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From effective leadership to entrepreneurial spirit, Lisa Hallsworth exhibits all the characteristics one could hope for at the helm of Safety Data Sheets (SDS) management company Rillea Technologies[MF1] . Having a knack for physics in school, Hallsworth pursued a degree in engineering from the University of Waterloo, opening the door for her entry into the chemical engineering field. Now, with 32 years of industry experience, she explains the motivations behind her vision for improved chemical safety, which led to the creation of cutting-edge safety software, SDS RiskAssist.
“A lot of my time working with chemical safety was spent … looking at the chemicals that were being used and then looking at what various regulations within Canada and around the world had to say about those chemicals,” says Hallsworth. “And that takes a huge amount of time. [For] every different project that I worked on, I’d ask — ‘How is it safe to proceed with this project? What are we required to do by regulations? What do we know about it from research, and how do we handle the chemicals?’ And really, what I came to realize was there is a lot to chemical safety, [which] is super challenging.”
In today’s episode, we discuss the paper “Risk Management in a Dynamic Society: A Modelling Problem” published in a 1997 volume of Safety Science by Jens Rasmussen (1926‑2018). Rasmussen was a renowned professor and researcher at the Riso Laboratory in Denmark. As one of the most influential thinkers in safety and major hazard prevention, Rasmussen’s theories put forth in this article are still being used in safety science today.
www.shponline.co.uk/culture-a…
More and more companies are embracing the truth of these messages and the ‘emerging from COVID’, opportunities to create a stronger and more resilient workforce are being embraced by many. Although some are, of course, just adopting a tick box ‘train up some mental health first aiders then forget about it’ approach, others are attempting something more impactful and holistic. Unfortunately, there’s a contextual difficulty for all…
In most of the UK and Europe (and certainly, from where I come from in South Wales) we had it drummed into us at an early age that there’s only one answer to the question “how are you?” and that’s “I’m fine thank you – how are you?’. Any other response and the person you’re talking to can call the police. It’s a law. It’s a bit like when a European gets into a lift in America and others start talking to you… instinctively we’re overcome with horror, bewilderment and panic.
Each day, when 14-year Brakeman Taylor Morel straps on his steel-toed boots, raises his tinted safety glasses and plugs in hearing protection, he brings experience, accountability and sharp focus to the job.
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As a result, Morel’s peers elected him as one of the Gulf Coast Service Unit’s Total Safety Culture (TSC) facilitators. Morel provides safety insights to a portion of Louisiana’s TE&Y employees, stretching from Beaumont East to Avondale Yard in Union Pacific’s Southern Region.
Since hiring on as a brakeman in 2007, Morel said safety in the yard became second nature, but it was time for a new challenge.
“I felt like I wasn’t really doing as much as I could in regard to safety,” Morel said. “When I saw what the facilitators were doing, touching on that safety component at every single terminal from Beaumont to Avondale, I realized the reach was more than just my own little world.”
During his term as facilitator, Morel hopes to celebrate positive peer habits and use them as teaching moments to underscore the “why” behind certain railroad procedures and processes. By putting a process in the context of safety and the reason behind it, he believes employees can better understand the importance of doing tasks the right way every time.
At Boak & Sons, Inc., safety is the number one rule. Every year, the entire company attends the Annual Safety Day meeting to receive updated training on safety requirements, company updates and other important developments in both residential and commercial contracting fields. This meeting is a requirement for all Boak & Sons employees, from field crew members to office staff. This year, Sam Boak, president and founder of Boak & Sons, Inc., held the meeting Friday, December 3rd. “We always look forward the Annual Safety Day Meeting here at Boak & Sons,” says Sam. “This is an important opportunity to continue to build on our safety culture. It also gives us a chance to show our appreciation to our employees for their hard work.” Exterior contracting is a growing vocation, and with that comes frequent changes. While the company’s project managers regularly update their crews throughout the year, Safety Day is important to bring the entire team together, so nobody misses crucial information and training. On top of the safety information, employees also get thorough training on benefits offered by Boak & Sons. The day consisted of several briefings from lead employees at Boak & Sons, such as Chief Financial Officer, Pat Finn. In addition, Sam Boak invited Brian Gang, the area’s OSHA inspector, to present on OSHA’s safety expectations for companies like Boak & Sons. The Salvation Army also attended to thank Boak & Sons for their continuous generosity.
