirty-five percent of serious injuries and fatalities 

were triggered by a deviation from normal operations 

(upsets). 

•Over a 10-year period, 51% of fatalities occurred 

to contractor employees. 

•In three companies with a combined total of 

230,000 employees, each having low OSHA incidence 

rates, composite data indicated that 74% of 

lost workday cases with days away from work 

involved ancillary and support personnel. 

•For companies with incidence rates higher than 

their industry’s average, and in companies where 

the work involves heavy materials handling or is 

highly repetitive, the percentage of severe injuries 

occurring to production personnel was higher than 

for those to support personnel. 

•About 50% of major accidents involved the 

operation of powered mobile equipment (e.g., forklifts, 

cranes). 

•Reviews of serious injuries and fatalities involving 

exposure to electric current indicate that while 

lockout/tagout systems 

may have met 

OSHA and National 

Electrical Code requirements, 

the design 

of the systems 

produced error-inducing 

situations 

(e.g., lockout stations 

were not conveniently 

located). 

•Hazards and 

risks were not adequately 

addressed 

during the design 

process, and inadequate 

design fea- 

Table 5 

Table 5 

tures often appeared as causal factors in incident 

investigation reports. 

•Having effective management of change procedures 

in place would have greatly reduced major 

accident potential. 

Petersen (1998) also subscribed to the view that serious 

injury and fatality potential need special attention. 

If we study any mass data, we can readily see 

that the types of accidents that result in temporary 

total disabilities are different from the 

types of accidents resulting in permanent partial 

disabilities or in permanent total disabilities 

or fatalities. The causes are different. There 

are different sets of circumstances surrounding 

severity. Thus if we want to control serious 

injuries, we should try to predict where they 

will happen. 

Since studies have established that the causal factors 

and the circumstances surrounding incidents 

which result in serious injuries are different, safety 

professionals should try to predict where serious 

injuries and fatalities may occur, and recommend 

improvements necessary in the relative safety management 

systems so as to avoid their occurrence. 

Table 4 

Table 4 

Trends for Lost-Worktime Cases 

Year Total cases DART rates 

2000 1,664,018 3.0 

2001 1,537,567 2.9 

2002 1,436,200 2.8 

2003 1,315,920 2.6 

2004 1,259,320 2.5 

2005 1,234,680 2.4 

2006 1,183,500 2.3 

Note. Data from “Lost Worktime Injuries and Illnesses: Characteristics and 

Resulting Time Away From Work, 1995-2006,” by Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2007. 

Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Labor, Author. DART rate includes cases with 

days away from work, job transfer or restriction. 

DAFW Cases by Duration: 1995-2006 

Percent of days away from work cases by number of days 

1 2 3-5 6-10 11-20 21-30 31 or more 

1995 16.9 13.4 20.9 13.4 11.3 6.2 17.9 

2006 14.3 11.6 18.5 12.9 11.5 6.8 24.3 

% change -15.4 -13.4 -11.5 -3.8 +1.8 +9.6 +35.8 

from 1996 

Note. Data from “Lost Worktime Injuries and Illnesses: Characteristics and Resulting Time Away From Work, 1995-2006,” 

by Bureau of Labor Statistics, 2007. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Labor, Author. DAFW = days away from work. 


Significance of Organizational Culture 

Since causal factors for incidents resulting in serious 

injuries and fatalities are largely systemic and a 

reflection of the organization’s safety culture, that 

subject must be explored. Comments from the Report 

of the Columbia Accident Investigation Board (NASA, 

2003) are pertinent. 

The physical cause of the loss of Columbia and 

its crew was a breach in the thermal protection 

system on the leading edge of the left wing. In 

our view, the NASA organizational culture had 

as much to do with this accident as the foam. 

In every organization, its culture—values, norms, 

beliefs, myths and practices—is translated into a system 

of expected behavior. That expected behavior 

positively or negatively impacts decisions made 

with respect to management systems, design and 

engineering, operating methods, work methods and 

prescribed task performance. 

For many workplace incidents that result in serious 

consequences there has been, over time, a continuum 

of less-than-adequate safety decisions that 

created a system of expected behavior which condoned 

considerable risk taking. Management decisions 

shape the corporate culture and create 

error-producing factors. 

Reason (1997) also discusses the accumulation of 

systemic causal factors. 

Latent conditions, such as poor design, gaps in 

supervision, undetected manufacturing defects 

or maintenance failures, unworkable procedures, 

clumsy automation, shortfalls in 

training, less than adequate tools and equipment, 

may be present for many years before 

they combine with local circumstances and 

active failures to penetrate the system’s layers 

of defenses. 

They arise from strategic and other 

top-level decisions made by governments, regulators, 

manufacturers, designers and organizational 

managers. The impact of these decisions 

spreads throughout the organization, shaping a distinctive 

corporate culture and creating error-producing 

factors within the individual workplaces 

(emphasis added). 

The Current Business Climate: Effect on 

Organizational Culture & Decision Making 

Both a literature review and discussions with 

safety professionals require that consideration be 

given to the current economic climate and its possible 

effect on an organization’s safety culture. 

Consider the following statements from the Report of 

the OECD Workshop on Lessons Learned from Chemical 

Accidents and Incidents. (OECD is the Organization 

for Economic Cooperation and Development, an 

international group.) 

The concept of “drift” as defined by [Jens] 

Rasmussen was generally agreed upon as 

being far too common in the current business 

environment. Rasmussen defined “drift” as the 


systematic organizational performance deteriorating 

under competitive pressure, resulting 

in operation outside the design envelope 

where preconditions for safe operation are 

being systematically violated (OECD, 2005). 

The OECD report also includes comments attributed 

to Norika Hama, a professor of international 

economics at Doshisha University Business School: 

In their bid to make profit under deflationary 

pressures, [Japanese] companies have been 

restructuring their operations and trying to cut 

costs, and are compelled to continue using 

facilities and equipment that normally would 

have been replaced and renewed years ago, 

thereby raising the risk of accidents. Also 

because of job cuts, the firms do not have sufficient 

numbers of workers who can repair and 

keep the old equipment in proper condition. 

The operation of Japan’s manufacturing 

industries was once looked upon as a global 

standard, but the fact that major companies 

that are supposed to symbolize that standard 

have been hit by serious accidents shows deflation 

has damaged the nation’s industrial base. 

Also consider what Rasmussen (1997) says about 

risk management: 

Companies today live in a very aggressive and 

competitive environment which will focus the 

incentives of decision makers on short-term 

financial and survival criteria rather than longterm 

criteria concerning welfare, safety and 

the environment. Studies of several accidents 

revealed that they were the effects of a systematic 

migration of organizational behavior 

toward accident under the influence of pressure 

toward cost-effectiveness in an aggressive, 

competitive environment. 

Comments from the U.S. Chemical Safety and 

Hazard Investigation Board (CSB) report on the 2005 

BP Texas City, TX, explosion that resulted in 15 

deaths and 180 injuries are also pertinent. 

The Texas City disaster was caused by organizational 

and safety deficiencies at all levels of 

the BP Corp. Warning signs of a possible disaster 

were present for several years, but company 

officials did not intervene effectively to 

prevent it. Cost cutting and failure to invest 

left the Texas City refinery vulnerable to a 

catastrophe. BP targeted budgeted cuts of 25% 

in 1999 and another 25% in 2005, even though 

much of the refinery’s infrastructure and 

process equipment were in disrepair. 

In a March 20, 2007, CSB news release, then chair 

Carolyn Merritt said, “The combination of cost-cutting, 

production pressures and failure to invest 

caused a progressive deterioration of safety at the 

refinery.” The impact of economics on decisions that 

may have a negative effect on the safety culture must 

be taken seriously. 

Assume that an organization’s senior executives 

want to know about the economics-related predic-

tors for serious injury potential that may exist in 

their operations and that safety professionals want 

to conduct a study to identify them. Such a study 

can be built on the following outline. 

1) In the current business climate, does the incentive 

system for decision makers result in focusing on 

short-term financial goals, resulting in drift—the systematic 

organizational performance deteriorating 

under competitive pressure 

2) Has the gap widened between issued policy 

and procedure, and what actually takes place at the 

company’s locations 

3) Does the organization continue using facilities 

and equipment that normally would have been 

replaced years ago, thereby raising the risk of serious 

injuries and fatalities 

4) Has there been a high turnover of location 

managers, the result being considerable variation in 

the emphasis on safety management 

5) Is staffing at all levels sufficient—both as to 

number and qualifications—to maintain a superior 

level of safety performance 

6) Because of staff cuts, does the firm have insufficient 

numbers of qualified workers who can repair 

and keep equipment in proper condition 

7) Has complacency developed at the site due to 

presumed superior performance, as measured by 

OSHA statistics 

8) Do safety audits lack the depth needed to identify 

continuing deterioration in management systems 

that results in greater risk 

Every element in this list relates to concerns 

expressed by safety professionals about deterioration 

in safety management systems as they comment 

on trends in their organizations. 

Avoiding Self-Delusion 

With respect to the Texas City incident, CSB 

(2005) also says that “a very low personal injury rate 

at Texas City gave BP a misleading indicator of 

process safety performance.” Others have similarly 

become aware that low injury incidence rates have 

little predictive value for severity potential. In a 

speech at the International Association of Oil and 

Gas Producers Offshore Safety Forum, Volkert 

Zijlker (2005), chair of the Oil and Gas Producers 

Safety Committee, said: 

We need to differentiate our focus on recurring 

safety incidents commensurate to the escalation 

potential. We concluded that TRIR/LTIF 

have little predictive value toward the potential 

escalation to single and multiple fatalities. 

They also tell us little about major accident risk. 

Neither safety professionals nor executive management 

should delude themselves into believing 

that achieving low OSHA incidence rates ensures 

that serious injuries will not occur. 

Actions to Reduce Serious Injury Potential 

With a concentrated focus on further preventing 

serious injuries, safety professionals should consider 

the following initiatives: 

1) Propose a study of serious injuries and fatalities 

in the entities to which they give counsel. 

2) Significantly improve the quality of incident 

investigations. 

3) Conduct a gap analysis, emphasizing the prevention 

through design provisions in ANSI/AIHA 

Z10-2005. 

4) Initiate a system such as the critical incident 

technique (NSC, 2001a; Infopolis 2 Consortium) to 

gather information on near-hits. 

Propose a Study of Serious Injuries & Fatalities 

To produce information that relates directly to the 

entities to which safety professionals give counsel, it is 

proposed that serious injuries and fatalities which 

have occurred in those entities be studied. Such studies 

will not be time-consuming since the data to be collected 

and analyzed should already exist or be easily 

obtained. A model instrument that can be used in this 

study is shown in Figure 1 (p. 38); it should be modified 

to suit an organization’s structure, culture, inherent 

risks, operations specifics and incident experience. 

The study should seek predictive indicators, represented 

by shortcomings in safety management 

systems, so that improvement can be proposed. Item 

8 in the survey instrument pertains to causal factors 

and would address those pertinent to the operations 

being studied. 

Improve Incident Investigations 

While the reality of the design and engineering, 

operational systems and cultural causal factors should 

be identified and analyzed in the proposed study, 

safety professionals should not be surprised to find 

that the incident investigation reports lack in-depth 

causal factors determination. As noted, the author’s 

studies of 1,200 reports have found that incident 

investigations seldom reveal the core causal factors. 

Comments by the Columbia Accident Investigation 

Board (NASA, 2003) match the conclusions 

drawn by this author through his research. While 

reading the following excerpts from that group’s 

report, safety professionals should think about how 

they relate to the quality of the incident investigation 

systems in their organizations. 

Many accident investigations do not go far 

enough. They identify the technical cause of 

the accident, and then connect it to a variant of 

“operator error.” But this is seldom the entire 

issue. When the determinations of the causal 

chain are limited to the technical flaw and 

individual failure, typically the actions taken 

to prevent a similar event in the future are also 

limited: fix the technical problem and replace 

or retrain the individual responsible. Putting 

these corrections in place leads to another mistake—the 

belief that the problem is solved. 

Too often, accident investigations blame a 

failure only on the last step in a complex process, 

when a more comprehensive understanding 

of that process could reveal that earlier steps 

might be equally or even more culpable. 

In this board’s opinion, unless the technical, 

To produce 

information 

that relates 

directly to 

the entities 

to which 


professionals 

give counsel, 

serious 

injuries and 

fatalities 

which have 

occurred in 

those entities 

should be 

studied. 


Figure 1 

Figure 1 

Serious Injury & Fatality Review Instrument 

organizational and cultural recommendations 

made in this report are implemented, little will 

have been accomplished to lessen the chance 

that another accident will follow. 

As noted, many incidents resulting in serious 

injuries are unique and singular events, having multiple 

and complex causal factors that may have organizational, 

technical, operational systems or cultural 

origins. Substantial reductions in serious injuries are 

unlikely if incident investigation systems are not 

improved to address the reality of their causal factors. 

The 5 Why System 

One way to improve an incident investigation 

system is to use the 5 why technique. Highly skilled 

incident investigators may say that this technique is 

inadequate because it does not promote the identification 

of root causal factors that result from decisions 

made at a senior executive level. Nevertheless, 

achieving competence in applying this concept will 

be a major step forward in many organizations. 

The origin of the 5 why process is attributed to 

Taiichi Ohno. While he was at Toyota, Ohno developed 

and promoted a practice of asking why five 

times to determine what caused a problem so that 

root causal factors can be identified and effective 


countermeasures implemented. 

The process is applied in a 

large number of settings for a 

wide range of problems. 

Since the premise on which 

the 5 why concept is based is 

uncomplicated, it can be (and 

has been) easily incorporated 

into the incident investigation 

process. For more complex incident 

situations, starting with 

the 5 why strategy may lead to 

the use of event trees or fishbone 

diagrams or more sophisticated 

investigation systems 

(iSixSigma). 

Conduct a Gap Analysis 

Approval of ANSI/AIHA 

Z10-2005 was a major development. 

Provisions in Z10 are 

state of the art. To identify 

shortcomings in safety management 

systems that relate 

particularly to serious injury 

prevention, it is suggested that 

safety professionals conduct a 

gap analysis to compare existing 

safety management systems 

to the provisions in Z10. 

While this analysis should 

include all provisions in the 

standard, the focus here is on 

prevention through design 

processes since most companies 

will find shortcomings in 

their safety management systems 

concerning them (Manuele, 2008). Improvements 

in these processes should reduce serious 

injury potential. 

•Design reviews. Z10 requires that processes be in 

place to conduct safety-related design reviews so as to 

avoid bringing hazards and risks into the workplace. 

•Risk assessments. Hazards are to be identified 

and analyzed, and risks are to be assessed and prioritized. 

•Hierarchy of controls. An organization must 

implement and maintain a process for achieving feasible 

risk reduction based on a prescribed hierarchy 

of controls. 

•Management of change. The objective of a management 

of change system is to prevent introducing 

hazards and risks into the work environment when 

operational changes are made. Given the author’s 

studies of incident experience—in which it was noted 

that many incidents resulting in serious injuries occur 

when unusual work is done (e.g., as when changes are 

made)—safety professionals should strongly consider 

proposing the adoption of such a system. 

•Procurement. Z10 requires that safety specifications 

be included in purchasing and acquisition 

processes to avoid bringing hazards and risks into 

the workplace.

As the gap analysis proceeds, the system shortcomings 

identified should be evaluated with respect 

to their being predictive of the probability that major 

incidents may occur. 

Encourage Use of a Variation 

of the Critical Incident Technique 

The proposed survey instrument (Figure 1) contains 

provisions to enter data on life-threatening nearhits. 

Safety professionals should consider adopting a 

system—such as the critical incident technique (NSC, 

2001; Infopolis 2 Consortium)—to collect data on 

near-hits and out-of-the-norm situations to capture 

the predictive value such data provide. The purpose 

of applying the technique is to identify and address 

hazards that have serious injury potential. 

A system requiring interviews, form completion 

or computer entry is created whereby employees are 

asked for their input on serious injury potential, 

including near-hit hazardous situations. For the 

process to succeed, one must recognize that workers 

are a valuable resource in identifying hazards and 

risks because of their extensive knowledge of how 

the work gets done. 

With respect to incident recall, Johnson (1980) 

says: 

Such [incident recall] studies, whether by 

interview or questionnaire, have a proven 

capacity to generate a greater quantity of relevant, 

useful reports than other monitoring 

techniques, so much so as to suggest that their 

presence is an indispensable criterion of an 

excellent safety program. 

A system that seeks to identify causal factors 

before their potentials are realized would serve well 

in attempts to avoid low-probability/serious-consequence 

events. 

Conclusion 

To reduce the potential for major accidents, management 

must embed that purpose within its culture. 

This will ensure that avoiding the causal factors 

for severe injuries is considered in the application of 

every element in the safety management system. 

