Safety+Health

Washington — OSHA’s efforts to require employers to report occupational fatalities and certain injuries in a timely manner lack “sufficient guidance on how to detect and prevent underreporting,” the Department of Labor Office of the Inspector General states in its semiannual report to Congress.

Which violation is making its first appearance on OSHA’s annual list of most-cited violations? Safety+Health presents the data on OSHA’s “Top 10” for fiscal year 2018. Also: An exclusive Q&A with Patrick Kapust, deputy director of the agency’s Directorate of Enforcement Programs.

In a memo sent Oct. 11 to regional administrators and state designees, the agency outlines examples of acceptable drug testing, and states that incentive programs that withhold prizes because of an injury are compliant “as long as the employer has implemented precautions to ensure that employees feel free to report an injury or illness.”

A recap of the biggest news out of the 2018 NSC Congress & Expo, which took place Oct. 20-26 in Houston.

“As with most seemingly simple questions, the answer is more complex,” say DEKRA Insight’s Don Groover and Rick Smith, who contend that “one important point to understand … is where the organization is on its safety journey.”

“You need to ‘purposefully practice’ to master skills such as listening or handling the burden of a busy schedule,” says veteran safety pro turned professional speaker Richard Hawk, who offers three suggestions for incorporating practice into your daily activities.

The results of Safety+Health’s 2018 Salary Survey are in, featuring data broken out by job title, experience, region and more. How does your salary stack up?

Washington — OSHA’s $5 million budget increase became official Sept. 28 after President Donald Trump signed a “minibus” appropriations bill that includes funding for the Department of Defense and a continuing resolution to keep the government open until Dec. 7.

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.

"Many of us safety and health professionals tend to take things too seriously, and that can cause us to feel overwhelmed," says veteran safety pro turned professional speaker Richard Hawk, who offers assurance that "you can fix that."