July 26, 2010 by Fred Hosier

When no one witnesses a workplace injury and the injured employee files for workers’ comp, sometimes all you have to go on is the worker’s story. The situation can become more complicated when the worker delays reporting the injury.
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Tags: back injury, credibility, no one saw injury, Workers' comp
July 21, 2010 by Fred Hosier
You can’t blame any company for being proud of its safety program — perhaps so proud that it wants to put photos about its safety program on its company website. But, as a safety pro, would you allow those photos to be altered? And what if the company we’re talking about is BP?
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Tags: BP, company website, Gulf oil spill, Photoshop, safety program
July 9, 2010 by Fred Hosier
As a safety pro, you’ve probably contemplated this question: Are minimum government regulations enough to keep my employees and/or customers safe? It’s a question that probably should be asked in connection with the sinking of a tourist-filled duck boat in Philadelphia that killed two passengers.
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Tags: duck boat crash, government regulations, keep employees safe
May 27, 2010 by Fred Hosier
Do you require employees in safety-sensitive jobs to report whether they use certain prescription medications? You may want to pass this story along to them as a reminder why it’s so important that they comply with your company’s policy.
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Tags: lower back pain, muscle relaxers, vehicle crash
May 14, 2010 by Fred Hosier
It’s a common thought among workers who choose not to use their safety gear: It’ll be OK just this one time. This story shows the consequences — this worker is very lucky to be alive today.
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Tags: grain silo, safety gear, trapped in corn silo
April 12, 2010 by Fred Hosier

Recently, we wrote about a survey that put “safety” as the No. 6 most annoying thing in the workplace. So, we asked you what is most annoying about workers when it comes to safety. Here are your answers:
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Tags: annoying worker habits, common complaints, excuses, no time for safety, we always did it that way
April 9, 2010 by Fred Hosier
A police dispatcher in the Chicago area told her supervisor that she had narcolepsy which causes people to fall asleep unexpectedly. However, medication was keeping the condition under control.
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Tags: fall asleep, narcolepsy, police dispatcher
October 18, 2009 by Fred Hosier
March 18, 2009 by Fred Hosier
In this age of Facebook and MySpace, some employers are requiring workers to sign agreements that they won’t speak out against the company in public. Does that stifle employee concerns about workplace safety?
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Tags: Facebook, MySpace, nuclear power plant
November 14, 2008 by Fred Hosier
November 7, 2008 by Fred Hosier

With a new administration coming to the White House, it’s likely companies will see some changesĀ from OSHA. Among the possibilities: higher fines for workplace fatalities and injuries.
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Tags: fines, new administration, OSHA, President-elect Obama
October 24, 2008 by Fred Hosier
Periodically, we ask three safety pros how they’d handle a difficult situation at work. Today’s problem: An employee returns to work after medical leave, and his ability to work safely is questionable.
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Tags: injured, medical leave, return to work