Achieving this requires a new mindset—in every 

aspect of safety management, from the design 

process to dismantling and disposition—and giving 

serious injury prevention a higher priority. The 

intent would be to achieve an understanding that 

personnel at all levels have a particular responsibility 

to: 

•anticipate, predict and take corrective action on 

hazards and risks that may have serious injury or 

fatality potential; 

•ensure that root causal factors for incidents 

which result in severe injuries are reviewed in depth; 

•identify predictive indicators, including knowledge 

obtained from studies of near-hits; 

•address organizational, operational, technical 

and cultural causal factors. 

As safety professionals study serious injury 

causal factors and identify the improvements need- 

ed in safety management systems, they may find 

that a culture change is necessary. This would 

require them to take a significant leadership role. 

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grant to Indiana University of Pennsylvania to support national 

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24, 2008, from http://www.ul.ie/~infopolis/methods/incident 

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24, 2008, from http://www.isixsigma.com/library/content/ 

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Safety Now Conference, Reno, NV, USA. 

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York: Marcel Dekker. 

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Z10 and serious injury prevention. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. 

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IL: Author. 

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(12th ed.). Itasca, IL: Author. 

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_11-06.aspx. 

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March 31-April 1, 2005. 




Employee 

Engagement 

Improving participation in safety 

By Joshua H. Williams 

TTHE FIRST STEP in increasing employee involvement 

for safety is hiring conscientious employees who care 

about safety. Organizations with elite employees normally 

offer competitive salaries and often use an array 

of selection tools, such as personality tests, biodata 

instruments, assessment center exercises, vocation 

tests (when appropriate), structured interviews and 

cognitive ability tests (Schmidt & Hunter, 2004; 

Spector, 1996). Structured interviews involve managers 

asking all prospective employees standardized 

questions that are behaviorally anchored and based 

on prior job analyses (Cascio, 1998). 

Once employees are in place, effective training 

and development are needed to cultivate and maintain 

desirable employee behaviors and attitudes. 

This is especially true with safety. Optimizing safety 

culture requires active employee engagement for 

safety. Employees must provide each other corrective 

feedback when risky behavior is identified, 

especially since shortcuts are often perceived to be 

faster and easier, and because supervisors are not 

always present. This corrective feedback also sets the 

norm that safe behavior is expected. 

In some organizations, safety shortcuts become 

the norm (“Forget what the trainer said. This is how 

we really do things around here”). To counter this, 

specific safety efforts should target safety culture 

improvement and hourly employees should be 

heavily involved in these efforts. This helps increase 

personal responsibility and employee buy-in for 

safety (Geller, 2005). 

Joshua H. Williams, Ph.D., is a 

senior project manager with Safety 

Performance Solutions in Blacksburg, 

VA. He holds a Ph.D. in Industrial/ 

Organizational Psychology from 

Virginia Tech. Williams delivers 

educational and motivational 

presentations and helps companies 

design and implement behavior and 

culture change initiatives. He has 

presented at many national 

conferences and is the coeditor of 

Keys to Behavior-Based Safety. 

Innovative Programs 

Increase Employee Involvement 

Organizations must find creative 

ways to increase employee involvement 

for safety. For example, one 

Virginia company used funds it had 

budgeted to purchase safety posters 

and gave it to select employees via a 

poster design contest. Specifically, the 

site shut down all operations for 

2 hours and brought in all employees to 

create their own safety posters. Prizes 


were given out for first ($100), second ($50) and third 

place ($25) as voted by employees. The company 

provided flipchart pages and markers/crayons and 

employees were allowed to make as many posters as 

they wanted. 

The winning poster was created by a maintenance 

worker who drew Forrest Gump running down the 

road wearing safety glasses (and other PPE) under 

the caption, “Safety IS as Safety DOES.” Completed 

posters were displayed around the facility. According 

to the safety director, the posters helped increase 

employees’ awareness for safety. 

In another example, a company in West Virginia 

was struggling to increase employee participation in 

completing environmental audits and behavioral 

observation cards. At the time, only about 1 in 5 

employees regularly completed these tasks. The 

company decided to donate $0.10 for each completed 

card to the local Boys’ Club. A safety committee 

member reported that within 6 months the company 

had donated nearly $40,000 and participation rates 

had climbed to nearly 90%. 

This means employees were observing and providing 

each other safety feedback at much higher 

rates than before the new initiative. Those involved 

believe that this improvement would lead to safety 

culture improvements and reduced injuries (although 

site-specific injury data are not available). 

These results suggest that special programs focused 

on community service and family can help to 

increase employee involvement for safety. 

Other organizations emphasize wellness programs. 

For example, a company in California conducts 

regular safety fairs where employees go (with 

their families) to sample healthy food, and receive 

back and foot massages and various health checks 

(e.g., blood pressure, cholesterol). This organization 

also has a state-of-the-art gymnasium and offers 

employees incentives to use it. 

In addition, the company plays new-age music 

every 2 hours. For 2 to 3 minutes, employees stop 

what they are doing and stretch (to combat fatigue 

and repetitive motion injuries). When the music stops, 

employees return to work. Although this program is

fairly new, those involved believe 

that these efforts could 

help to reduce repetitive motion 

injuries in the future. 

Figure 1 

Figure 1 

ABC Model 

Activators and consequences are 

filtered through the person. 

Mentoring 

New Employees 

Mentoring between experienced 

and inexperienced employees 

can also facilitate 

employee engagement in safety. 

This is especially true when 

companies have large numbers 

of retiring employees who may 

(or may not) pass on their 

detailed, craft knowledge to 

new hires. Also, many companies 

no longer backfill these 

positions, which leaves remaining employees to do 

more work with fewer people. 

To formalize mentoring, one organization implemented 

a buddy-for-a-week system. In this system, 

an experienced employee (one with high job knowledge 

and a good safety attitude) spent 1 week with 

a new hire, working together, having lunch, etc. 

According to a safety committee member at this 

facility, the process helped to pass on job-specific 

knowledge, provide hands-on training and improve 

rapport between newer and older employees. The 

safety committee member also believes the company’s 

safety culture has improved as a result of this 

effort, although he was unsure whether injury numbers 

had improved during this time. 

Behavioral Aspects of Injury Prevention 

Employee involvement in safety can be increased 

through behavioral safety efforts as well. Such 

efforts can also help organizations reduce at-risk 

behaviors that lead to injuries (Williams & Geller, 

2000). 

To understand how this might work, one must 

understand some fundamentals regarding employees’ 

safety behaviors and why they take shortcuts 

(Geller, 2005): 

•It is often perceived to be faster, easier and more 

comfortable to perform tasks in a risky manner. 

•Organizations may encourage risky behaviors by 

scheduling excessive overtime, not fixing equipment 

problems or providing insufficient safety training. 

•Despite the temptation to take shortcuts or take 

risks encouraged by the system, employees often 

operate safely because they do not want to be 

injured and/or because they take pride in doing 

things safely (even if it takes longer). 

•Managers can influence safety by selecting good 

employees, training them well and encouraging 

peer feedback. 

The ABC Model 

Behavioral psychologists (especially in the safety 

field) frequently use the activator-behavior-consequence 

(ABC) model to explain at-risk (and safe) 

Environment 

Person 

Activator Behavior Consequence 

Feedforward 

behaviors (Geller, 2008; 1998). Basically, activators or 

antecedents get a person’s attention to behave in a 

certain way. This leads to consequences (which ultimately 

motivate behavior) (Figure 1). 

Activators include such things as safety signs, 

meetings and rules. Behaviors (safe or at-risk) are 

observable actions and include actions such as using 

a safety harness or locking out an energy source. 

Positive consequences include going home from 

work safely and personal pride (for safe work practices). 

Negative consequences include injuries and 

reprimands (for risky work practices). In addition, 

consequences can be strong or weak. Strong consequences 

are probable, soon and significant, while 

weak consequences are improbable, delayed and 

insignificant. 

Consider this quick analysis using the ABC 

model to help explain an at-risk behavior (grinding 

without a face shield). Activators that encourage an 

employee to use a protective face shield include safety 

signs, training and supervisor presence. Activators 

that encourage an employee not to use a face 

shield include time pressure, damaged gear and a 

lack of availability. 

Consequences that encourage face shield use 

include not getting an eye injury and not getting in 

trouble. However, since it is improbable that an 

employee will be injured or get in trouble for grinding 

without a face shield (although these consequences 

would be soon and significant), these 

consequences lack strength. 

On the other hand, consequences that discourage 

face shield use include saving time, better vision and 

more comfort. These consequences are probable, 

soon and significant, which means they are strong 

(and, thus, the related behavior will likely be exhibited). 

In other words, the natural consequences are 

stronger for not wearing face shields than for wearing 

them. In many cases, the natural consequences 

for risky behavior outweigh the natural consequences 

for safe behavior. This is true for numerous 

behaviors such as safety harness use, driving a forklift 

too fast or smoking cigarettes. This helps explain 

why employees may take safety shortcuts. 

Feedback 

Abstract: Organizations 

are increasingly 

seeking ways to 

improve employee 

engagement for safety 

in order to reach 

the next level of safety 

performance. This 

article reviews strategies 

that organizations 

can implement 

to achieve this, 

including the use of 

innovative programs 

for safety, providing 

mentoring to newer 

employees and implementing 

behaviorbased 


initiatives. 


Behavior-Based Safety 

In any workplace, it is important that employees 

watch out for others’ safety. Behavior-based safety 

(BBS) can help increase employee involvement for 

safety because it encourages peers to provide safety 

feedback to one another. By observing safety-related 

behaviors, employees point out risky behaviors that 

may lead to injury. They also praise and reinforce 

safe behaviors. In addition to one-on-one feedback, 

group data in the form of graphs and charts can help 

reduce risky behavioral trends and reinforce safe 

behavioral trends (Geller & Williams, 2001). 

The basic implementation steps of a BBS initiative 

are as follows: 

•Train managers and supervisors on the principles 

and practical applications of BBS to improve 

safety culture. 

•Form a steering team to manage the process. 

This team should have representation from hourly 

employees (and union leaders where applicable). 

The team receives comprehensive training which 

includes BBS process development (e.g., creating an 

observation card, determining rules for using the 

card, defining roles and responsibilities of key 

groups to make the process successful). 

Supporting BBS 

Management’s Role 

To show its support of these initiatives, management 

should do the following: 

•Ensure that the steering team has necessary 

resources (time, money) to be effective. 

•Discuss observation process metrics 

monthly. 

•Communicate one-on-one with employees 

about BBS. 

•Recognize individual and team accomplishments. 

•Actively work with supervisors to support 

the process. 

•Allow the steering team to manage the 

process. 

•Show patience. 

Supervisor’s Role 

Supervisor support for the safety initiative is 

also critical to long-term success. To show their 

support, supervisors should do the following: 

•Attend training. 

•Discuss the process in safety meetings. 

•Allow time for observations. 

•Offer to be observed. 

•Help use BBS data to remove barriers. 

•Keep up-to-date on process information 

(e.g., number of observations per month, percentage 

of employee participation, percent safe 

scores). 

•Celebrate process successes. 

•Praise employees for participation. 


•Team members (in-house trainers) are taught 

how to provide BBS training to hourly employees 

(or outside consultants provide this training). Once 

all hourly employees are trained, formal observations 

begin. All hourly employees should be observed 

and should be encouraged to observe. 

•Employees begin observing coworkers and providing 

safety feedback. 

•Steering team members collect observation 

cards, enter observation information into a database 

and analyze the results. 

•Monthly BBS data are provided to managers/supervisors/employees 

(e.g., through safety 

meetings, bulletin boards). The steering team identifies 

improvement activities from the data. Progress 

is assessed periodically, and the process is streamlined 

and adjusted as needed. 

When implementing these processes, it is crucial 

that they be employee designed and led, anonymous 

and confidential, nonpunitive (no-name/noblame) 

and focused on long-term success (as 

opposed to changing program focus frequently or 

expecting immediate results). 

One Example: The DO IT Process 

One way to follow up on problem areas is a 4-step 

process known by the DO IT acronym—D = Define, 

O = Observe, I = Intervene, T = Test. The steering 

team defines behaviors that need improvement from 

a baseline of observation data. The team works with 

hourly (and other) employees to develop interventions 

to improve the defined behaviors, then tests 

whether the interventions worked. If so, the team 

defines other behaviors to address. If not, the group 

brainstorms new intervention ideas to try. 

For example, an oil company noted low levels of 

glove use among employees. Three months of observations 

revealed that employees wore their gloves 

only 25% of the time (D = glove use, O = observe for 

3 months to find percentage of use). 

Rather than mandate glove use at all times, the 

steering team elected to talk with employees to learn 

how to get them to wear gloves more often. The 

team brainstormed and implemented the following 

interventions (I): 

•provide better fitting gloves; 

•make the gloves more accessible; 

•provide hand injury testimonials at tailgate 

meetings; 

•set a goal of 85% glove use for 6 months; 

•convince the safety director to shave his head if 

the goal is met. 

The last criterion was most strongly embraced by 

employees (and begrudgingly accepted by the safety 

director). Within the first month, percent safe 

scores climbed from 25% to nearly 100%—results 

that were maintained for 6 months. To celebrate, the 

company closed the site for an afternoon, served 

food and drinks, and recruited an hourly employee 

to shave the safety director’s head. Morale was 

reported to be high. 

The steering team continued to test (T) glove use

for several months following the celebration. 

Although glove use dropped to around 75%, this 

level was considered an improvement compared to 

the baseline data of 25%. In addition, the company 

indicated that the number of reported hand 

cuts/lacerations decreased approximately 85% during 

this time. These improvements were attributed 

to the combination of the noted interventions. 

Benefits to Be Gained 

Implementing and sustaining a successful BBS 

process is not easy. Employees may be initially skeptical 

that the process is anonymous and nonpunitive. 

Steering team members may get discouraged by 

employee cynicism. It can also be difficult to keep 

the process evergreen once it is underway. Supervisors 

may allow production 

demands to supersede the safety 

effort. Managers expecting 

immediate results may try to 

control the process as well. 

Despite this, when implemented 

effectively, the process 

can deliver positive benefits in 

that it: 

•focuses employee attention 

on safe and at-risk work 

behaviors; 

•gives employees a reason 

to provide safety feedback to 

coworkers; 

•leads to more praise for 

safe work practices; 

•fosters open communication 

between employees about 

safety; 

•improves the quality and 

quantity of safety communication 

in the workplace; 

•serves as a constant reminder 

of workplace safety; 

•increases employee involvement 

for safety; 

•allows employees to learn 

from each other. 

Improving Safety 

Communication 

One main benefit of BBS is 

improved communication in the 

organization. Improving safety 

communication fosters a more 

positive and healthy organizational 

safety culture (Williams, 

2003) and reduces the chances 

that employees will get injured 

on the job. 

With this in mind, a safety 

culture survey can be used to 

assess employees’ beliefs and 

attitudes regarding safety communication. 

This survey, which 

should be part of a larger evaluation of organizational 

safety culture, measures management support 

for safety, peer support for safety, personal responsibility 

for safety and overall safety management systems 

(see Assessing Safety Culture sidebar on p. 44). 

The survey should also address communication 

issues such as employees’ opinions about cautioning 

coworkers when they observe them performing atrisk 

behaviors. Statements such as the following can 

help gather those opinions: 

•Employees should caution coworkers when 

observing them perform at-risk behaviors. 

•I am willing to caution coworkers when observing 

them perform at-risk behaviors. 

•I caution coworkers when observing them perform 

at-risk behaviors. 

Supporting BBS 

Steering Team’s Role 

The steering team creates and manages the BBS process. To demonstrate 

their support, these employees should do the following: 

•Regularly communicate with employees about the BBS process. 

•Personally hand out observation cards to employees and request 

their participation in conducting observations. 

•Conduct observations in pairs with employees to a) increase their 

comfort level in observing others; and b) demonstrate how to conduct 

an observation. 

•Use various channels such as safety training, newsletters and bulletin 

boards to regularly update all employees on progress. 

•Solicit input from employees through one-on-one communication, 

safety suggestion boxes and safety meetings. 

•Design home observation cards to encourage family involvement 

in safety. 

•Send supervisors memos to encourage them to discuss the initiatives 

with employees. 

•Schedule or coordinate observations with employees (when 

appropriate). 

•Post reminders throughout the facility encouraging employees to 

participate in the process. 

•Involve employees in designing promotional items such as signs, 

posters and newsletters. 

•Affix high-visibility tags or stickers to equipment that has been 

fixed as a result of the observation process. 

•Display names and photos of steering team members throughout 

the facility, along with their contact information, so employees can 

contact them with questions. 

Hourly Employees’ Role 

Hourly employees must be actively involved and can achieve that 

by doing the following: 

•Be open minded about the process. 