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Harmony Gold reports that an employee has died after losing control of a heavy-duty vehicle. The accident occurred near the Mponeng mine salvage yard. The driver was on his way to the Savuka central salvage yard, near Carletonville.
“The recent spate of loss of life incidents are of real concern to the Harmony family and we are deeply appalled. The tragic consequences of these incidents will continue to affect the families, colleagues and friends of our deceased colleagues for many years. “However, we will continue our focus on embedding our risk management process to create a more engaged and proactive safety culture. All Harmony stakeholders are profoundly committed to making renewed and concerted efforts to prevent accidents through our ongoing humanistic transformation safety initiatives. Our prayers are with the families, friends and colleagues of the deceased during this difficult time,” says Harmony CEO Peter Steenkamp.
Washington (Reuters) -A US Senate report released Monday does a better job of overseeing the Federal Aviation Administration’s certification of new planes with Boeing and reviewing the allegations raised by seven industry whistle blowers. He said he had to do it.
Senator Maria Cantwell’s 97-page Commerce Commission report was raised as a result of two fatal Boeing 737 MAX crashes in five months that prompted a 20-month landing of the plane. Concerns are included. Parliament also passed a drastic reform in December 2020 on how the FAA will certify new planes that the FAA is still implementing.
“FAA’s oversight of the certification process has been eroded,” the report said. “Over time, we have increasingly delegated that authority to Boeing and others.”
According to the report, the FAA “should take immediate action to deal with Boeing’s excessive pressure,” adding that “a chronic shortage of personnel.”
Boeing said it was considering the report. “Boeing teammates are encouraged to speak up whenever they are concerned about safety or quality,” said the plane manufacturer, and many issues in the report were “previously published and Boeing monitors. We have been working to deal with them under. “
“The FAA certification process puts undue pressure on line engineers and production staff,” the report said. FAA Boeing’s surveillance office lacks sufficient safety engineers and needs to improve its safety culture.
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TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — A preliminary investigation has pointed to six errors that may have contributed to the COVID-19 infection of a scientist at a P3 (Biosafety Level-3) facility in Taiwan, the first case of its kind.
A former worker at Academia Sinica’s Genomics Research Center (GRC) in Taipei was confirmed to have contracted the Delta variant last week, sparking public fear after more than a month of zero local cases and raising concerns about safety practices in one of the country’s most advanced scientific research centers.
James Liao (廖俊智), president of Academia Sinica, said in a legislative briefing on Monday (Dec. 13) that workplace negligence in six aspects was responsible for the incident, per the Liberty Times.
These include failure to duly report a scientist being bitten by lab mice; not working with lab mice in a biosafety cabinet; not following protocols in removing hazmat suits; new personnel not receiving adequate training; lack of supervision and monitoring during experiments; and lax management in lab practices.
The flight comes just after the Federal Aviation Administration confirms that it closed an investigation into Blue Origin’s safety culture without finding any substantial issues. The FAA, which is responsible for issuing licenses for commercial rocket launches, started looking into the company in early October after 21 current and former employees at Blue Origin published an essay alleging a culture of rampant sexual harassment and safety concerns with the company’s rockets. The essay, penned by former Blue Origin head of employee communications Alexandra Abrams, argued that employees are too scared to speak about safety violations over fears of retaliation.
“In the opinion of an engineer who has signed on to this essay, ‘Blue Origin has been lucky that nothing has happened so far,’” the essay stated. “Many of this essay’s authors say they would not fly on a Blue Origin vehicle.”
THE FAA FOUND “NO SPECIFIC SAFETY ISSUES” AFTER INVESTIGATING ALLEGATIONS When the essay came out, the FAA said it was “reviewing the information.” However, as CNN first reported on Friday and the FAA confirmed to The Verge, its investigation is now over. Steven Kulm, a public affairs specialist at the FAA, told The Verge that the FAA found “no specific safety issues” after investigating allegations made against the company’s human spaceflight program. When asked for comment, Linda Mills, the vice president for communications at Blue Origin, said, “The FAA statement is accurate.”
