Kevin Druley

What can safety pros do to help workers who are on the autism spectrum stay safe on the job? Safety+Health asked eight experts – some of whom are on the spectrum themselves – for advice.

OSHA data shows 23 workers were killed in trench collapses in 2016 – surpassing the combined total from 2014 and 2015. “Employers need to realize that any excavation has the potential for exposure to serious injury and fatality,” one expert says.

When crises such as a serious workplace injury occur, employers must contend with a social media landscape that has the potential to negatively affect an organization’s message and image.

Hazards associated with working in traffic, handling materials, and moving on and off garbage trucks put sanitation workers at risk. In the first two days of 2018 alone, seven sanitation workers were killed, according to the Solid Waste Association.

A Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration rule requiring the use of electronic logging devices to track driver hours of service is in effect, but critics remain vocal.

The Hierarchy of Controls helps safety professionals identify and mitigate exposures to on-the-job hazards. “You can’t eliminate every hazard, but the closer you can get to the top, the closer you can reach that ideal and make people healthier and safer,” one expert says.

Employers “can and will be at the forefront of implementing pivotal solutions to prevent and treat opioid addictions,” one researcher testified during a joint hearing convened by two House subcommittees.

The National Fire Protection Agency’s standard for electrical workplace safety, NFPA 70E, is revised every three years. Safety+Health presents an overview of some key elements of the 2018 edition.

Critics of the recently introduced Workflex in the 21st Century Act say the bill would “create an off-ramp for employers to evade state and local laws,” while supporters say it “gives employers more certainty and predictability over their leave practices.”

Which violation is making its first appearance on OSHA’s list of most-cited violations? Safety+Health presents the data on OSHA’s “Top 10” for fiscal year 2017. Also: A Q&A with Patrick Kapust, deputy director of the agency’s Directorate of Enforcement Programs.