•Observe coworkers. 

•Provide effective praise and corrective feedback after completing 

observations. 

•Be willing to be observed by others. 

•Accept observation feedback well. 

•Provide constructive feedback about the process 

•Volunteer to join the steering team. 


Assessing Safety Culture 

When assessing an organization’s safety culture, several factors 

should be addressed, including management support for safety, 

employee support for safety, personal responsibility for safety and 

safety management systems. Following are some statements that 

might be used in a survey to assess each area. 

Management Support for Safety 

•Site management is more concerned about keeping injury statistics 

low than with truly keeping people safe. 

•Site management is willing to invest money and effort to 

improve our safety performance. 

Employee Support for Safety 

•Employees in my work area caution each other about unsafe 

behaviors. 

•Besides working safely myself, I am willing to do other things to 

help improve workplace safety. 

Personal Responsibility for Safety 

•When I see a safety hazard, I am willing to correct it myself if 

possible. 

•I am willing to put forth a little extra effort to improve workplace 

safety. 

Safety Management Systems 

•The site uses a consistent procedure for dealing with employees 

who violate safety rules. 

•When asked to do a new job, I receive enough training to be able 

to do it safely. 

The first statement assesses the respondent’s values; 

the second addresses intentions; and the third 

involves behavior. The author’s firm has conducted 

more than 125,000 surveys over the past 15 years. 

Approximately 90% of employees agree that they 

should give feedback when observing a coworker performing 

an at-risk behavior and nearly 85% report 

that they are willing to give corrective feedback. 

However, only about 60% say they actually provide 

such feedback. These results indicate a gap between 

employees’ values/intentions and their actual behavior 

in terms of providing corrective feedback— 

and it signals a reluctance to warn others about at-risk 

behaviors. 

When employees are asked about this apparent 

reluctance to deliver corrective feedback in response 

to at-risk behaviors, common responses include the 

following: 

•If I give someone feedback about a safety issue, 

s/he will get angry. I don’t want to cause problems 

or get yelled at. 

•It’s not my job to give peers feedback. I’m not a 

supervisor. 

•I’ve never given peer feedback before. 

•I don’t know enough about that job to give feedback. 

•I don’t want to give feedback to someone who 

has more experience than I do. 

•I’m not sure I can give appropriate feedback. 


In the author’s experience 

with organizations that identify 

this gap, a BBS implementation 

can be an effective tool. 

This suggests that employees 

are more likely to caution one 

another about risky behaviors 

when they are involved in a 

BBS process. 

Charting the number of 

behavior observations completed 

over time (i.e., more 

observations equals more conversations) 

helps to increase 

the quantity and quality of 

safety communication. Doing 

so also helps to institutionalize 

peer-to-peer safety feedback as 

a normal, established way of 

doing business. 

The Need for 

Corrective Feedback 

In addition to the natural 

consequences such as ease and 

comfort, external factors can 

reinforce at-risk behavior. For 

example, workers may feel 

management pressure to take 

safety shortcuts for production. 

Other factors such as fatigue 

from overtime, problems with 

the job layout or equipment, 

and poor training may also contribute to risky 

behaviors being performed. To combat these factors, 

employees need corrective feedback from others to 

reduce their likelihood of injury. The challenge is to 

deliver this feedback in such a manner that it positively 

influences the person rather than makes 

him/her angry or defensive. Key considerations for 

providing effective corrective feedback include the 

following: 

•Deliver it one-on-one and right away. 

•Focus on the specific behavior observed and 

avoid making it personal. 

•Rather than lecture, ask questions to facilitate 

the discussion. 

•Show genuine concern for the other person’s 

feelings and well being. 

•Work together to find better solutions. 

•Thank the person for listening. 

Receiving corrective feedback effectively is also a 

challenge. Considerations include the following. 

•Listen actively. 

•Be objective, not defensive. Remain open and 

receptive. 

•Accept feedback without resentment. 

•Clarify the future desired behavior with the 

speaker. 

•Express commitment to conduct the desired 

behavior in the future. 

•Thank the person for providing feedback.

The Need for Praise 

In addition to increasing corrective feedback, it is 

important to consider the power of rewarding safety 

feedback to increase safe work practices (Williams, 

2002). Praising people for safe work practices: a) increases 

the probability that these work practices will 

be performed safely in the future; and b) builds a 

more open, positive safety culture. 

With this in mind, consider asking employees the 

following questions: 

•If you do something risky, what is the likelihood 

that a coworker will warn you about it 

•If you complete a given task completely safe, 

what is the likelihood that a coworker will praise or 

thank you 

In the author’s experience, responses to the first 

question vary greatly, but often average around 50% 

to 60%. Responses to the second question vary from 

laughter to perhaps 5%. In general, many employees 

report that they receive insufficient praise for working 

safely. BBS initiatives encourage employees to 

notice, then praise others for working safely. 

Through ongoing training and process implementation, 

employees build the skills and develop 

the motivation to provide effective peer-to-peer 

feedback on a regular basis. This allows companies 

to trend behavioral data to assess current strengths 

and weaknesses. Together, this one-on-one feedback 

and group data help to optimize safety culture and 

reduce injuries. 

Increasing Participation 

Increasing employee participation in any safety 

process is crucial. Following are some strategies that 

can be used to achieve this. 

Using Training to Educate & Promote BBS 

•Provide BBS training to all managers, supervisors 

and employees. 

•Provide ongoing training for new hires (and 

contractors when appropriate). 

•Provide regular refresher training to all managers, 

supervisors and employees. 

•Provide regular minirefresher training sessions 

(e.g., no more than 30 minutes) to all managers, 

supervisors and employees to reinforce key tenets 

such as 1) positive; 2) anonymous; and 3) employee 

driven. 

Data Analysis & Dissemination 

•Regularly present BBS data to employees, 

supervisors and managers in safety meetings, 

newsletters, bulletin boards and other communication 

outlets. 

•Present data that reflect employees’ comments, 

suggestions and requested action items from the 

observation cards. 

•Conduct DO ITs and ABC analyses based on 

these data. 

•Include a box titled “follow-up action required” 

on the observation card (if appropriate). 

•Regularly advertise program successes (e.g., 

increased involvement, improved percent safe 

Effective 

Communication Skills 

Enhance Observations 

•Do not interrupt the person. 

•Maintain good eye contact. 

•Ask open-ended questions to clarify meaning 

and facilitate discussion. 

•Maintain an even, vocal tone. 

•Be an active, involved listener. 

scores, equipment and facilities improvements, 

injury reduction numbers). 

•Advertise successes through various channels 

(e.g., safety meetings, bulletin boards, newsletters). 

Rewards & Recognition 

•Provide one-on-one positive feedback for 

employees who are actively involved in the process. 

•Send thank-you cards to employees who frequently 

provide high-quality observations. 

•Provide group celebrations (e.g., pizza parties) 

for achievements. 

•Provide tokens of appreciation (e.g., hardhat 

stickers) and surprise gifts (e.g., caps, shirts) to 

employees who are actively involved in the process. 

Conclusion 

Optimizing safety culture requires active employee 

engagement for safety. As a result, most organizations 

are seeking ways to increase employee 

involvement in safety efforts. The strategies described 

in this article—including the development of 

innovative programs for safety (such as wellness 

programs and community support initiatives), mentoring 

of new employees and BBS initiatives—can be 

used to achieve that end. 

References 

Cascio, W.F. (1998). Applied psychology in human resource management 

(5th ed.). Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. 

Geller, E.S. (1998). Understanding behavior-based safety: Step-bystep 

methods to improve your workplace (2nd ed.). Neenah, WI: J.J. 

Keller & Associates Inc. 

Geller, E.S. (2002). The participation factor: How to increase 

involvement in occupational safety. Des Plaines, IL: ASSE. 

Geller, E.S. (2005). People-based safety: The source. Virginia 

Beach, VA: Coastal Training Technologies Corp. 

Geller, E.S. (2008). Leading people-based safety: Enriching your 

culture. Virginia Beach, VA: Coastal Training Technologies Corp. 

Geller, E.S. & Williams, J.H. (Eds.). (2001). Keys to behaviorbased 

safety from Safety Performance Solutions. Rockville, MD: Government 

Institutes. 

Schmidt, F.L. & Hunter, J. (2004). General mental ability in the 

world of work: Occupational attainment and job performance. 

Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 86(1), 162–173. 

Spector, P.E. (1996). Industrial and organizational psychology: 

Research and practice. New York: John Wiley & Sons. 

Williams, J.H. (2002, April). Improving safety leadership with 

industrial/organizational psychology. Professional Safety, 47(4), 43-47. 

Williams, J.H. (2003, Feb.). People-based safety: Ten key factors 

to improve employees’ attitudes. Professional Safety, 48(2), 32-36. 

Williams, J.H. & Geller, E.S. (2000). Behavior-based interventions 

for occupational safety: Critical impact of social comparison 

feedback. Journal of Safety Research, 31, 135-142. 


Best 

Practices 

Gloves in the Workplace 

10 Selection & Evaluation Tips 

By Chuck 

Connelly 

Implementing 

a glove 

program has 

proven 

to reduce 

hand-related 

injuries. 

As American industry continues to face the 

challenges of maintaining the world’s most 

productive workforce, SH&E professionals 

look for tools and processes that add efficiencies as 

we invest time, training and implement safety standards 

to protect workers. Sometimes, we overlook 

not only the importance of gloves in the workplace 

as a safety enhancement, but perhaps just as importantly, 

the ability of gloves to add performance and 

productivity that can result in cost savings. 

The following 10 points are intended as a 

guide to help safety practitioners, production 

managers and employers make informed decisions 

and create a custom glove program for 

their unique demands. 

The Objective 

1 

Safety first. This is sometimes viewed as a 

worn-out phrase that resides on an oversized 

banner adorning the workplace, but no two 

words have more significance and importance at 

work. The temporary or long-term loss of an associate, 

whether from a minor injury or a more catastrophic 

incident, can have a profound, lasting 

impact on a company. Effects can manifest as loss 

of worker focus, depression and related afflictions, 

increased safety risk and slowed production 

processes. Hand injuries are a common workplace 

incident and can account for a large number of 

medical complaints. Implementing a glove program 

has proven to reduce hand-related injuries. 

The Three Basics 

2 

Fit. Glove manufacturers are beginning to 

add additional sizes to their glove offerings. 

The traditional idea of “three sizes fits all” has 

become antiquated as safety concerns, and the need 

for hand and finger dexterity have increased. Five 

size offerings are becoming more standard and the 

emergence of a plus size that incorporates medium 

finger length with extra-large width and hand 

thickness is filling a long-overlooked sizing need. 

The rise of synthetic gloves that use stretch materials 

has also added to improved fit. The bottom line: 

If the glove fits correctly and is comfortable, it will 

be worn longer and achieve safety improvements. 

3 

Form. Traditional two-dimensional cut 

gloves have been the standard for the past 

SPOTLIGHT 

Best 

Practices 

Mechanics Glove 

For hands that work with rough 

materials and equipment, the 

Kleenguard G50 Mechanics glove 

from Kimberly-Clark Professional 

offers extra protection and padding 

in the palm, fingertip and knuckle 

areas, providing enhanced impact 

protection and comfort. Typical uses 

include masonry, forging, stamping 

and injection molding. 

Request 25 at www.psads.info. 

Heavy Utility Glove 

Radians introduces the DeWALT DPG 210 heavy utility PVC padded-palm 

glove, the first of 11 new high-performance styles in its Generation II line. 

Lightweight glove features synthetic suede palm with PVC overlay and 

bonded nylon stitching for durability and dexterity. Reinforced stretch 

nylon fourchettes and covered neoprene knuckle guards provide added 

protection. Heavyweight stretch spandex back and neoprene cuff with 

hook-and-loop closure provide secure, comfortable fit. Oil- and waterrepellant 

material makes glove ideal for warm to mild conditions. 


Publication of this material does not constitute endorsement by ASSE 

Grip Technology 

Best Glove’s Answer glove features 

new grip technology (NGT) coating 

ideal for window manufacturing 

environments. Coating has release 

properties that workers need when 

handling adhesives and sealants. 

Four-piece, cut-and-sewn glove is 

designed for comfort and function 

with proprietary NGT coating on 

palm, fingers and thumb. Snugfitting 

styles combine the look and 

feel of leather with the durability, 

flexibility and cut-, puncture- and abrasion-resistance of a Nitrilelaminated 

cotton-poly fabric. All styles are slip-on, talc-free and 

washable, and minimize absorption of water, oils and greases. 


Industrial Latex Glove 

Sempermed USA offers the SemperGuard Latex 

Industrial Powder-Free Glove, designed to provide 

optimal barrier protection while offering the 

property advantages of copolymer technology. 

Made from natural rubber latex, this glove 

provides superior tactile sensitivity in both wet and 

dry environments where a sense of touch is 

necessary. The pH-balanced latex creates less 

irritation and greater levels of comfort. Glove is 

ideal for food, food processing, pharmaceutical 

and laboratory applications. 



century and have evolved little. The rise and acceptance 

of a new glove category—performance gloves, 

including cut-and-sewn and string knit/dipped 

gloves—has entered the workplace, adding a contoured 

and three-dimensional component that mirrors 

the relaxed hand, resulting in less palm 

bunching for better tool and material control, added 

comfort and the ability to accomplish dexterous 

tasks. Cut-and-sewn performance gloves often add 

features such as short cut finished glove fingers and 

improved construction methods such as the Bolton 

thumb cut, which reduces pleating between the 

thumb and index finger saddle for improved hand 

tool and material control. Fourchette construction 

adds to fingertip dexterity, and hook-and-loop closures 

complement the glove’s form and prevent 

debris from entering the glove. 

4 

Function. When the fit and form of the 

glove is optimized, the function of the glove 

is better realized. A glove that functions correctly 

will add safety benefits, allowing the worker to 

wear the glove for more related tasks, giving the 

worker more confidence within the working environment. 

Improved tool and material control is 

realized, which adds to worker productivity, safety 

and cost efficiencies. 

Additional Considerations 

5 

The right glove for the job. Each working 

task has unique challenges. Matching the 

task with the proper hand protection is key to 

achieving a safe work environment, increasing productivity 

and, ultimately, cost benefits. If risk to the 

hand is detectable, it is wise to mediate on the side 

of caution. For example, if a worker is involved in a 

high degree of impact or high-intensity vibration 

for even a small percentage of the work day, a single- 

or, if necessary, doublehanded 

antivibration glove 

may be in order. If the exposure 

is prolonged throughout 

the work day, an ANSI/ISOcertified 

antivibration glove 

may be best to protect the 

worker’s health and reduce or 

eliminate future hand-related 

problems that may adversely 

affect productivity. 

Another example can be 

found in the package handling 

industry, where it is typical for 

an individual to handle more 

than 1,000 packages each shift. This task might call 

for a form-fitting glove with silicone screened 

palms that allows for improved grip with less force, 

resulting in reduced hand fatigue and related complaints, 

greater productivity, and allowing the 

worker to use a scanner and or keypad entry without 

removing the gloves. 

6 

Performance gloves versus commodity 

gloves. Performance gloves—those that fit 

properly, are comfortable, increase productivity 

and enhance safety—are often more readily perceived 

by the worker as PPE. Also, because of their 

premium status, they are less likely to be lost, 

taken on and off, and worn throughout the day. 

Commodity gloves are often ill fitting, cumbersome 

and can impede the worker’s ability to perform 

the job safely and efficiently. They are often 

perceived as disposable and, although by description 

are PPE, do not warrant the same level of 

appreciation from workers. 

Best Practices continued on page 48 

Matching 

the task 

with the 

proper hand 

protection is 

key to a safe 

workplace. 

Leather Glove 

TurtleSkin WorkWear Plus glove from 

Warwick Mills is designed for tasks 

that require great grip, dexterity 

and tactile sensitivity with cut and 

puncture protection. These 

protective leather gloves have a 

stretch-knit backing and hookand-loop 

closure at the wrist for a 

secure fit and excellent comfort. 

Glove features a full aramid lining that 

wraps over the fingertips for maximum 

cut and puncture protection. Palm side is 

puncture resistant up to 267 g of force 

tested with a 28-gauge hypodermic 

needle. 


Arm Protection 

HexArmor’s 9-in. Arm Guard is 

made of ISEA Level 5 cut-resistant 

fabric that also provides highperformance 

puncture protection. 

Guard protects the forearm from 

metal, knives and punctures from 

sharp objects such as glass, wood 

slivers and sheet metal. Product will 

not fall down during wear like knit sleeves, and it provides 

lightweight dexterity. Product reportedly lasts 10 to 15 times longer 

than typical protective wear and is machine washable. 