“Food businesses must ensure they have a strong food safety culture in place, including regular and ongoing training of both full and part-time staff,” said Dr Pamela Byrne, Chief Executive of the FSAI.
“Food safety culture embeds best practice standards as a top priority in a food business and is reflected in how it does its daily work. Food safety is everyone’s responsibility in a food business and not just the business owner.
“There is a personal responsibility for managers and all employees to comply with food safety law at all times and in particular, ensure that all information and records provided to inspectors are truthful and accurate.
Every day presents hazards and circumstances that can increase the chances of a mishap. For Marine Corps Air Station Iwakuni those hazards are most prevalent around the airfield and harbor. Long working hours, night shifts, and heavy machinery all contribute to increasing the chances of a mishap occurring in the work center.
On Nov. 29, 2021, MCAS Iwakuni’s station safety center kicked off its first local Ground Safety for Marines course.
The two-week, Training and Education Command (TECOM) driven course, increases safety by providing Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) training to military and civilian personnel assigned to full-time or collateral duties in ground safety. “This course is the first step to enhancing a stronger safety culture at MCAS Iwakuni,” said Dennis Gamad, the course facilitator for the air station. “Leaders, from noncommissioned officers to officers, set the tone for safety in their respective organizations and emphasize its importance.”
FARGO, N.D. (KFGO) – Law enforcement officials say vehicle pursuits are increasing dramatically. Some call it a treacherous trend nationwide. Minnesota and North Dakota are no exception as they deal with the uptick.
Sgt. Wade Kadrmas, safety education officer for the North Dakota Highway Patrol, says they saw a drop in pursuits statewide in 2018 and 2019, but the cases have since skyrocketed. In 2020, there were 113. As of the end of this November, there were 98 statewide. He says it’s hard to understand why there’s been such an increase but he says troopers are well aware of the dangers.
Data from the Moorhead Police Department shows that from 2014 to 2020 the department saw an average of about 9 additional pursuits each year. Based on the 73 pursuits in the city in 2020, they anticipated 82 in 2021. However, police have recorded 100 so far this year and are expecting 111 total by the end of the year.
The Cass County Sheriff’s office has seen significantly fewer pursuits, with 15 cases so far this year, compared to 14 in 2020 and 19 in 2019. The Minnesota State Patrol figures show more than 3,100 pursuits last year.
A research study underway at the University of Minnesota suggests there’s a strong connection between vehicle thefts and “super speeding” that has led to the huge increase in police pursuits.
Dr. Nichole Morris is leading the research on the psychology of why it’s happening at this rate. Morris says there’s been a “safety culture shift.” Her team is charged with answering the “why” and will then move on to what can be done to control the problem with new technology.
www.petfoodprocessing.net/articles/…
Sanitation and disinfection in pet food processing is more important than ever before. Where once plants did not shut down just for cleaning, now down days for cleaning are regularly scheduled. Randy Kohal, vice president, food safety and reliability, Nexcor Food Safety Technologies, Buford, Ga., said the importance of processing sanitation and disinfection has increased over the years from early concerns of dirt and buildup to a modern understanding of the risks of microorganisms.
“Risk mitigation is the basis for sanitation practices and having a scientific understanding as well as a food safe culture is critical to success,” he said. “The resulting benefit is a workforce that understands the importance of sanitation, proper food safety, and execution in the most economical way possible.”
Sanitation is one of the most important pillars for food safety. Joe Stout, founder of Commercial Food Sanitation (CFS), New Orleans, La., noted that without proper sanitation and disinfection, there can be no safe food manufacturing environment.
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David Cameron should appear before the Grenfell Tower inquiry after making comments that were “ridiculing” health and safety in the years before the fire, a lawyer has said.
The former Prime Minister made speeches regarding red tape and regulation that had effectively relegated citizens to “a bonfire”, said a barrister representing some of the bereaved and survivors.
