OSHA at 40

Please join the Center for American Progress for a special presentation:

OSHA at 40

April 21, 2011, 10:00am – 11:30am

Admission is free.

RSVP to attend this event

Featured speaker:
David Michaels, Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health

Featured panelists:
Peg Seminario, Director of Safety and Health, AFL-CIO
Joseph Van Houten, Senior Director of Worldwide Environment, Health, and Safety, Johnson & Johnson
David Weil, Professor of Economics, Boston University School of Management

Moderated by:
Reece Rushing, Director of Government Reform, Center for American Progress

In 1970, 18 out of every 100,000 workers were killed on the job—a total of nearly 14,000 dead. That same year, President Richard Nixon signed legislation creating the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

As OSHA celebrates its 40th birthday this month, we also celebrate safer and healthier workplaces. Workplace fatality, injury, and illness rates are down more than 65 percent since 1970, thanks in large part to OSHA's efforts.

Despite this progress, workers still face many dangers. Every year more than 4,000 workers die on the job and more than 4 million suffer work-related injuries and illnesses. OSHA must stay vigilant and keep up with ever-changing occupational hazards.

Please join the Center for American Progress for a conversation about the agency's past and future. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for OSHA, will talk with workers about changes they have seen on the ground. He will also talk with experts from labor and business about OSHA’s latest policies and actions.

April 21, 2011, 10:00am – 11:30am

Space is extremely limited. RSVP required.
Seating is on a first-come, first-served basis and not guaranteed.

Coffee will be served at 9:30 a.m.

Center for American Progress
1333 H St. NW, 10th Floor
Washington, DC 20005
Map & Directions

Nearest Metro: Blue/Orange Line to McPherson Square or Red Line to Metro Center

RSVP to attend this event

For more information, call 202-682-1611.

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Sleep Experts Say Bosses Should Let Their Employees Take A Nap At Work To Boost Productivity

Today's post was shared by Work Org and Stress and comes from www.medicaldaily.com

Sleep at Work Experts say employees should be allowed to take a nap at work. Reuters Todays' post is shared from medicaldaily.com Fatigue is inevitable during any long work day, and sometimes coffee is just not enough to get most people through their midday slump. British sleep experts are now saying that bosses should allow their employees a nap during the day and the option to make their own schedule to help increase productivity. Millions of people fail to get enough sleep during their week and are forced to compensate over the weekend when their work has already suffered. “It’s best to give your brain downtime,” Vincent Walsh, professor of human brain research at University College London told Cheltenham Science Festival. “I have a nap every afternoon. It’s only since the industrial revolution we have been obsessed with squeezing all our sleep into the night rather than having one or two sleeps through the day.” A recent study conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health revealed that around 41 million American workers are not getting the seven to nine hours of sleep recommended by the National Sleep Foundation. Sleep deprivation is putting these people and their co-workers in danger of serious injury or death. Walsh says our obsession with sleeping only at night may be hindering our ability to be more creative. Most of our creative thoughts come to us during periods of relaxation when the brain makes new...

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Living with Safety this Thanksgiving

Motor vehicle accidents are among the highest causes of injuries to workers. The suggestions issued by the NJ State Police provide a helpful guidance for a safe Thanksgiving Day Weekend.Today's post is shared from njsp.org.

The weather is getting nasty just in time for the busiest travel holiday of the year.  With a little planning and a focus on safety, you can make your Thanksgiving travels the most uneventful of your holiday activities.  When gearing up for your trip, prepare for winter even though the calendar still says fall.  That means filling your tank, checking your tire pressure and wiper blades, and packing a blanket, snacks & water in case of a breakdown.  And to keep your blood pressure in check, just leave early because your trip will take much longer than usual because of traffic and road conditions.

In relation to roadway safety, the 2012 Thanksgiving holiday was no reason to celebrate in New Jersey with eight fatal accidents and 10 deaths over the holiday period. Alcohol or drugs was a factor in six of those fatalities.  Four of those killed were pedestrians.  These are sobering statistics that we do not want to repeat this year.

“It doesn’t matter if you’re driving five minutes up the road or through several states, the basics of safety remain the same,” said Colonel Rick Fuentes, Superintendent of the New Jersey State Police.  “Troopers and other law enforcement officers will have zero tolerance for those who create dangers on the roads.”

Distracted driving and aggressive driving are at the top of the list for causing motor vehicle crashes.  Troopers will be using a variety of marked and unmarked vehicles to look for texting drivers, unbelted occupants (especially children), speeders, and of course, intoxicated drivers. 

New Jersey’s “Move Over” law is still unheeded by many drivers.  This law helps protect roadside emergency workers and vehicles including police, fire, medical services, highway maintenance, tow trucks, and official motorist aid vehicles displaying amber, red, or blue emergency lights.  Where possible, drivers are required to move over to create an empty lane next to the emergency vehicle.  When safely changing lanes is not possible, drivers must slow down below the posted speed limit prior to passing emergency vehicles. Drivers should also be prepared to stop, if necessary.

Increase your travel safety by using these common sense tips:

• Make sure your cell phone is fully charged
• Carry a flashlight with new batteries.
• Bring bottles of water and snacks such as protein bars.
• Insist that all vehicle occupants use seatbelts.
• Don’t drive drowsy.  The symptoms of driving tired are similar to those of driving under the influence of drugs or alcohol.  Make sure you get enough rest.  Use service areas to pull over, stretch your legs, or grab a cup of coffee.
• Steer clear of “road ragers.”  Challenging an aggressive driver for a position is a dangerous way to get to your destination a few seconds sooner. 
• Use a designated driver.  If alcohol figures into your Thanksgiving plans, plan to have one driver stay sober.
• Prepare before you drive. Map your route; fill your tank; check your tire pressure, lights and wiper blades.  These simple steps may save you more than just time on the highways.

More than 100 additional state troopers will be supplementing the usual patrols.  These troopers are looking for specific violations that lead to crashes, including driving while intoxicated, aggressive driving, and using handheld phones/tablets.

The official Thanksgiving driving period begins at 6:00 p.m. on November 27, and runs through 6:00 a.m. on December 2.

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In the search for savings, the workplace gets an overhaul

The mobile workforce necessitates new office designs for on premises space. Today's post was shared by The Green Workplace and comes from www.theglobeandmail.com

The fifth floor of Manulife Financial Corp.’s stately headquarters on Toronto’s Bloor Street East sat empty during a recent tour, the workers having vacated about a week earlier. The traditional offices on the periphery of the floor, in many different sizes and configurations, are destined to become a relic of the past. Vancouver's real estate scene; Fairview slopes townhouses under construction (foreground) and high rise condo towers in the city's Yaletown district, May 3, 2013. The Canadian Press MARKET VIEW Video: Market View: Canada's housing market poised for stable 2014 A for sale sign outside townhouses in the Fairview neighbourhood of Vancouver on Monday, March 4, 2013. That space will soon be open, well-lit and dotted with smaller workstations like the ones two floors below, where there is also a lounge area reminiscent of a modern coffee shop. Manulife, one of the country’s largest life insurers, is embarking on a massive overhaul of its offices, one that will make more efficient use of its real estate by changing the way its employees work. The company plans to increase the proportion of its work force that is mobile – that is, working remotely or dividing time between multiple locations – to 30 per cent. Currently, that number stands at less than 5 per cent. It also intends to...

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Volunteer's Injury at Community Outreach Event Compensable

The NJ Supreme Court has held that an injury sustained while volunteering at her employer-sponsored event is compensable because the event was not a social or recreational activity.