Bamboo Glove 

Magid Glove & Safety introduces 

the Bamboo ROC glove, made of 

sustainable bamboo. Two styles (ROC 

GP169 and GP199) feature seamless 

machine knit shell. ROC GP169 has foam 

nitrile palm coating, while ROC GP199 has 

foam latex palm coating. Shell is reportedly lighter, 

softer and more absorbent than cotton or synthetics. 

Porous structure wicks moisture away from the skin, 

keeping hands cooler, drier and more comfortable. 


Oil-Repellent Glove 

The HyFlex 11-920 glove from Ansell 

Healthcare combines oil repellency and 

gripping technology to provide hand 

protection for metal fabrication and 

materials-handling 

workers. Glove provides 

excellent grip in oily 

conditions, and palm grip 

coat wicks oil away from 

the surface. Worker can 

effectively grip wet or oily 

objects with significantly 

less force, while flexible 

Nitrile dip coating 

preserves dexterity. 

Request 32 at 

www.psads.info. 

Antivibe Glove 

Impacto Protective 

Products has added the 

BG408 Air Glove to its 

ergonomic hand and wrist 

protection line. Full-finger 

mechanic’s style glove 

features air technology to 

protect the palm, fingers 

and thumb from hand-arm 

vibration. Full finger with 

line creases on the palm 

provides flexibility during 

manual handling. Wrist 

tab with adjustable hookand-loop 

closure provides 

optimal fit. 

Request 33 at 



Best 

Practices 

continued 

from page 47 

The Math 

7 

Cost versus performance. If a 

more expensive glove that 

exhibits the above characteristics is 

proven through testing to increase worker 

performance and productivity, even by a 

small percentage (time savings, no on and 

off again for dexterous tasks, superior tool 

and material control, glove function that 

matches the task), these and other factors 

must also be evaluated (e.g., worker comfort, 

worker appreciation, PPE status). 

Consider this equation: wage at $12.50 

per hour x 8 hours = $113.00 per day, a 

5% increased performance = a net savings 

of $5.65 per day, $28.25 per week or 

$113.00 per month. This equation alone 

can often justify the implementation of a 

comprehensive hand protection program. 

8 

Cost versus safety enhancement. 

If the above applies and the 

gloves are worn a greater percentage of 

the day, then the safety risk is reduced 

and a savings is realized (hand injuries 

average $4,700 per incident). A form-fitting 

glove has less snag risk and encumbers 

the worker less, resulting in fewer 

tool and or material drops, spills or slippage. 

This equation will result in significant 

savings when viewing in its farreaching 

effects over time. 

9 

Risk management. As the workforce 

ages, injuries and remedial 

hand complaints such as Raynaud’s 

Syndrome (white finger) and carpal tunnel 

syndrome from continual exposure to 

hand vibration and repetitive motion 

become more commonplace. Insurance 

continues to rise and the need for a more 

comprehensive risk management evaluation 

of hand protection has never been 

more needed. When one considers the 

mind-hand and the eye-hand interface, 

the two most critical components in a 

productive workplace, and the costs 

involved in impeding or jeopardizing 

these components, the decisions to investigate 

and implement the safest, most 

productive, cost effective measures 

become not just pertinent but immediate. 

The Process 

Implementation. Before 

10 implementing a glove program, 

it is important to identify the hazards 

and problems encountered by those 

performing the tasks. Gather data from 

employees and supervisors about the 

tasks performed; tasks that cannot be 

performed with the gloves they currently 

have; percentage of the work day they 

do not wear gloves; tasks and times during 

which they are most prone to injuries 

such as cuts, lacerations, chemical exposure, 

heat, impact, and high oscillation 

vibration; and suggestions they may 

have regarding proper hand protection. 

Once hazards and compliance needs 

have been determined, consultations 

with professionals in the glove supply 

chain can begin. Talking to distributors 

and manufacturers can help identify the 

various options available, glove materials 

and their properties, specialty gloves 

for specific needs, performance-enhancing 

gloves, as well as the costs and safety 

benefits of each. These discussions can 

also enlighten the SH&E professional 

about new developments and improvements 

that can contribute to a safer, 

more productive workplace. 

Chuck Connelly is the product line developer 

at Radians Inc. He apprenticed in Austria and 

earned the status of recognition as a Master 

Work Glover. His areas of expertise involve not 

only design and materials, but also teaching 

and fostering relationships with factories that 

enable the best concepts to be produced reliably 

and consistently. For more information, visit 

www.raidans.com or call (871) 723-4267. 

Cut-Resistant Glove 

Working hands in repetitive operations 

can become fatigued in normal cutresistant 

gloves. Elastifit liners, from 

Banom, stretch with every hand 

movement, providing support without 

restriction. A smooth outer surface allows 

cover gloves to slide on easily, while a 

spiral-wrapped stainless steel core yarn 

flexes without breaking. Liners are 

washable, durable and comfortable. 


Coated Palm/Fingertips 

The professional-grade Ninja Force N9677 glove 

from MCR Safety features polyurethanecoated 

palm and fingertips and provides cool 

and comfortable hand protection with 

abrasion, cut and tear protection. Shell is 

constructed with 13-gauge engineered 

yarn of Dyneema/synthetic/fiberglass. 

Industry applications include automotive, 

ceramics, lathe operations, metal 

fabrication and transportation. 


Training 

Program 

Hand Safety: It’s In 

Your Hands from 

Coastal Training 

Technologies is a 

safety training 

program designed 

to help prevent 

hand injuries that occur to workers 180,000 times per 

year. Available on DVD and video, training program 

depicts how hand injuries can be avoided by using 

machine guards, selecting the right tools for the job 

and keeping equipment in proper working order. 

Choosing the proper safety gloves for each task and 

caring for them properly are also emphasized. 


Glove Clip 

Glove Guard LP’s glove clips reduce 

glove loss by clipping hand protection 

to the worker’s belt loop, thereby 

helping to reduce hand injuries. The 

firm’s newest product, Handi Klip, 

features oversized jaws and a 

nonbreakaway ball-and-socket 

design that allows both ends to 

rotate freely. Device provides an 

alternative when a safety breakaway 

is not needed or not advantageous, 

while the firm’s Glove Guard and 

Utility Guard lines offer the same 

utility with a safety breakaway. 


Chemical & Cut Protection 

Kronit-Proof 395 chemical and cut protective 

glove from MAPA Professional provides 

total hand 

protection 

with cutresistant 

outer 

liner and 

Nitrile inner 

shell. Glove 

offers 

excellent 

mechanical 

performance 

and long-lasting liquid-proof protection for 

demanding industrial applications. 



Standards 

Developments 

Hotlinks 

ANSI 

American National 

Standards Institute 

www.ansi.org 

ASSE 

American Society 

of Safety Engineers 

www.asse.org 

ASTM 

ASTM International 

www.astm.org 

CEN 

European Committee 

for Standardization 

www.cenorm.be 

ISO 

International 

Organization for 

Standardization 

www.iso.ch 

JCAHO 

Joint Commission 

on Accreditation 

of Healthcare 

Organizations 

www.jcaho.org 

NFPA 

National Fire 

Protection Assn. 

www.nfpa.org 

NIST 

National Institute 

of Standards and 

Technology 

www.nist.gov 

SCC 

Standards Council 

of Canada 

www.scc.ca 

UL 

Underwriters 

Laboratories Inc. 

www.ul.com 

Risk Management Continues to Gain International Focus 

Dorothy Gjerdrum is chair of the U.S. Technical Advisory Group (TAG) for Risk Management, which worked on the 

draft standard, Risk Management: Principles and Guidelines on Implementation (ISO 31000). In this interview, 

Gjerdrum explains how the TAG operates and provides an update of its activities. TAG Vice Chair Wayne Salen also 

contributed to this interview. 

Q: Describe your professional background and your 

responsibilities as chair of the TAG for Risk Management. 

Gjerdrum: I joined Arthur J. Gallagher in 1999 to bring a 

public entity risk manager perspective to the company’s 

largest client segment, which includes cities, counties, state 

governments, K-12 public schools, special districts and 

pools—or insurance groups—of those clients. I am the executive 

director of the Public Entity and Scholastic Division, 

which includes 290 sales staff in 30 offices across the U.S. 

Prior to that, I was a risk manager for a county association 

pool (three insurance programs) in New Mexico. I also 

staffed the insurance committee for the New Mexico legislature. 

All in all, I have 24 years’ insurance/risk management 

experience, and I have focused exclusively on public-sector 

risks since 1989. 

As chair of the U.S. TAG for Risk Management, I ensure the 

thorough review and discussion of the proposed ISO 31000 

Standard on the Practice of Risk Management. To do that, I 

facilitate discussion and expression of views from various constituent 

groups, including professional associations such as 

ASSE, American Industrial Hygiene Association, Public Risk 

Management Association (PRIMA), Risk and Insurance 

Management Society; industry representatives such as Bayer 

Material Science, Bearingpoint Inc., Packaging Machinery Manufacturers Institute, Project Management 

Institute, Pilz Automation Safety, RRS Engineering and Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; and brokerage 

and consulting groups such as Aon, Esis, Gallagher, Marsh, Safety Management Consultants and Wyeth. 

Ultimately, it is my job to work with this group to reach consensus on the U.S. position regarding the proposed 

standard, then through ASSE and ANSI, to communicate that to the international working group. 

Q: How does this TAG assist the new ISO Technical Management Board Working Group on Risk 

Management 

Gjerdrum: The U.S. is one of 30 countries involved in determining the new international standard on 

the practice of risk management. We recently submitted our vote on the standard (which was “No, with 

comment”). This allowed us to engage in discussion during the working group’s November meeting. 

During that meeting, country representatives finalized the wording of the standard. The U.S. was one of 

only three countries that voted “No, with comment.” We cast that vote to foster further discussion. Of all 

countries involved, 20 submitted comments with their vote. 

Q: How does this TAG work with ANSI and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) 

What procedures or processes are followed for voting at the international level 

Gjerdrum: ANSI casts the vote at the international level with ANSI. The TAG gives ANSI the position and 

comments to make when actually casting a ballot. TAG voting is conducted in accordance with our accredited 

procedures. The TAG administrator oversees the process, then provides the official voting position and 

comments to ANSI for them to execute. 

Q: ISO released the draft standard, Risk Management: Principles and Guidelines on Implementation 

(ISO 31000). How is this document structured, and what kind of response has it received since its release 

Gjerdrum: The standard was created to provide principles and guidelines on the implementation of 

risk management. It can be applied to any public, private or community enterprise, association, group or 

individual. It is designed to be generic and not specific to any industry or sector. 

It has received much attention from around the world. It will make the practice of risk management 

more consistent and understandable, whether you are in Japan, the U.S. or Europe. This will benefit businesses 

that have operations in many countries. It is of great interest to multiple industries and private and 

public entities, as is evidenced by the diversity within the U.S. TAG. 

The definitions that apply to the standard are in a separate document, Guide 73, Risk Management 

Vocabulary. It includes the definition of risk, the creation of a risk management framework and the definition 

of the risk management process. The purpose of the framework is to help an organization integrate 

risk management into its overall management system. The risk management process mirrors the 

Australian/New Zealand risk management standard, in which communication, consultation, monitoring 


ASSE Standards 

in Development 

ASSE’s new standard, Safety Requirements for 

Personnel and Debris Nets (BSR/ASSE A10.11- 

200x), is in development. The standard would 

establish safety requirements for the selection, 

installation and use of personnel and debris 

nets during construction, repair and demolition 

operations. It was administratively withdrawn 

in 2008 but has been revised by the 

committee. 

In addition, ASSE is developing Debris Net 

Systems Used During Construction and 

Demolition Operations (BSR/ASSE A10.37- 

200x). This standard would establish safety 

requirements for the design, selection, installation 

and use of debris net systems during construction 

and demolition operations and for 

the temporary containment of debris from 

deteriorating structures. It was administratively 

withdrawn in 2006 but has been revised by 

the committee. 

Learn more about ASSE’s standards activities 

at www.asse.org/publications/standards.

and review occur continually throughout 

the process. 

Q: You mention Guide 73. What is 

its purpose 

Gjerdrum: Draft ISO Guide 73 is an 

update of a longstanding document. 

When the ISO working group began 

crafting the risk management standard, 

its members realized that definitions 

were important and decided to update 

Guide 73 instead of including it in the ISO 

31000 document. We disagree with that, 

and we hope we will be able to persuade 

other country TAGs to merge the two. 

Q: The TAG last met on Aug. 5, 2008. 

What was the outcome of this meeting, 

and what are the TAG’s goals for the 

remainder of this year 

Gjerdrum: We agreed to vote “No, 

with comment” on the proposed standard 

to ensure discussion at the November 

meeting. Our goals are to participate in 

the meeting and to influence the adoption 

of the standard that represents the technical 

group’s concerns and needs. 

Q: Will the TAG develop any new risk 

management standards series in addition 

to ISO 31000 

Gjerdrum: That is yet to be determined. 

We hope Guide 73 will be incorporated 

into the standard. It is also 

possible that a U.S. national standard (in 

Dorothy Gjerdrum, 

ARM-P, is executive 

director of Arthur J. 

Gallagher Brokerage & 

Risk Management 

Services’ Public Entity 

and Scholastic Division. 

She is also chair 

of the U.S. TAG for 

Risk Management. 

Gjerdrum has more 

than 20 years’ industry experience, including 

10 years in risk management at the 

New Mexico Association of Counties 

insurance pools. She was a founding member 

of the NM PRIMA Chapter and serves 

on many PRIMA committees. 

concurrence with the ISO standard) 

will be proposed at a later date. 

Q: How can those interested participate 

in the TAG’s activities 

Gjerdrum: Interested parties can 

apply to ASSE to join the TAG. However, 

we have already completed the 

majority of the review work on the standard 

at this point. I recommend waiting 

until the international standard is adopted 

to see whether the committee will 

need to consider adopting an American 

national version of the standard or proposed 

revisions. This would most likely 

occur after spring 2009. 

Wayne Salen, ARM, CHCM, CPSM, is 

director of risk management for Labor Finders 

International Inc. in Palm Beach Gardens, FL. 

He is Vice Chair of the U.S. TAG for Risk 

Management. He has held various risk management 

positions in healthcare, wholesale and 

retail food, general 

merchandise retail, 

franchise, municipal, 

construction-related as 

well as the insurance 

and insurance service 

industries. He holds a 

B.S. from the State 

University of New 

York at Buffalo. 

Residential Fire 

Sprinkler Code Adopted 

On Sept. 21, 2008, IRC Proposal RB64- 

07/08, which will require all new oneand 

two-family homes to be equipped 

with home fire sprinklers, passed at the 

International Code Council’s (ICC) annual 

conference. Seventy-three percent of voting 

ICC members supported the mandate 

slated to appear in the 2009 International 

Residential Code. The change will be- 

Standards Developments 

continued on page 52 


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Standards 

Developments 

continued 

from page 51 

come effective after Jan. 1, 2011, to give 

the industry time to ramp up its abilities 

to design, install and maintain the number 

of systems necessary to keep up with 

new home construction. 

According to Frank Baker, Administrator 

of ASSE’s Fire Protection Practice 

Specialty, despite arguments from industry 

groups such as National Association 

of Home Builders that the change is too 

expensive, “fire safety professionals have 

pushed for this change because of the preponderance 

of lightweight engineered 

construction materials that have been 

shown to be less resistant to direct fire 

damage, leading to quicker catastrophic 

system collapse.” He also notes that several 

reports on residential installations 

have indicated that various credits available 

to homeowners and/or builders can 

help offset the costs of installation. 

Residential sprinklers are currently 

required in the 2006 editions of several 

codes: NFPA 1, Uniform Fire Code; 

NFPA 101, Life Safety Code; and NFPA 

5000, Building Construction and Safety 

Code. A free DVD available at www.irc 

firesprinkler.org addresses common concerns 

of designers, builders and homeowners. 

For additional information on 

home fire sprinklers, visit www.nfpa.org 

and the Home Fire Sprinkler Coalition’s 

site at www.homefiresprinkler.org. 


New Standard Provides 

Methods for Measuring 

Real-Ear Attenuation 

of Hearing Protectors 

Acoustical Society of America (ASA) has 

published ANSI/ASA S12.6-2008, a new 

consensus standard that specifies laboratory-based 

procedures for measuring, 

analyzing and reporting the passive 

noise-reducing capabilities of hearing 

protection devices. According to ASA, 

the standard will be heavily referenced 

in EPA’s anticipated new rule on labeling 

hearing protection. 

The methods cover psychophysical 

tests conducted on human subjects to 

determine the real-ear attenuation measured 

at hearing threshold. Two fitting 

procedures are provided: 1) Method A— 

trained-subject fit, intended to describe 

the capabilities of the devices fitted by 

thoroughly trained users; and 2) Method 

B—inexperienced subject fit, intended to 

approximate the protection that can be 

attained by groups of informed users in 

workplace hearing conservation programs. 