Michael Mansfield QC told the public inquiry into the 2017 blaze, which claimed 72 lives, that Mr Cameron should appear at a hearing to explain what he meant by his words.
In 2010, Mr Cameron had said he wanted to “scrap health and safety rules that put people off”, Mr Mansfield said, and followed this the year after by saying “the shadow” of health and safety was holding people back, adding that this was not “how a great nation was built” and that “Britannia didn’t rule the waves with arm bands on”.
Mr Mansfield said such speeches were “ridiculing, humiliating health and safety, and relegating citizens, as it were, to effectively a bonfire”.
He needs to be here to answer what he meant Michael Mansfield QC Mr Mansfield said: “We say he needs to be here to answer what he meant. Because if it’s going to be sent through his proteges, through his ministers, whatever, that he didn’t mean what he said, well let him come and say that.
“But this is what he did say, ‘to kill off the health and safety culture for good’.”
Mr Mansfield, still quoting Mr Cameron, added: “I want 2012 to go down in history not as just the Olympics year or Diamond Jubilee year, but the year we banished a lot of pointless time-wasting from the economy and British life once and for all.
www.thedigitalship.com/news/elec…
Shipping has seen a significant improvement in safety over the past decade as higher standards of ship construction and operation have cut the number of casualties, but emerging risks from new fuels and digital technologies must be mitigated to maintain progress, according to DNV.
It follows the release of a new analysis, ‘Maritime Safety 2012-2021: a decade of progress’, from Lloyd’s List Intelligence and DNV that shows a marked decline in casualties, losses and detentions over the period.
Between 2012 and 2021, the tally of annual casualties declined 20 per cent from 1922 to 1537 and losses resulting from casualties dropped 56 per cent from 132 in 2012 to 58 in 2020, while the number of detentions decreased by 60 per cent by the end of 2020 – mostly in the general cargo carrier segment.
This positive trend has come even as the global fleet has increased 46 per cent in deadweight tonnes and 16 per cent in vessel numbers - from 116,000 to more than 130,000 ships of 100 gross tonnes and above - resulting in the number of safety incidents, as a share of the fleet, falling from nearly 5 per cent to 2 per cent.
“Measures such as digitised systems, modern class rules, better vessels, tighter regulatory supervision and, crucially, an improved safety culture have contributed to this welcome safety trend,” said Knut Ørbeck-Nilssen, CEO of DNV Maritime.
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In the world of health and safety, we sometimes talk about the work of academics, coining the phrase “work as imagined and work as done.”
That phrase articulates an important concept. We often imagine things are going well somewhere and everything is being done according to plan. When we visit that place, we find that things are not so simple as we would hope, and see people deviating from established expectations and procedures.
We often point to this drift, as Rasmussen put it, to be a cause of incidents.
I recently heard some people talking about High Reliability Organizations (HROs) and Human Organizational Performance (HOP). Safety culture even came up. These are all very interesting theories and are useful to us in the health and safety realm.
The primary issue between theory and practice is operationalizing a theory or idea into something that will work consistently in most places. I say that because there’s nothing that works all the time, everywhere.
“All service members, civilians, and contractors are required to register for this program, and we highly recommend that local nationals register as well,” said Claude Jones, garrison operations officer. “If your place of duty is on a DOD facility, you must sign-up for Alert! and ensure your contact information is current.” “Alert! is important for all of our community members,” continued Jones. “It is a quick and efficient way for us at the garrison to reach community members quickly. We use the system to notify our users of emergencies, road conditions, and garrison closures or delays.”
Family members can also receive notifications; however, their sponsor must sign up first and enter family member information.
The garrison safety office highly recommends having Alert as part of a complete information update matrix.
“During the sign-up process, you can add your dependents to the system,” said Stefanie Diaz, garrison safety and occupational officer. “Within the dashboard, there is a field that allows for you to opt-in your dependents and enter their individual contact information.”
“Effective communication and reporting of hazards protect our members and also promotes a great safety culture amongst the garrison,” said Diaz.
