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Industrial garbage bin blue construction debris container filled with rock and concrete rubble.

Should You Test Your Building Materials for PCBs?

During a recent panel discussion, “Managing PCBs in Buildings: Renovations, Transactions, Demolition, and More” at the Connecticut Business & Industry Association (CBIA) Energy & Environment Conference on May 18, 2018, in Farmington, Connecticut, the discussants tackled the question of whether to test or not to test for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs). The panel, comprised of three attorneys […]

Woman reporting suspicious behavior to her supervisor

Encourage Speaking Up to Prevent Mass Shootings

Remember the parable of the blind men and the elephant? Each individual formed an false conclusion about what an elephant is based on the limited information they gathered. The man touching the elephant’s tail concluded that an elephant is like a rope, while the man touching its tusk believed that the elephant was more like […]

Predict and Prevent Active Shooters by Listening for Leaks

A hazard assessment is one of the most important tools for preventing injuries, illnesses, and fatalities at your facility. They help analyze potential situations to determine the risks they pose, and provide your (or your tenant’s) security team with the data to decide how best to contain and control those risks. Unfortunately, one increasingly common […]

Glass Globe on Forest Floor

U.S. Green Building Council Awards Leaders in Sustainable Building

On November 1, 2018, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) announced the winners of its 2018 Leadership Awards. Each year, the USGBC, an organization dedicated to creating a sustainable future through cost-efficient and energy conscious design and construction,  recognizes outstanding individuals and organizations at the forefront of the green building movement. The recipients of the […]

Fixed Ladder with fall protection

Standards for Fixed Ladders Change This November

November 19, 2018, is a key date for facility managers with existing outdoor fixed ladders that extend more than 24 feet (ft) above a lower level. Ladders that were in place prior to that date must be equipped with at least one type of fall protection device that will prevent workers from falling. Ladders erected […]

Flushing a potentially exploding toilet

Flushmate Issues Massive Recall Over Exploding Toilets

Flushmate, a developer and manufacturer of “Pressure-Assisted” flushing devices for toilets has issued a massive, voluntary recall for approximately 1.4 million of its Flushmate II 501-B systems. According to the recall notice, the affected 501-B units are at risk of bursting near the weld seam, which would release the internal pressure of the device. In […]

Safety Inspect at Facility, facility managers

Former OSHA Head Proposes Researching Connection between Safety and Operations

At the 2018 National Safety Council (NSC) Congress & Expo, Dr. David Michaels, the former head of OSHA and a professor of environmental and occupational health at the George Washington University School of Public Health, copresented a session with Colin Duncan, CEO of Soteris Group, in which the pair discussed the ongoing need for empirical […]

Worker lying after falling from a ladder

OSHA Announces Top 10 Safety Violations

In a presentation at the 2018 National Safety Council Congress & Expo in Houston, Texas, Patrick Kapust, deputy director of OSHA’s Directorate of Enforcement Programs, announced the list of the agency’s top 10 violations for fiscal year (FY) 2018 to a standing-room-only crowd of safety professionals. While the list—particularly its top half—is largely familiar from […]

Prescribed to Death Exhibition

NSC Congress and Expo Hosts Opioid Epidemic Memorial

At the opening of the 2018 National Safety Council (NSC) Congress and Expo in Houston, Texas, the NSC unveiled a memorial to the opioid epidemic that both commemorates victims and emphasizes the role employers can play in combating the crisis.

Industrial chemicals in flasks

Do Not Put Off Assessing Your PFAS Risk

Are you procrastinating on assessing the risk of per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) at your facility? Don’t hold off until a regulator (or worse, legal action) forces your hand! A “wait and see” approach could result in potential damages to your brand and investor relations.