The standard does not address 

issues pertaining to computational 

schemes or rating systems for applying 

hearing protector attenuation values nor 

does it specify minimum performance 

values for hearing protectors, or address 

comfort or wearability features. 

To learn more or to purchase the standard, 

visit http://asa.aip.org. 

Green Building 

Standard in Development 

Green Building Initiative (GBI) has released 

its proposed American National 

Standard 01-200XP, Green Building 

Assessment Protocol for Commercial 

Buildings, for a second letter ballot and 

public review period. The second 45-day 

public review period will allow interested 

parties to review changes resulting 

from an initial 6-week comment period 

that concluded in June 2008 and generated 

more than 400 comments from the 

public and 350 comments from the consensus 

body. 

Individuals or organizations interested 

in participating in the public review will 

find the relevant documents on the GBI 

website at www.thegbi.org. Following 

the second review period, the consensus 

body will meet in the first quarter of 2009 

to address any additional comments 

received. The committee hopes to finalize 

its work on the standard early in 2009. 

Machine Tools 

Standards Activities 

Association for Manufacturing Technology’s 

(AMT) standard, General Safety 

Requirements Common to ANSI B11 

Machines (ANSI B11 2008), is now available. 

This standard applies to new, modified 

or rebuilt power-driven machines, 

not portable by hand, used to shape 

and/or form metal or other materials by 

cutting, impact, pressure, electrical or 

other processing techniques or a combination 

of these processes. Learn more at 

www.amtonline.org. 

In addition, AMT’s standard, Machine 

Tools: Safety Requirements for Mechanical 

Power Presses (BSR B11.1-200x), is 

being revised. This standard applies only 

to those mechanically powered machines, 

commonly referred to as mechanical 

power presses, which transmit force 

mechanically to cut, form or assemble 

metal or other materials by means of tools 

or dies attached to or operated by slides. 

New Standard Specifies 

Safety Requirements 

for Tractor Design 

American Society of Agricultural and 

Biological Engineers (ASABE) has published 

a new international standard for 

the design and construction of tractors 

greater than 600 kg (~1,325 lb). ISO 

26322-1:2008, Tractors for Agriculture and 

Forestry: Safety Requirements, Part 1: 

Standard Tractors, applies to all machines 

with tracks as well as those with at least 

two axles for tires and a rear-axle track 

gauge greater than 1,150 mm. In addition 

to general safety requirements and verification, 

the standard specifies information 

on safe working practices (including 

residual risks) that is to be provided by 

the manufacturer, as well as technical 

means for improving the degree of personal 

safety of the operator and others 

involved in a tractor’s normal operation, 

maintenance and use. The document 

does not address considerations related 

to vibration and braking, which are covered 

within other standards. 

ASABE is the accredited administrator 

for the U.S. advisory group to ISO’s Committee 

on Tractors and Machinery for Agriculture 

and Forestry (TC23), and seven 

of its subcommittees. For information on 

this new standard, contact Ted Tees at 

(269) 429-0300, ext. 305; ted@asabe.org. 

International Standard 

Offers Guidance on Fire 

Safety in Building Design 

British Standards Institution (BSI) has 

published BS 9999, a new standard that 

gives recommendations on the design, 

management and use of buildings to 

achieve an acceptable level of fire safety 

for all people in and around buildings. 

According to BSI, the standard promotes 

a more flexible approach to fire safety 

through use of structured risk-based 

design where designers can take account 

of varying human factors. In addition, it 

features expanded guidance on means of 

escape for disabled people (in respect of 

both design and management). 

The standard is applicable in the 

design of new buildings, as well as to 

alterations, extensions and changes to the 

use of an existing building, with the 

exception of individual homes and with 

limited applicability in the case of certain 

specialist buildings. It covers the four 

main areas that influence fire safety measures: 

1) fire safety management; 2) means 

of escape; 3) structural protection of 

escape facilities and structural stability of 

the building in the event of a fire; and 

4) access and facilities for firefighting. 

David Smith, chair of the BSI committee 

that drafted BS 9999, calls the standard 

“a major step forward in the provisions 

for fire safety in buildings.” He adds, “It 

will be of great value to all involved in the 

design, construction and management of 

buildings, including architects and engineers, 

fire safety managers, building managers 

and those who approve buildings.” 

Learn more about the standard at www 

.bsigroup.com/bs9999.

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AMERICAN SOCIETY OF SAFETY ENGINEERS

Best 

Practices 

By 

Jessica Trybus 

Safetyminded 

companies 

can make 

good use of 

people’s natural 

habitforming 

abilities by 

building 

appropriate 

learning 

practices 

into their 


programs. 

Making Safety Second Nature 

Using Simulation Tools to Practice Safety 

Human beings are creatures of habit. At best, 

our cognitive capacity allows us to focus 

consciously on only a few things at once. 

The rest of our actions happen on a subconscious, 

habitual level. This is an important issue for safety 

professionals; it means that there are hard-wired 

limits to people’s ability to constantly, actively think 

about safety. On the positive side, it means that 

safety-minded companies can make good use of 

people’s natural habit-forming abilities by building 

effective learning practices into their safety programs. 

Workers are often able to keep new information 

in mind for several days and possibly weeks after 

they attend safety training or view safety videos. 

Workplace procedures and signage help reinforce 

the safety message. The problem arises when natural 

distractions of the job set in—a big shipment 

arrives, an important customer places a rush order 

or the team is shorthanded. Workers who have not 

truly internalized safety procedures by then may 

cut corners as other job demands compete with 

safety for their attention. 

The best scenario is when people do not have to 

consciously think about following safety procedures 

because it is second nature to them. As an 

example, consider shoes. Most people do not have 

to devote cognitive resources to remind themselves 

to wear shoes when they leave the house. They 

may need to work to remember where their shoes 

are, but the act of finding shoes and putting them 

on before leaving the house is automatic—even 

when they are in a hurry and concentrating on 

other things. Signs by the door that read, “Are you 

wearing your shoes” are unnecessary. 

Given the health, lives and dollars at stake, 

shouldn’t workplace safety be similarly automatic 

If so, this begs another question: How do safety 

behaviors move from processes people 

have to consciously remember to skills 

and actions that are second nature 

Based on both research and experience, 

the simple answer is practice. The best 

way for people to make the transition 

from conscious action to ingrained behavior 

is for them to practice applying proper 

safety procedures in real-life situations. 

The problem, of course, is that learning 

by doing in an industrial setting is often 

prohibitively risky, which is why safety 

training exists in the first place. In addition, 

workers may receive on-the-job feedback 

only after they make mistakes. This 

in-hindsight approach can be disastrous. 

Because the focus is on correcting safety 

practices related to individual incidents, 

workers rarely receive regular, on-the-job 

drilling on overall best practices. 


High-risk professions from surgery to aviation 

have long used simulation training to deal with this 

dilemma. These are not scientific simulations where 

people plug in variables up front and computer 

models the results. They are immersive simulations 

that people use to act out training scenarios and 

experience the consequences of their actions. The 

latest of these simulations give people a safe, 

engaging, realistic environment in which they practice 

important aspects of their jobs. For example, 

surgeons practicing on suture simulation tools 

develop a mental “muscle memory” that translates 

to better performance in actual surgery (Stefanidis, 

Scerbo, Sechrist, et al., 2008). 

These simulations are built on the same principles 

that underlie video games. They present the 

lesson at hand in the form of a goal-oriented story 

about the job or process to be taught. When student 

users make in-game decisions, they learn by experiencing 

the positive or negative consequences of 

those choices. In addition, the tools recreate the 

pressure of actual job conditions by adding a time 

factor, where participants must complete a task in a 

given period. As users become more skilled, the 

deadlines may become tighter and the tasks may 

become more challenging. 

Because the game changes every time based on 

users’ decisions and skill levels, users tend to be 

highly absorbed in the training and motivated to 

replay the simulation repeatedly. As a result, they 

build good performance habits that translate to 

real-life job performance. 

The Rise of Industrial Safety Simulations 

With $170 billion annually in direct and indirect 

costs related to industrial safety problems, these 

game-based immersive simulation tools have 

Information about approaching and lifting a piece of cargo appears 

as the operator approaches a crate in the virtual learning 

environment.

emerged to bridge the gap between the 

workplace and conventional classroom, 

video and online safety training. Immersive 

simulations can be custom-designed 

to address a specific problem. Alternately, 

tools that address common safety issues 

in dangerous job situations involving 

electricity, heights and equipment operation 

are available as downloadable, lowcost 

applications. Modern computing 

power has made it feasible and affordable 

to supplement existing safety training 

programs with these simulation 

applications, which generally run on 

standard computers. 

However, these tools are not inevitably successful 

at helping workers develop habitually safe 

work behavior. Their effectiveness hinges on proper 

game-based instructional design. Following are 

four features to look for in a well-designed safety 

simulation application: meaningful interactivity, 

focused content, trackability and easy to implement. 

Meaningful Interactivity 

A hallmark of an effective safety training tool is 

user engagement where workers are active participants 

in the learning process, rather than passive 

observers. Videos that permit an observer to pause, 

rewind and fast-forward are sometimes defined as 

interactive, as are training courses that provide an 

online quiz to test users’ knowledge. However, 

with an effective immersive simulation the worker 

actually acts out step-by-step scenarios and, most 

importantly, experiences the positive or negative 

results of those actions. This requires significantly 

more cognitive involvement than other forms of 

training; over time, this immersive involvement 

helps ingrain good safety habits. 

Focused Content 

Successful immersive simulations focus on the 

most important safety lessons, and take care to 

exclude extraneous information that may pose 

unnecessary distractions. One mistake some 

designers make is to fixate on producing a simulation 

that is as much like reality as possible. They 

may go so far as to incorporate virtual reality helmets 

and gloves, ultrarealistic backdrops or even 

moving platforms in an attempt to replicate the feel 

of the equipment. This may be valuable for people 

who are drilling on flight performance, where the 

feel of the plane and the way its instruments 

respond to small movements is vital. However, 

when the simulation is built around safety procedures 

related to a downed power line, the goal is 

for workers to get an innate sense of what consequences 

will result from a given action. Features 

that provide a physical feel for the equipment 

would detract from the key message. 

Trackability 

Constructive safety simulations feature tracking 

functions that both workers and facilitators use to 

pinpoint areas for improvement, track progress, 

and document learning goals and accomplishments. 

By nature, simulations are designed to closely 

gauge how a worker is likely to perform on the job 

under similar circumstances. If a worker cannot 

complete a task in the simulated scenario successfully, 

it is likely to raise many more questions than 

if s/he had answered several questions incorrectly 

on an online quiz. Tracking team members’ simulation 

performance heightens awareness of safety 

challenges and increases accountability among colleagues. 

Easy to Implement 

Immersive simulations may be complex to 

design, but they should be easy for facilitators and 

workers to implement and use. Except in cases of 

very specialized training, simulations should run 

on standard personal computers (equipment such 

as virtual reality trackers and head mounts are 

expensive and generally unnecessary). Simulation 

tools should load smoothly and provide intuitive, 

in-game guidance so that workers do not have to 

read manuals to learn how to play. In short, there 

should be few to no operational hassles that prevent 

users from immersing themselves in the safety 

simulation. 

Conclusion 

Training instruction, whether via classroom, 

video or online tutorial, remains an important way 

to introduce and review safety concepts. However, 

workers build good safety habits only when they 

have an opportunity to actively apply these lessons 

to real problems. Using immersive simulation tools, 

people can practice safe job performance with a 

safety net. It is far better for a worker to encounter 

his/her first potentially fatal mishap in a simulated 

environment than in a real situation. The practiced 

response to that mishap in a simulated environment 

builds habits that could save lives. Ultimately, 

effectively designed simulation tools help people 

move from learning about safety concepts, to 

actively thinking about safety in-game, to developing 

a reflex for safety on the job. 

Reference 

Stefanidis, D., Scerbo, M.W., Sechrist, C., et al. (2008) Do 

novices display automaticity during simulator training American 

Journal of Surgery, 195(2), 210-213. 

Having received 

instructions on 

approaching and lifting 

cargo, the 

trainee must now 

put that knowledge 

into practice by 

moving the 

indicated crate. 

Workers 

build good 

safety habits 

only when 

they have an 

opportunity 

to actively 

apply lessons 

to real 

problems. 

Jessica Trybus is CEO and founder of Etcetera Edutainment 

and is also director of edutainment for Carnegie 

Mellon University's (CMU) Entertainment Technology 

Center. She has contributed to CMU's recognition as an 

international leader in combining engaging interface with 

education and training goals. Trybus previously spent several 

years in marketing, business development and project 

management with Viacom and AltaVista, and she worked 

within Flower Films, Drew Barrymore's production company. 

Trybus holds a B.A. from Cornell University and a master’s 

degree in Entertainment Technology from Carnegie 

Mellon. 


Best 

Practices 

By Dan 

McNeill 

With time, 

budget and 

the occasional 

pesky 

manager 

constraints, 

one should 

make the 

most out of 

every opportunity 

to 

make training 

stick. 

Engaging Younger Workers 

Using YouTube to Create Rapid Learning Simulations 

When trying to make employees care about 

safety, training is sometimes one of the 

biggest challenges. Too often, safety training 

is seen as an annoyance—or worse, a punishment. 

With time, budget and the occasional pesky 

manager constraints, one should make the most out 

of every opportunity to make training stick. 

Of course, there is an added challenge—changing 

demographics. The next generation of workers, 

particularly those under 30, grew up with video 

games, instant messaging, e-mail, MySpace and 

YouTube. This generation is accustomed to dealing 

with multiple mediums simultaneously. As a 

result, lecture-based learning bores them. Some 

studies even suggest that they have difficulty processing 

lectures which last more than 30 minutes 

(Aldrich, 2003). 

With so many factors working against reaching 

employees, it can be difficult to engage younger 

workers with training they will pay attention to 

while reaching more seasoned workers with relevant 

learning that will not waste their time. This 

article focuses on one solution—creating rapid 

learning simulations (RLS) with YouTube’s interactive 

annotation feature. Although simulations can 

be expensive, RLSs are meant to be quick scenarios 

that take learners through short situations just by 

using a digital camera and a YouTube account. 

A few caveats before getting started. This article 

is not intended as a thorough manual on creating 

instructional simulations. There are many resources 

on the subject (one good primer is Clark Aldrich’s 

Instructional Simulation 

Resources 

In addition to Clark Aldrich’s blog, here are some other 

resources for creating instructional simulations. 

•Aldrich, Clark. (2005). Learning by Doing: A Comprehensive 

Guide to Simulations, Computer Games and Pedagogy in 

eLearning and Other Educational Experiences. San Francisco: 

John Wiley and Sons. 

•Learning Simulations Blogspot: http://learningsim 

ulations.blogspot.com. 

•Masie Center. (2005). Gaming for Learning On-Ramp: 

http://media.masie.com/content/masie/pdf/MASIE 

_Gaming_for_Learning_On-Ramp.pdf. 

•Oliver, Kevin. (1999). Situated Cognition and Cognitive 

Apprenticeships: www.edtech.vt.edu/edtech/id/models/ 

powerpoint/cog.pdf. 

•Serious Games Source: www.seriousgamessource.com. 

•Virginia Tech, Educational Technologies: www.edtech 

.vt.edu/edtech/id/ models/powerpoint/cog.pdf. 


blog at http://clarkaldrich.blogspot.com/2007/03/ 

immersive-learning-simulation_14.html). This article 

focuses on one of many tools that can be used to 

create simulations. Finally, while this article discusses 

uploading videos to YouTube and working 

with them, it assumes the reader already has a digital 

camera and knows how to operate it. 

Step 1: Write the Script 

First, a basic game plan is needed to create the 

RLS because it will make things much simpler later. 

Traditional learning follows a tell/test model. An 

instructor presents information, then, usually at the 

end of the lesson, gives a test to see how much of 

the learning was retained. Simulations reverse this 

model. Simulations are more of a test/tell model. 

With simulations, learners are immersed into situations 

where their knowledge is tested. They are told 

how they are doing by the way the simulation 

plays out. The feedback is immediate. 

This article explains how to create a sample RLS 

on how to set a security alarm. Begin creating a 

short script by determining a learning objective— 

what the learner should be able to do at the end of 

the simulation. For an RLS, the learning objective 

should be very specific. In this example, the learning 

objective is that the learner be able to correctly 

set the security alarm. 

Once the objective is determined, a script should 

be created. When creating the script, think of three 

basic parts: introduction, incorrect feedback and 

correct feedback. 

The introduction establishes the challenge 

and presents the choices the learner 

can make. The incorrect feedback is the 

video that plays when the learner makes 

an incorrect choice and the correct feedback 

is the video that plays when the 

learner makes the correct choice. The RLS 

can be thought of as an interactive multiple 

choice test, with the introduction 

being the question. 