Environment, Health, and Safety Managing Director Tolga Durak heads a team working to build a strong safety culture at the Institute and to implement systems that lead to successful lab and makerspace operations. EHS is also pursuing new opportunities in the areas of safe and sustainable labs and applied makerspace research.
Durak holds a BS in mechanical engineering, a MS in industrial and systems engineering, and a PhD in building construction/environmental design and planning. He has over 20 years of experience in engineering and EHS in higher education, having served in such roles as authority having jurisdiction, responsible official, fire marshal, risk manager, radiation safety officer, laser safety officer, safety engineer, project manager, and emergency manager for government agencies, as well as universities with extensive health-care and research facilities.
Q: What “words of wisdom” regarding lab/shop health and safety would you like to share with the research community?
A: EHS staff always strive to help maintain the safety and well-being of the MIT community. When it comes to lab/shop safety or any areas with hazards, first and foremost, we encourage wearing the appropriate personal protective equipment (PPE) when handling potentially hazardous materials. While PPE needs depend on the hazards and the space, common PPE includes safety glasses, lab coats, gloves, clothes that cover your skin, and closed-toe shoes. Shorts and open-toe shoes have no place in the lab/shop setting when hazardous materials are stored or used. Accidents will and do happen. The severity of injuries due to accidental exposures can be minimized when researchers are wearing PPE. Remember, there is only one you!
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The power plant comprises four VVER-1000 units that started up in 1984, 1986, 2004 and 2011. It was visited for 18 days by the ten-member Operational Safety Review Team (OSART), made up of experts from the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Slovakia, South Africa, Sweden, the UK, the USA and the IAEA.
The review covered the areas of leadership and management for safety, training and qualification, operations, maintenance, technical support, operating experience, radiation protection, chemistry, and accident management. Team leader Ronan Cavellec of the IAEA said, “The OSART team witnessed a strong commitment to safety by plant management and staff.”
Two good practices at Kalinin were highlighted by the IAEA: Rosenergoatom “strengthens stress management and decision-making skills of staff by involving two psychologists during severe accident management exercises”; it also “promotes safety culture among all personnel by encouraging staff to act as ‘safety culture ambassadors’ who proactively communicate and seek feedback on safety related topics.”
The plant should also make some improvements, the IAEA said. The team noted that the plant’s operating experience programme should enhance the identification of root causes of events and the verification of the effectiveness of corrective actions to prevent their recurrence. It should consider improving the preventative maintenance arrangements for important non-safety equipment. The plant should also consider enhancing its practices for equipment labelling.
www.hazardexonthenet.net/article/1…
When I wrote this article, the UN Climate Conference (COP26) in Glasgow was in its decisive stage. A day before came the exciting news that two of the countries emitting the largest amount of CO2, China and the US, agreed to cooperate in their efforts towards climate neutrality. One of the central statements of the participating parties was their commitment to extend the share of clean energies significantly during the coming decade.
Because of the well-known volatility of some of these clean energies, efficient energy storage and carrier technologies will be the key to ensuring a stable and reliable energy supply in the post-fossil fuel period. Therefore, hydrogen will play a very important role for that. In contrast to the existing production facilities for hydrogen, we have to be aware of a new safety-related situation. Unlike chemical and petrochemical plants where there is restricted public access and operations are controlled by specialists and skilled people, the new “hydrogen economy” will be widely distributed with a lot of potential public contact points and respective hazards. Therefore, there is a need for new safety concepts and special education programs for people who encounter hydrogen applications. Conformity Assessment can help to establish such elements of a new safety culture quickly and efficiently.
In this week’s episode, we tackle an interesting conundrum in safety through a paper written by René Amalberti. The idea he poses is that aiming for zero errors in the workplace should not be the goal - in fact, some errors should be encouraged to ensure learning. The author also challenges the idea of continuously improving the safety of systems - stating that this could actually become detrimental to the overall safety of a workplace.
“The concept of a ‘safety culture’ is something that I identified for myself as very important, early on in my career,” says Maria Moracho Ramirez, Senior Safety Officer at the IAEA. “It relates to a culture of behaviour, and if you’ve been a trainer, you know that training for influencing behaviours is very complicated.”