When creating the interactive video in 

YouTube, each of these parts must be a 

separate video. The script should be 

detailed enough so that when the video 

is shot the exact actions and dialogue (if 

any) are captured. 

For this article’s demonstration, there 

is no spoken dialogue. The text in 

YouTube will display the question, choices 

and feedback. Also, to simplify, there 

are only three videos—the introduction 

video and videos for the correct and 

incorrect feedback, which means the 

learner will only have two choices to

make. For your own simulation, you should have 

more than two choices, which will give learners the 

chance to fail. In life and in learning, teaching opportunities 

most often occur after we fail. 

For the purposes of this article, assume the 

author wrote the short script and shot the three 

videos. Most digital cameras automatically create a 

1 

2 

Photo 1: The “Upload” button will bringvideos into YouTube. 

Photo 2: From the upload screen, videos can be titled and described so viewers 

can be informed of what they are searching for. 

Photo 3: The “Upload a video . . .” button, allows user to browse for a 

certain video. 

Photo 4: All videos will be viewable from the profile page. 

5 

4 

3 

file name for each video. To make it easier, each 

video file was renamed after it was shot. The 

demostration has three video files labeled, “Intro,” 

“Incorrect1” and “Correct.” Once they are named, 

the videos are ready to be uploaded to YouTube. 

Step 2: Upload the Videos to YouTube 

At this point, the script is 

written and the videos have 

been recorded. Now it is time 

to upload those videos to 

YouTube. This part is easy. 

Go to YouTube (www.you 

tube.com) and either sign in, if 

you already have an account, 

or create an account. To create 

a YouTube account just click 

on the “Sign Up” button located 

near the upper right-hand 

corner of the screen. Once 

signed in, click on the “Upload” 

button near the top 

right-hand portion of the page 

to bring your videos into You- 

Tube (Photo 1). 

When you click the “Upload” 

button, you will be 

brought to the video upload 

screen (Photo 2). From here, 

you can give your video a title 

and a brief description. This is 

what people will see when 

they search for your video and 

view it. Uploading the intro 

video first is ideal so it can 

serve as the base for the simulation. 

Include the title of the 

simulation and what it is 

going to simulate. It can also 

be put into a video category 

and include a few tags so that 

it is easier to search for. When 

clicking on the “Upload a 

video . . .” button, the video 

upload screen will appear. 

From here, browse for the 

intro video and click on the 

“Upload Video” button (Photo 

3). Repeat this same process for 

the other two videos (incorrect 

and correct). 

With simulations, 

learners are 

immersed 

into situations 

where 

their knowledge 

is tested. 

They are 

told how 

they are 

doing by the 

way the 

simulation 

plays out. 

The feedback 

is immediate. 

6 

Photo 5: Begin creating the RLS by clicking on the “Annotations” link. 

Step 3: Create the 

Simulation 

Now, when returning to the 

profile page, all three videos 

can be seen (Photo 4). To make 

things easier, open each video 

in a separate window and 

keep them open. (More on 

why this should be done is 

discussed later in the article.) 

Once all three videos are 

open, go back to the “Setting a 

Security Alarm” video. 

Photo 6: From the “Annotations” screen, the user can create an intital text box, Best Practices continued 

enter choices and add a pause function. 

on page 58 


Best 

Practices 

continued 

from page 57 

Remember, this was the intro video, 

which was also set as the simulation’s 

base video. 

When the “Setting a Security Alarm” 

video is opened, it will start to play in a 

new screen. To the right of the video, 

there will be the given description, as 

well as several links. 

To begin creating the RLS, click on the 

“Annotations” link (Photo 5). 

Three things are done from this page 

(Photo 6): 

•Create the initial text box that spells 

out what the learner should do in the 

simulation. 

•Enter in the two choices the learners 

9 

8 

Photo 7: Specify when the text box will appear by making 

adjustments to the start and end times. 

Photo 8: Inserting choices for learners to make will 

enhance their learning experience. 

Photo 9: Add a pause function that is long enough for 

people to read the text, consider the choices and make 

a selection. 


7 

can make that will link them 

to either the incorrect or correct 

outcomes. 

•Add a pause function on 

the video so that the learners 

have time to read the text on 

the screen. 

To add the initial text box, 

click on the “Add a Note” button, located 

next to the speech bubble icon near 

the bottom left-hand portion of the 

screen. An empty white box will appear 

in the window with the video. Type the 

text in this box. Drag the box to reposition 

it where you want it to appear on 

the video. 

More importantly, indicate when the 

text box will appear. Since this is introduction 

text, it should probably appear 

right away. Specify all of this by putting 

the cursor into the timeline area and 

making adjustments to the start and end 

times. For this example, the text box is 

going to appear as soon as the video 

starts (Photo 7). 

Next, put in the choices the 

learner can make. This is 

almost the same process, with 

the addition of one important 

piece—the links to the incorrect 

or correct video. 

To start, click the “Add a 

Note” button. This will be the 

correct choice. Enter in the text 

for the correct choice and position 

it where it will appear on 

the screen. For this example, 

the correct choice will be 

A867539. The big difference 

here is that it will also include 

a link out to the correct video 

to play. This is where it comes 

in handy to have the other 

videos open. Go to the window 

that has the correct video 

open and copy the link. Then, 

go back to the original window 

(the intro video) and 

paste that link into the little 

text box under the correct 

choice which says, “Paste link 

to a YouTube Video . . .” 

(Photo 8). Then, repeat for the 

incorrect choice, which in this 

example is P55678P. 

To finish things off, add a 

pause (Photo 9). This will stop 

the video long enough for 

people to read the text, consider 

their choices and make a 

selection. 

This part may need come 

adjustment. The pause should 

start after all the text and 

choices appear on the screen. 

Then, it should stay paused 

long enough for people to 

read everything. For this 

example, the two choices 

Share Your Story 

Do you have a Web 2.0 success story to share 

with other safety professionals We would like 

to hear about it. Send stories to professional 

safety@asse.org. 

appear on the screen and stay there until 

7.7 seconds into the video. So, the pause 

will start 7.6 seconds into the video. 

Then, the duration is set to last 20 seconds. 

Depending on the amount of text, 

the time may need to be adjusted or text 

could be shortened. 

Once the pause is added, click on the 

“Preview” button a few times to test. 

Once satisfied, click the “Publish” button 

to publish your video. 

The process is almost complete. 

Annotations for the correct and incorrect 

feedback need to be put in place. The 

process is exactly the same as what was 

just covered. 

To see this minisimulation in action, 

as well as the interactions that were 

added for the correct and incorrect feedback, 

visit www.youtube.com/watch 

v=MpxOCpxLNT4. 

Conclusion 

This is just a quick description of 

what can be done using YouTube’s video 

annotation feature. While simulations 

are not appropriate for everything, for 

certain types of learning situations they 

can be a powerful way to immerse learners 

into a problem. 

Reference 

Aldrich, C. (2002). A Field Guide to Educational 

Simulations. ASTD Learning Circuits, 22. 

Dan McNeill is manager of education development 

for ASSE, where his role is to manage 

ASSE’s webinar program. Prior to coming to 

ASSE, he worked for IBM, Allstate Insurance, 

Thomson Corp. and United Airlines. His focus 

over the past 15 years has been on immersive 

simulations, collaborative learning and exploring 

technologies that can help enable the dispersion 

and sharing of knowledge. On a part-time 

basis, he has also taught hybrid classes at 

McHenry County College. Classes were 

taught both in the physical classroom, and, on 

alternating weeks, in the virtual world tool 

known as Second Life. He holds a B.A. in 

Education from Elmhurst College and an M.A. 

in Human Resource Development from 

Northeastern Illinois University. He has been a 

frequent speaker at learning technology conferences. 

In 2004, his article, “Using Digital 

Experiential Learning to Deliver Corporate 

Policy Training” appeared in the November 

issue of the E-Learning Guild’s E-Learning 

Developer’s Journal. 

To learn about ASSE’s upcoming webcasts 

check out the Virtual Classroom@ASSE at 

www.asse.org/education/virtualclassroom.php.

T H A N K 

Y O U 

360training • 

Aerie Technologies LLC • 

AGC of America • Alexander & Schmidt 

• American Board of Industrial Hygiene • American 

Industrial Hygiene Association • American Red Cross • ASSE 

Region VI • AWPT/IPAF • Board of Certified Safety Professionals • 

Bowen EHS Inc. • BullEx Digital Safety • Bureau Veritas • Clarion Safety • 

ClickSafety • Columbia Southern University • Complete Equity Markets • 

Culture Change Consultants • Datachem Software Inc. • Employers 

Association Inc. • Encon Safety Products • FabEnCo Inc. • Garlock 

Equipment • Global Safety Sources Inc. • Glove Guard LP • Guardair 

Corp. • Human Factors & Ergonomics Society • Humantech Inc. • 

Indiana University of Pennsylvania • Industrial Scientific Corp. • 

J.J. Keller & Associates • JDS Products Inc. • Jones & Bartlett • Jordan 

David • LaCrosse/Danner • Lion Technology Inc. • Master Lock Co. • 

Metropolitan Community College • MSA • Narda Safety 

Test Solutions • NJ & Associates Inc. • OHM/Unique Software 

Solutions Inc. • Plasteco • PromoPros Inc. • Prosafe Solutions • 

PureSafety • Quest Technologies Inc. • safeTband • Safety 

Maker Inc. • Safety Optical Service • SafetyNet • Scaffold 

Training Institute • SlipNOT Metal Safety Flooring • SPAN 

International Training • SPANCO Inc. • Sperian Protection • 

Summit Training Source • Superior Manufacturing 

Group • True North Gear • U.S. Chemical 

Storage • Voluntary Protection 

Programs Participants’ 

Association 



JOURNAL 

OF THE 



Thanks to all of our advertisers for a great year. 

We wish you a successful and prosperous future.

Product 

PulseNEW PRODUCTS AND 

INNOVATIONS TO ADVANCE SAFETY 

AND IMPROVE PERFORMANCE 

Publication of this material does not constitute endorsement by ASSE 

Driver 


Coastal Training 

Technologies’ 

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training program, 

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The Key, reexamines 

simple, lifesaving 

practices 

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Program focuses 

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conduct a 

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back up 

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Fire Protection 

Silent Knight, a Honeywell 

company, introduces its 

expanded IntelliKnight Series 

fire alarm. Product is 

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new deaf-front option that 

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Safety Saw 

SawStop LLC introduces the SawStop 10-in. contractor saw, 

which features a braking system that stops the saw blade 

within 5 milliseconds when it detects the blade has 

contacted the user’s skin. When the digital signal processor 

detects a reduction in blade signal, processor instantly melts a 

fuse wire and releases an aluminum brake that engages the 

blade teeth and stops motion. Product includes an enhanced 

dust collection system, and it is available with a wheeled, steelframed 

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Multigas Detector 

MSA’s Altair 5 multigas detector is equipped 

with MotionAlert, which activates a “man 

down” alarm if no motion is detected for 

30 seconds, and InstantAlert, which allows 

user to manually activate an audible alarm 

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more than 17 preprogrammed 

languages, and a standard vibrating 

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Cart Lifter 

The C/I Taskmaster series from 

Bayne Premium Lift System 

relieves workers from heavylifting 

duties. Product is 

equipped with casters for 

mobile use, can be mounted 

to loading docks for dumping 

into roll-off refuse containers 

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composite bearings at all 

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Energy Control 

Software 

Application Factory Inc. 

introduces DangerTags, a 

hazardous energy control 

application. Software increases 

safety by logging all 

hazardous energy sources and 

providing indentifying tearresistant 

tags to isolate, block 

and/or dissipate all hazardous 

sources of stored or residual 

energy. Product automates 

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Emergency Shower 

The new SpinTec drench shower from Bradley Corp. 

rinses at a high velocity, reportedly distributing water at 

an even rate with a higher velocity. According to 

manufacturer, built-in flow control uses less water, 

conserving 150 gallons of water during a 15-minute 

wash. Constructed of galvanized steel, product is 

available with a yellow safety coating that resists corrosion, 

or in stainless steel models. 


Safety Management Software 

Capital Safety has launched i-Safe 2.0, an 

upgrade to its radio frequency identification 

system that tracks fall protection equipment. 

Wireless data collection consists of a web portal 

for information management and a mobile 

device for on-site inspections. User can record 

and access information on inspections, 

inventory and track equipment assignments 

by worker or location, view or download 

safety and equipment instructions, and 

access links to safety standards. 


Fall Protection 

Beam Runner LLC introduces 

Beam Runner, a 3.5-lb stainless 

steel tool used in conjunction 

with a worker’s fall arrest 

equipment to provide a 

suitable anchor point. Carried 

in a thigh-mounted holster, 

device attaches like a clothes 

pin to almost any structural 

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High-Vis Jacket 

Tingley Rubber Corp.’s Phase 3 

jacket consists of a three-layer 

material, including an inner 

fleece liner, which keeps user 

warm, dry, cool and comfortable. 

High visibility jacket is 

wind and water resistant. 

Fluorescent yellow-green 

background material and a 

2-in. silver reflective tape 

also provide safety. 

Request 47 at 


Protective 

Gate 

The Protect-O- 

Gate’s Clear-Aisle 

gate from Benko 

Products reduces 

the potential for 

falls and other 

accidents associated 

with mezzanine 

loading areas while 

taking up only 

10 in. of aisle space. 

When corral is 

raised, ledge gates 

slide down to allow 

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load. When corral is 

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gates slide up so 

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Product provides 

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Welding 

Helmet 

The Prowler Series 

autodarkening 

welding helmet 

from Hobart 

Welding 

Products is 

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welder. Product 

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internally 

adjustable 

autodarkening 

shade, lens 

sensitivity and 

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Product weighs 

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headgear and odor-absorbing sweatband. 


Product Pulse continued on page 62 


Productfrom 

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page 61 

Protective Eyewear 

With style, comfort and safety in mind, Gateway Safety 

introduces its Luminary eye protection. Translucent, soft and 

flexible temple inserts help relieve pressure behind the user’s 

ears, and an antiscratch coating provides durability. 

A large, one-piece polycarbonate lens incorporates a brow guard and 

wrap-around design to offer coverage against workplace hazards. 


Multiple-Use Earplug 

Using patented sound 

management technology, 

Howard Leight’s new Clarity 

multiple-use earplug 

reportedly improves worker 

safety and communication by 

blocking hazardous noise while 

allowing voice and signal 

frequencies to be heard more naturally. 

Available in two sizes to accommodate a 

wide range of ear canal shapes and sizes, Clarity is 

corded and comes with a reusable storage case. 


Combustible Gas Detector 

The IR400 Combustible Gas Detector from General 

Monitors offers protection against explosive 

hydrocarbon gases with a low-power design that 

installs in minutes. Heated optics eliminate 

condensation and a dirty optics indicator is 

incorporated for fail-safe operations. Through the 

two-way digital communication protocols, user has 

access to device configuration, warning and alarm, 

fault and maintenance records. Detector is suitable 

for hazardous industry processes and 

plant applications. 


Safety Signage 

K-Sun Corp.’s MaxiSigns V.2 safety sign, label and tag-making software is now 

available for the Windows Vista platform. Product produces safety, homeland 

security, lockout/tagout, informational and general facility sign-making 

applications that print professional OSHA-mandated and ANSI-compliant signs, 

placards, tags and labels. Its library includes thousands of pictographs with 

ergonomic, AED and recycling symbols. 


Structural Safety 

The Ron StageMaster stage safety system, from Eilon Engineering, aims to prevent 

dangerous overloads that might cause truss collapses. Product provides laptopbased, 

real-time monitoring of load-maps that can be overlaid on stage plan 

layouts, which enable the rigger to immediately identify the location of the 

overload and take action. Up to 96 wireless load cells can be shown on one screen, 

and up to 256 wired load cells can be used with just one cable that descends from 

the truss. Product can be added to any existing hoist and hoist control system, and it 

offers real-time cellular text message alerts on overload occurrence. 



Personal 

Safety Light 

FoxFury’s Scout 

Tactical IIIutility 

light has been 

upgraded to enhance 

light output 

and battery life, 

delivering 15 

lumens of brightness. 

Reportedly, 

product permits 

user to see up to 

2 miles away via 

road or air, depending 

on ambient conditions. Product can be 

handheld, worn on a belt or pocket, or 

hung from a carabineer. 


Grounding Indicator 

Earth-Rite PLUS grounding indicator 

system, from Ram Comm LLC, has been 

enhanced with an optional HD heavyduty 

stainless steel ground clamp, a 

retractable coiled grounding and 

monitoring cable and a quick-connect 

design for fast field replacement of clamp 

or cable. System is designed to provide a 

fail-safe assurance of a low-resistance 

path to ground to dissipate static 

electricity when transferring flammable 

liquids or powders to or from any 

conductive equipment. 

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Indicates 

publication 

produced 

by ASSE 

American Society of Safety Engineers 

The Best Resources from ASSE! 

Biomechanics in Ergonomics, 2nd Edition 

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on fundamentals, this book covers important, common occupational 

and environmental diseases, injuries, and exposures. 

2007, McGraw Hill, softcover, ISBN 9780071443135, 846 pgs. 


ORDER #10934 

CIH Examination Study Guide TM CD-ROM 

This guide provides a comprehensive review in the technical aspects 

of the American Board of Industrial Hygiene’s (ABIH) certification 

examination leading to the designation of Certified Industrial 

Hygienist (CIH). Study sessions provide comprehensive explanation of 

the formulas in all five areas of the CIH examination: noise, ventilation, 

heat stress, general sciences and statistics, and radiation. 

2006, Institute of Safety and Systems Management 


ORDER #10625 

ASSE Refresher Guide for 

the Safety Fundamentals 

Examination 

The ASSE Refresher Guide is designed for ASP 

candidates preparing for the BCSP Safety 

Fundamentals Examination. In addition to a 

comprehensive “workbook” containing hundreds 

of questions in all examination subject 

areas, this Guide provides information on 

the latest best practices and current codes, regulations, and standards 

used by safety professionals today. 2002, ASSE; softcover; 2 volumes, 1204 pgs. 


AIHA/ACHMM PRICE: $319.95 

ORDER #3311_PK 

Comprehensive Practice 

Examination Study Guide 

This edition has over 900 questions and answers in the four domains 

which comprise the BCSP’s revised examination format: Safety, Health 

NEW Publications 

from ASSE 

The Safety Professionals Handbook 

Joel M. Haight, Ph.D., PE, CIH, CSP, Editor 

The two volumes of The Safety Professionals Handbook provide, for 

the first time, management essentials for the most important SH&E 

programs. Whether you are assigned a new program and need to 

review the important regulations and codes, or you want to 

improve the performance of an existing program, The Safety 

Professionals Handbook provides information on codes and regulations, 

scientific and engineering principles, budgeting, benchmarking, 

and best practices. Developed under the guidance of Dr. Joel 

Haight, and written by veteran safety professionals, both peerreviewed 

volumes include numerous case studies and all 79 chapters 

are authoritatively referenced. University instructors will find the 

learning objectives and an instructor’s guide with questions and 

answers particularly helpful. 

The following program areas are included in Management 

Applications: Hazard Communication and Right-to-Know 

• Environmental Management (Air, Water and Wastewater, Solid 

Waste, Hazardous Waste, Spills and Responses, Management 

Systems) • Training •Workers’ Compensation • Fleet Safety 

The following program areas are included in Technical Applications: 

Risk Assessment and Hazard Control • Emergency Preparedness • 

Fire Prevention and Protection • Industrial Hygiene • Personal 

Protective Equipment • Ergonomics and Human Factors 

Engineering. 

Each volume also contains a comprehensive chapter on economic 

analysis and engineering economy written by Dr. Anthony Veltri and 

Dr. Jim Ramsay. A section on safety engineering management in 

Management Applications examines the foundation principles of 

safety management and includes a chapter written by Dr. Haight. 

Index and appendix. 

SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY PRICE PER VOLUME, 

Member Price: $105 LIST PRICE: $149 

AIHA/ACHMM PRICE: $129 

SPECIAL INTRODUCTORY PRICE 2-VOLUME SET, 

Member Price: $189 LIST PRICE: $259 

AIHA/ACHMM PRICE: $229 

THE SAFETY PROFESSIONALS HANDBOOK 

—MANAGEMENT APPLICATIONS ORDER #4405 

THE SAFETY PROFESSIONALS HANDBOOK 

—TECHNICAL APPLICATIONS ORDER #4418 

TWO-VOLUME SET OF BOTH BOOKS ORDER #4419_PKG

and Environmental Management • Safety, Health and 

Environmental Engineering • Safety, Health and Environmental 

Information Management and Communication • 

Professional Conduct and Ethics. Available only from ASSE 

Price: $189.95 ORDER #9606 

Background Math for the 

Board of Certified Safety 

Professionals’ Safety 

Certification Exams 

Glenn Young, CSP 

This straightforward and easy-to-use review 

of math covers systems of measurement and 

scientific and engineering notation. The 

mathematics reviewed ranges from fractions, exponents and 

roots to applied algebra, geometry, trigonometry and 

Boolean algebra. 2003, ASSE, softcover, 208 pgs. index 


AIHA/ACHMM PRICE: $24.95 ORDER #4397 

Safety Fundamentals 

Study Guide CD-ROM, Version 4.0 

Version 4.0features study sessions and questions that reflect 

the changes in content and focus of the BCSP Safety 

Fundamentals Examination. The changes include: revisions 

to mathematics, physics and chemistry sections; new questions 

on the OSHA Incident Rate; probability in Domains 1 

and 3; and on heat stress and the Psychrometric Chart dealing 

with the effect of humidity on heat stress. 

Price: $289.95 

ORDER #3311_CD 

Comprehensive Practice 

Examination Study 

Guide TM CD-ROM, Version 4.0 

Updated test and quiz structures and new 

quiz questions that reflect the changes in 

content and focus of the CSP Examination! 

• Updated Study Sessions for Domain 2, 

“Safety, Health, and Environmental 

Engineering.” • Revisions to the section on ergonomics. 

Price: $349.95 

ORDER #9606CD 

CHMM Examination Study Guide 

The CHMM Examination Study Guide® CD-ROM is an 

interactive learning program containing over 600 questions 

developed to prepare candidates for the Institute of 

Hazardous Materials Managers certification examination. 

Study sessions, questions and answer sessions and practice 

quizzes test your knowledge in six subject areas of the 

exam. 2006, Institute of Safety and Systems Management Inc. 

Price: $299.95 ORDER #10722 

Environmental Regulatory 

Calculations Handbook 

Leo Stander and Louis Theodore 

This handbook provides sections on each of the 

key environmental laws and regulations. This 

handbook provides the core hands-on reference 

for practitioners in environmental training and 

consulting firms, as well as environmental managers 

and engineers in industry. 

2008, John Wiley, hardcover, 561 pgs. 


ORDER #10920 

Human Factors in Simple and 

Complex Systems, 2nd Edition 

Robert W. Proctor and Trisha Van Zandt 

Human Factors in Simple and Complex Systems provides an 

understanding of the breadth and depth of human factors 

issues that influence the design, implementation, 

and evaluation of products and systems. This second 

edition addresses such concepts as situation 

awareness and highlights topics of interest, with 

a special focus on computer applications and 

human-computer interaction. 

2008 CRC Press, hardcover, 696 pgs. 


ORDER #10924 

Accident Investigation 

Accident 

Investigation 

Techniques: Basic 

Theories, Analytical 

Methods and 

Applications 

Jeffrey S. Oakley, Ph.D., CSP 

This book brings together many practical 

techniques that companies can use to 

investigate and analyze accidents. Using 

these analytical methods makes it possible to determine the 

real causes of accidents and to develop corrective actions 

that will prevent them in the future. 2003, ASSE; softcover; 176 pgs. 



Investigative 

Photography 

John Wenzel 

This book introduces important concepts 

relevant to the development and 

maintenance of an investigative photography 

program and the skills necessary 

to produce professional results. 

Specific procedures and techniques for 

evidence collection by investigative photographers are 

reviewed with emphasis on the preparation required to present 

photography in legal proceedings. 

2007, ASSE, softcover. 


ORDER #4415 

Construction Safety 

Confined Space Entry 

and Emergency Response 

D. Alan Veasey, Lisa Craft McCormick, 

Barbara M. Hilyer, Kenneth Oldfield, Sam 

Hansen, and Theodore H. Krayer 

This is the first book to treat both confined 

space entry and confined space rescue thoroughly, 

uses a realistic, scenario-based 

approach and completely illustrated information. 

The authors provide complete information 

and step-by-step guidance through the challenging 

maze of regulations, equipment needs, and procedures to 

keep your response team trained and ready to go. 

2006, John Wiley, softcover, 486 pgs. 


ORDER #10616 

Construction Safety 

Management and 

Engineering 

Darryl C. Hill, CSP, Editor 

Construction Safety Management 

and Engineering is a comprehensive 

safety resource covering program 

essentials, best practices, legal and 

regulatory requirements and real-

world guidance on technical issues. Written by 37 leading 

experts, this peer-reviewed publication provides much needed 

information on both technical and managerial topics, 

many for the first time together in one text. 

2004, ASSE; hardcover; 728 pgs. 



Crane Hazards and Their Prevention 

David MacCollum 

This book contains updated requirements from ANSI and 

OSHA, as well as those from other sources. Topics include 

how: CAD software can make lift simulations easier and less 

hazardous. • Technology (such as infrared detectors and 

closed circuit TV) can prevent injury from pinch points and 

nip points. • Active participation of top management can 

prevent accidents, injuries and fatalities by ensuring crane 

safety. 2005, ASSE; softcover; 179 pgs. 



Electrical Safety 

A User’s Guide 

to Electrical PPE 

Ray A. Jones and Jane G. Jones 

Developed as a practical, easy-to-use reference, 

A User’s Guide to Electrical PPE skillfully defines 

and discusses the various types of equipment 

and components that provide protection from 

electrical hazards. This book expertly describes 

the construction, testing, and storage requirements 

for personal protective equipment 

defined by consensus standards so users are 

able to identify what PPE is available, the purpose of each 

type of PPE, how to select PPE for specific jobs, and how to 

care for PPE to ensure its reliability. 

Jones and Bartlett Publishers, softcover, 156 pgs. 


ORDER #10922 

Implementing the 

Electrical Safety 

Program 

R.A. Jones and J.G. Jones 

Designed to accompany The Electrical 

Safety Program Book, the authors 

provide “how to” advice on building 

a program for your facility. Included 

are completed sample forms (and 

blank copies) covering various aspects 

of an electrical safety program with guidance on how to 

tailor the program to your facility and how to train to the 

program. 2007, Jones & Bartlett; softcover, 147 pgs. 


ORDER #10721 

Management 

Advanced Safety 

Management Focusing 

on Z10 and Serious 

Injury Prevention 

Fred A. Manuele, P.E., CSP 

The ANSI/AIHA Z10Standard, 

Occupational Health and Safety 

Management Systems, focuses on 

reducing hazards, the risks that derive 

from hazards, safety management systems 

and process deficiencies, and on identifying opportunities 

for improvement. Mr. Manuele examines the standard in 

detail in relation to other standards, best practices and 

important publications in the field. 

2008 John Wiley & Sons, hardcover, 403 pgs. 


ORDER #10838 

Emergency Incident 

Management Systems: 

Fundamentals and 

Applications 

Louis N. Molino, Sr. 

This book contrasts the major forms of 

Incident Management/ Incident 

Command Systems. Louis N. Molino, 

Sr., who has been in emergency services 

for over 25 years, explains the 

similarities and differences between 

these systems and offers a fresh perspective on the concepts 

on which these systems are founded, making them more 

accessible and user-friendly. 2006, John Wiley, hardcover, 544 pgs. 


ORDER #10708 

How Smart Managers Create 

World-Class Safety, 

Health and Environmental 

Programs 

Charlotte A. Garner, CSP 

This book explains how to implement 

the VPP guidelines and what to expect 

in terms of cost savings and reduced 

risk of injuries. The tools for change 

Ms. Garner discusses were developed 

over the past twenty years working 

with both corporations and government 

agencies such as the Johnson Space Center. She provides 

SH&E managers with the set of principles based on 

OSHA VPP criteria, the tools to analyze program deficiencies, 

and proven consensus-building techniques that will 

result in effective implementation. 2004, ASSE, hardcover, 296 pgs. 



Leading with Safety 

Thomas R. Krause 

“What does it take to become a great 

safety leader” is the question posed by 

Thomas Krause in Leading with Safety. 

Krause’s years of research and experience in 

the field of safety management gives us 

the answer, with a comprehensive new 

model for understanding safety leadership, 

with real-world examples of organizations 

that have put this model into practice. 

2005, John Wiley, hardcover, 338 pgs. 


ORDER #10623 

Measurement of 

Safety Performance 

Dan Petersen 

This book looks at the types of safety 

measurements currently used by 

companies and shows why they are 

inadequate for a realistic assessment 

of safety performance. 

Petersen argues that the best way 

to measure a company’s safety performance 

at all levels of the company 

is to use different types of tools, 

such as perception surveys and scored assessments like 

audits, to get a true measure of safety. Measures should

exist for different levels of the company. 2005, ASSE; hardcover, 200 pgs. 


AIHA/ACHMM PRICE: $39.95 ORDER # 4409 

Prepare for the Worst, Plan for the Best: Disaster 

Preparedness and Recovery for Small Business, 

2nd Edition 

Donna R. Childs 

If you are a small business owner or manager, what you do 

before a disaster will determine, in large part, whether 

you will be able to remain in business after the disaster. 

Prepare for the Worst, Plan for the Best: Disaster Preparedness 

and Recovery for Small Business, presents you with a 

structured, time-tested blueprint to help you evaluate your 

business in terms of its vulnerability and guide you 

through developing a cost-effective, individualized disaster 

program. 2008, John Wiley, hardcover, 219 pgs. 


ORDER #10921 

Risk & Security 

Expert Witnessing and Scientific 

Testimony: Surviving in the 

Courtroom 

Kenneth S. Cohen 

This book introduces the reader to the world of litigation 

and the role and qualifications of the expert 

witness. Focusing on scientific testimony, the author 

demonstrates the use of scientific literature, presentation 

of testimony, and the language of lawyers. It 

addresses the courtroom experience with actual cases, 

experience, and pitfalls to illustrate procedure and 

strategy, cross-examination, and the exposure of personal 

history. Offering critical observations and judicial 

opinions, the book presents several exemplary civil, 

criminal, medical malpractice, and workers’ compensation cases. 

2007, CRC Press, hardcover, 272 pgs. 


ORDER #10815 

Security Risk Assessment and 

Management: A Professional Practice 

Guide for Protecting Buildings and 

Infrastructures 

Betty E. Biringer, Rudolph V. Matalucci, and Sharon L. O’Connor 

This guidebook adapts the robust security tools and techniques 

developed by the DOE’s lead national security laboratories to 

nongovernmental and commercial facilities. The authors further 

provide the analytical tools needed to determine whether to 

accept a calculated estimate of risk or to reduce the estimated 

risk to a level that meets your particular security needs. 

2007 John Wiley, hardcover, 384 pgs. 


ORDER #10818 

Socially Responsible Engineering: 

Justice in Risk Management 

Daniel A. Vallero and P. Aarne Vesilind 

This book provides a unique focus on the environmental 

implications of engineering ethics and justice. 

Engineers must make daily decisions that impact on the 

quality of life of those who live near the facilities, 

plants, structures and thoroughfares they design, and in 

the cities and communities they plan and build. 

2007 John Wiley, softcover, 384 pgs. 


ORDER #10718 

STANDARDS 

For a complete listing of all standards and 

publications, including the complete set of A10 

Construction & Demolition Standards visit 

www.asse.org. 

All Standards are available in both hard copy 

and electronic format. 

Slips and Trips 

Prevention Compendium 


HARD COPY ORDER #STP408 

ELECTRONIC FORMAT ORDER #E_STP408 

ANSI/ASSE Z359 

Fall Protection Code 

The national voluntary consensus fall 

protection equipment standards for general 

industry are considered benchmark standards, 

one that has been incorporated into 

many industrial fall protection programs. 

The standards included in this code provide 

organizations with a comprehensive resource 

for protecting workers at height. 


AIHA/ACHMM PRICE: $379.99 ORDER #Z359_PKG 

ANSI/ASSE A1264.1-2007 

Safety Requirements for 

Workplace Walking/Working Surfaces 

& Their Access; Workplace Floor, 

Wall & Roof Openings; 

Stairs & Guardrail Systems 


AIHA/ACHMM PRICE: $59.00 ORDER #A1264_1_2007 

ANSI/ASSE A1264.2-2006 

Standard for the Provision 

of Slip Resistance on 

Walking/Working Surfaces 


AIHA/ACHMM PRICE: $59.00 ORDER #A1264_2_2006 

ANSI/ASSE Z15.1-2006 

Safe Practices for Motor 

Vehicle Operations 


AIHA/ACHMM PRICE: $59.00 ORDER #Z15_1_2006 


Occupational and 

Educational Personal Eye 

and Face Protection Devices 




Safety Requirements 

for Confined Spaces 


AIHA/ACHMM PRICE: $59.00 ORDER #Z117_1_2003

Order 

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Control of Hazardous 

Energy – Lockout/Tagout 

and Alternative Methods 



OSHA Standards 

for General Industry, 

29 CFR Part 1910 (2008) 

Book Version 


ORDER #10013 

CD-ROM Version 


ORDER #10013CD 

OSHA Standards 

for Construction Industry, 

29CFR Part 1926 (2008) 

Book Version 


ORDER #10209 

CD-ROM Version 


ORDER #10209CD 

Safety Resources Order Form 

• Bill Me* ($100.00 minimum order. A signed P.O. must be enclosed.) 