In organizations dealing with nuclear and radioactive material, a strong safety and security culture helps to prevent accidents, as well as intentional acts that could lead to theft of nuclear material and/or harm the facility. It refers to the way in which safety and security is perceived, valued, prioritised and integrated into organizations. It involves leadership and other human factors. “Developing effective training to influence culture and change behaviours is challenging,” Moracho Ramirez says, “because it is quite different from explaining, for example, the design of a nuclear power plant, which follows a more straight-forward flow and can also be demonstrated physically.”
Not one to back away from a challenge, at the IAEA Moracho Ramirez has pioneered the concept of the IAEA’s first-ever IAEA International School on Nuclear and Radiological Leadership for Safety. The school focuses on fostering a culture of safety and on demonstrating the links between leadership and safety. Since its launch in 2017 it has attracted more than 200 early to mid-career nuclear professionals.
SPEARFISH — Spearfish city employees participated in their first ever citywide Safety Stand-Down Day on Nov. 17. As part of the city’s new safety culture program, staff from all departments took part in a daylong training, which included general workplace safety talks and demonstrations.
“Since implementing the program in 2019, the city has seen a reduction in worker’s compensation claims resulting in a savings of over $78,000 in workers’ compensation premiums,” said Tyler Ehnes, safety coordinator for the city.
Ehnes also said that the city has seen a significant decrease in its loss ratio.
“Loss ratio is a ratio of work comp premiums paid versus claims paid out,” he explained. “An acceptable loss ratio is 60% as recommended by the South Dakota Municipal League Workers’ Composition Fund. In 2019 and 2020 the city’s loss ratio was 9% and 4% respectively. 2021 is currently 18%.”
Lobster fishing crews in southwestern Nova Scotia are reminded to make safety a priority and follow rules and guidelines as they begin their fishing season.
Dumping Day, traditionally the last Monday in November, marks the official start of the fishing season in lobster fishing areas 33 and 34 along the southern and western shores of the province.
“Safety must be top of mind for the hundreds of fishers who set out on the water on Dumping Day to set their traps,” said Jill Balser, Minister of Labour, Skills and Immigration. “While very important for Nova Scotia’s economy, lobster fishing is dangerous work. A successful season also means every crew comes home safely at the end of their workday. I strongly urge all fishers to take the time and necessary steps to keep themselves safe, to be sure they get home to their loved ones.” Before heading out every morning, it is important for crews to: monitor the weather assess their boats examine their safety gear and check on others on board stay on the lookout for potential working hazards wear their personal flotation devices stay prepared for emergencies. Quotes: Fishing is difficult and sometimes dangerous work. I urge everyone – captains and crews – to take a moment to think about safety on board the boat. Locate your safety gear, run through your safety drills and be ready for the unexpected. Do it for yourself, your crewmates and your family. We want everyone to return home safely. Steve Craig, Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture
I’m proud of the work the fishing industry has put in over the last six years. We’ve seen a shift of not just knowing about safety but caring about it, with more captains taking steps to improve safety on their vessels, attend wharf-side safety demonstrations, and focus on safety training for their crew. While fishing remains a dangerous job, these are all positive signs of a changing safety culture. Stuart MacLean, CEO, WCB Nova Scotia
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AMBULANCE call-outs for health concerns at Amazon warehouses have almost doubled in the run up to Black Friday, with “horrific” reports of workers being sacked for raising Covid-19 concerns, GMB warns. The general workers’ union said that data obtained via freedom of information requests from four ambulance trusts that cover major Amazon sites show that, over a five-year period, November is the worst month for emergency calls. Demand for ambulances grew by 46 per cent between October and November this year as the multinational delivery giant piled on the pressure to fulfil orders, GMB charged. Newly uncovered accident investigation reports obtained by the union reveal an “alarming safety culture” at Amazon, including at the Coventry fulfilment centre, where serious injuries to fingers, limbs and backs caused by collisions with equipment and repetitive strains have been reported.