Total 

Exp. Date 

ANSI/ASSE Z490.1-2001 Criteria 

for Accepted Practices in Safety, 

Health and Environmental Training 



ANSI/ASSE Z10-2005 Occupational 

Health and 

Safety Management Systems 


AIHA/ACHMM PRICE: $60.00 

HARD COPY ORDER #Z10_2005 

ELECTRONIC COPY ORDER #Z10_2005P 

NFPA 1600 Standard on 

Disaster/Emergency Management and 

Business Continuity 

Programs, (2004) 



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Classified 

Ads 

Positions Available 

INSURANCE LOSS CONTROL CONSULTANTS 

Safety Resources, a Division of Overland Solutions, a 

leading service provider to the insurance industry, has 

an immediate need for several independent loss control 

consultants and inspectors throughout the country. 

As one of the fastest growing loss control and 

inspection companies, we are eager to review and discuss 

opportunities with qualified candidates. 

Work ranges from entry level to those requiring 

10+ years of experience with a major carrier or national 

broker in commercial casualty loss control. Senior 

level consulting work requires experience in 

writing/presenting loss control proposals to large 

risks and major account coordination. B.S. in Engineering 

or Physical Science is preferred; CSP or ARM 

is a plus for the more senior work. Inspectors should 

meet at least two of the following criteria: have insurance 

inspection/loss control experience; have fire, environmental, 

health or other safety experience; and 

have worked from home and/or in the field as a proven 

self-starter. 

Computer skills are required for all work. Final 

products range from internal underwriting reports and 

confirmation letters to specialist projects. Services are 

provided that address a variety of lines of coverage 

and types of businesses. Qualified candidates should 

send resume to: 

resume@safetyresc.com 

Positions Wanted 

MOTIVATED, ENTHUSIASTIC AND MULTI- 

SKILLED professional looking for a safety 

management/coordinator position. This position 

will encompass along with safety-related 

tasks, environmental management, human 

resources management and total quality management 

abilities. Individual possesses the 

following: M.S. in Industrial Operations 

Management; B.S. in Safety Management; B.S. 

in Environmental Management; SH&E coordinator 

for foods and beverage company. 

Contact Jessica Williams; 145 Chukker Dr., 

Pryor, OK 74361; (918) 825-2368; willijess 

71@yahoo.com. 

SAFETY STUDIES 

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR 

Tenure-Track Appointment 

To Begin August 2009 

Keene State College invites application for 

a tenure-track faculty position in our 

Safety Studies Department. 

Primary teaching responsibilities will include some 

of the following areas: management of safety 

programs,hazardous materials,safety awareness, 

legal aspects of safety,fire protection,and industrial 

safety standards. Additional responsibilities will 

include student advisement,curriculum 

development,laboratory management,committee 

service and scholarly activity. Faculty members also 

have the opportunity to teach a course in the 

collegeís Integrative Studies Program,a 

transformational general education approach. 

Qualifications: Master's degree in relevant field is 

required,terminal degree,or CSP or CIH required 

for tenure. Promotion to Full-Professor requires 

terminal degree. Teaching experience at the college 

level preferred. 

Send letter of application,curriculum vitae,copies of 

undergraduate and graduate transcripts and three 

letters of recommendation to Safety Studies Search, 

FAC #58 via e-mail to: cgreene@keene.edu or 

mail to: Office of Human Resource Management, 

Keene State College, 229 Main St, Keene, NH 

03435-1604. The Search Committee will begin to 

review materials on January 2, 2009 and continue 

until the appointment is made. Inquiries about 

the position may be addressed to Dr. Larry 

McDonald, Department Chair, (603) 358-2976 or 

lmcdonal@keene.edu. 

To learn more about Keene State College,the Safety 

Studies Department,the University System of 

New Hampshire,and the Keene community, 

visit: http://www.keene.edu, 

http://www.keene.edu/programs/safe/, 

http://www.usnh.edu, or 

http://www.KeeneNH.com. 

Keene State College is a founding member of the Council of 

Public Liberal Arts Colleges, a national alliance of leading 

liberal arts colleges in the public sector. The College is 

accredited by NEASC and its education programs are 

NCATE-accredited with conditions. As an Affirmative 

Action/Equal Opportunity Employer, Keene State College is 

engaged in an effort to build a community that reflects the 

diversity of society. 

KEENE STATE COLLEGE 

Keene, New Hampshire 

PAT ALLEN ASSOCIATES Inc. ® 

Since 1980, the premier nationwide 

safety recruiters. 

• Insurance Loss Control Consultants 

• Construction and Plant Safety 

• Fire Protection Engineers 

File electronically at: 

www.patallen.com 

Pat Allen (914) 232-1545 Dennis (518) 284-2972 

Box 716 • Goldens Bridge, NY 10526 

TENURE-TRACK INDUSTRIAL 

HYGIENE PROFESSOR 

The successful candidate will teach a 

number of industrial hygiene and occupational 

safety courses offered each semester 

based on program needs and 

individual’s strengths. The candidate will 

be expected to serve as the lab coordinator 

for the health and safety laboratory. 

Finally, the candidate will be expected to 

engage in activities consistent with program 

development, university service 

and scholarly advancement. Doctorate 

degree preferred (required for tenure) 

and demonstrated experience in successful 

teaching of varied industrial hygiene 

and safety courses. 

Must possess one or more degrees in 

industrial hygiene. Strong interpersonal 

skills a must. Position will remain open 

until filled. Position starts August 2009. 

Demonstrated experience teaching in 

higher education is preferred; CIH is required. 

Salary and rank commensurate 

with skills and experience. Include a 

cover letter, resume and three professional 

references when applying online at: 

www.gvsujobs.org 

For further questions, call human 

resources at (616) 331-2215. Grand Valley 

State University is an affirmative action, 

equal opportunity institution. 

Subscribe to 



www.professionalsafety.org 


Positions Available 

Professional Directory 

TENURE-TRACK OCCUPATIONAL 

SAFETY PROFESSOR 

The successful candidate will teach a 

number of occupational safety courses 

offered each semester based on program 

needs and individual’s strengths. Additionally, 

the candidate will be expected to 

serve as principle advisor to the student 

chapter of ASSE. Candidate will also 

assume responsibility for the OSH internship 

program. Finally, the successfully 

candidate will be expected to engage in 

activities consistent with program development, 

university service and scholarly 

advancement. Doctorate degree required 

and demonstrated experience in successful 

teaching of varied safety courses. 

Must possess one or more safety degrees. 

Strong interpersonal skills a must. Position 

will remain open until filled. 

Position starts August 2009. Demonstrated 

experience teaching in higher 

education is required; CSP is a plus. 

Salary and rank are commensurate 

with skills and experience. Include a cover 

letter, resume and three professional references 

when applying online at: 

www.gvsujobs.org 

For further questions, call human 

resources at (616) 331-2215. Grand Valley 

State University is an affirmative action, 

equal opportunity institution. 

FACULTY OPENINGS 

UNIVERSITY OF CENTRAL 

MISSOURI-WARRENSBURG, MO 

Department of Safety Sciences is seeking 

applications for three full-time, assistant 

professor, tenure-track faculty positions 

for appointment beginning August 2009 

in undergraduate and graduate programs. 

Areas of emphasis include occupational 

safety, risk management, loss 

control, fire science, security and environmental. 

Must apply online with profile 

letter, references and curriculum vitae at: 

https://jobs.ucmo.edu 

N 

Positions are numbers 998484, 998627 

and 998487. UCM is an AA/EEO/ADA 

employer. 

SAFETY FACULTY POSITION 

The Department of Health Sciences at 

Illinois State University invites applications 

for a full-time, tenure-track position 

as an assistant/associate professor in 

safety beginning Aug. 16, 2009. Candidates 

must have earned a doctorate in an 

appropriate discipline or reasonably expect 

to complete a doctorate by May 15, 

2010. The successful candidate will demonstrate 

an ability to provide highquality 

teaching in occupational safety at 

the undergraduate level. Candidates will 

be expected to develop a focused area of 

scholarship, including publication in refereed 

journals. Initial review of applicants 

will begin on Jan. 15, 2009, and continue 

until the position is filled. For more information 

and application procedures, visit: 

http://www.healthsciences.ilstu.edu 

EEO/AA Employer 

Think & Be Safe Playing Cards 

With 52 critical safety messages on high 

quality playing cards, it’s the best safety 

gift you can give your coworkers! 

www.safety-cards.com 

1-888-278-8964 

www.TheSafetyDoctor.com 

• Motivational Keynote Speaker 

• Seminars / Workshops 

Dr. Isabel Perry 

• Training Materials 

• S a f e t y E q u i p m e n t 

Ph. 407-291-1209 

Isabel@TheSafetyDoctor.com 

•Excellence Strategies 

• Safety Culture 

• Strategic Planning 

• Best Practices 

Speaking of Safety 

www.L2Hsos.com 

Larry L. Hansen, CSP, ARM 

•Organizational Behavior 

• Performance Leadership 

• Safety Leadership 

& Management Competency 

315.383.3801 

Looking for a 

Safety Speaker 

Martin Lesperance 

www.safety-speaker.com 

1-888-278-8964 

INSURANCE LOSS CONTROL 

REPRESENTATIVE 

United Fire & Casualty, Gulf Coast regional 

office has an opening for a loss 

control representative to handle a field 

territory within northeast Texas, east 

Texas and northwest Louisiana. Could be 

based in Dallas or Houston areas. 

Qualified applicants must have a B.S. 

degree, insurance experience and/or a 

professional designation. Three to 5 years’ 

insurance loss control experience preferred. 

Send resume to: 

Lkline@unitedfiregroup.com 

Fax (409) 766-5565 

www.unitedfiregroup.com 

EOE 


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COMMUNITY COLLEGE 

•Environmental & Regulatory Science Degree offers two 

AAS degree programs: Enviornmental Management and 

Safety, Health & Hazardous Materials Management. 

•The Safety, Health & Hazardous Material Management 

option has two certificates you can earn on your way. 

•The Certificate of Proficiency in Safety & Health consists 

of 16 credit hours and can be completed online. 

•The Technical Certificate in Environmental & 

Regulatory Science is an additional 18 credit hours. 

•These 34 credit hours can be applied to the online ERS 

degree which consists of 63 total credit hours. 

For more information, contact Cindy Hammons, 

MPH, CSP, chammons@nwacc.edu, (800) 996- 

6299, ext. 5178; or David Hartman, dhartman 

@nwacc.edu, (800) 996-6299, ext. 4226. 

VISIT OUR WEBSITE AT: 

www.nwacc.edu/academics/environmentregnew 

Professional Directory 

Visit PS online at 

www.professionalsafety.org 

S h a re your 

I N S I G H T 

Write an article for 

Professional Safety. There’s 

no better forum in which to 

share the insight you’ve 

gained as a practicing 

SH&E professional. It’s 

also a great way to 

receive professional 

recognition, enhance 

your career and help 

advance the journal’s 

standard of excellence—as 

well as 

ASSE’s standing as the 

leading SH&E resource. 

Advertisers’ Index 

Company Page RS# 

360training . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cover 2 . . . . . .1 


Aerie Technologies LLC . . . . . . . .16 . . . . .17 


AWPT/IPAF . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3 . . . . . .8 


Bowen EHS Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .16 . . . . .18 


ClickSafety . . . . . . . . . . . . . .Cover 4 . . . . . .6 


Columbia Southern . . . . . . . . . . .15 . . . . .16 

University 


Complete Equity . . . . . . . . .Cover 3 .2,3,4,5 

Markets 





Culture Change Consultants . . .23 . . . . .21 


Employers Association Inc. . . . .11 . . . . .11 


Indiana University . . . . . . . . . . . .19 . . . . .20 

of Pennsylvania 


Jordan David . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5 . . . . . .9 


NJ & Associates . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .7 . . . . .10 


Plasteco . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .15 . . . . .15 


Prosafe Solutions . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 . . . . .19 


Scaffold Training Institute . . . . .51 . . . . .22 


SPAN International Training . . . .14 . . . . .14 


Sperian . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1,12,13 .7,12,13 

Protection 




ASSE Education . . . . . . . . . . .9,21,53 . . . .N/A 

ASSE Professional . . . . . . . . . .17,49 . . . .N/A 

Development 

ASSE Technical . . . . . . . . . . . . .63-68 . . . .N/A 

Publications 

Advertising policy 

. . . Whereas there is evidence that products used in safety 

and health programs, or by the public in general, may 

in themselves present hazards; and Whereas, commercial 

advertising of products may not depict the procedures 

or requirements for their safe use, or may depict 

their use in some unsafe manner . . . the Board of 

Directors of ASSE directs staff to see that advertising in 

official Society publications is warranted and certified by 

the advertiser prior to publication, to assure that products 

show evidence of having been reviewed or examined 

for safety and health problems, and that no unsafe 

use and/or procedures are shown and/or described in 

the advertising. Such requirements and acceptance of advertising 

by ASSE shall not be considered an endorsement or 

approval in any way of such products for any purpose. ASSE 

may reject or refuse any advertisement for any reason 

ASSE deems proper. 


Back 

Page 

“Every 

business and 

every product 

has risks. 

You can’t get 

around it.” 

—Lee Iacocca 

Cars of 

the Future 

Is it possible to engineer a car to be not 

just safer, but accident free If you 

believe several auto manufacturers, the 

answer is yes. Nissan Motor Co. recently 

introduced a prototype “collision-free” car. In addition to distance control 

assist and lane departure prevention systems, it incorporates sensor technology 

that reportedly prevents side and back-up collisions, creating 

what the company calls a “safety shield” for occupants. Volvo Car Corp. 

is aiming to create an injury-free car by 2020. Using nearly 40 years of 

data about traffic accidents and driver behavior, the company believes it 

can create an 

“When you have eliminated the 

impossible, whatever remains, 

however improbable, must be 

the truth.” 

—Sherlock Holmes 

December 

SAFETY 

PHOTO 

OF THE 

MONTH 

“intelligent” vehicle 

that would, for 

example, monitor 

drowsiness, warn 

the driver of short 

distance to other 

cars, or auto-brake 

when the driver 

fails to respond to 

a potential collision. 

Ford Motor Co. is aiming to improve teen driver safety with a programmable 

key. The technology lets parents limit the vehicle’s top speed 

and audio volume, and enables additional safety features such as parking 

assistance, blind spot information, cross traffic alert 

and early low-fuel warning. The key also triggers 

a warning that mutes the vehicle’s 

audio system and chimes repeatedly until 

the seatbelt is buckled. 

Top10 

Collectibles 

Top10 

Even in a down economy, some collectibles are worth 

keeping, if only for sentimental value. According to Matt 

Cahill’s Daily Top 10, you should hold onto these 

collectibles: 

1) Coins 

2) Salt and pepper shakers 

3) Trading cards 

4) License plates 

5) Stamps 

www.dailypress.com 

6) Ticket stubs 

7) Vinyl records 

8) Matchbooks 

9) Shot glasses 

10) Corks 

Random 

Musings 

Why does a round pizza 

come in a square box 

Why do people pay to go 

up tall buildings, then put 

money in binoculars to look 

at things on the ground 

How is it that we put a 

man on the moon before 

we figured out it would be a 

good idea to put wheels on 

luggage 

If the professor on 

Gilligan’s Island can make a 

radio out of a coconut, why 

can’t he fix a hole in a boat 

Why do you have to “put 

your two cents in” but it’s 

only a “penny for your 

thoughts” Where’s that 

extra penny going to 

Why is it that people say 

they “slept like a baby” 

when babies wake up every 

2 hours 

Why do toasters always 

have a setting that burns the 

toast to a horrible crisp, 

which no decent human 

being would eat 

If you have a cartoon, anecdote, 

joke or interesting safety item you’d 

like to submit for publication on this 

page, send your contribution to 

professionalsafety@asse.org. All 

submissions become the sole property 

of ASSE and will not be returned. 

While there is no guarantee of publication, 

ASSE will pay $25 for each 

submission that appears in print. 

VOLVO CAR CORP. 

Protect what fall 

Jeremy Bethancourt 

Scottsdale, AZ 


Request 3 at www.psads.info 

or http://prosafety.hotims.com/22653-3 






or http://prosafety.hotims.com/22653-4

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