Practical Facilities Tips, News & Advice.
Step into any hospital or healthcare facility and you’ll be surrounded not only by clinical, administrative, and operational staff, but also by patients, visitors, and vendor representatives. With so many people traversing the hospital daily, protecting them can feel quite challenging. Until recently, almost anyone could enter a hospital with relative ease. Today, while many […]
“What can we do?” This is among the most common questions I get after a major incident of violence. It’s not uncommon for there to be a heightened interest for a while, then things go back to “normal.” However, things feel different this time. As I’m writing this article, the news playing in the background […]
As the COVID-19 pandemic continues and various stages of reopenings occur, the threat landscape is dramatically expanding, which is compounded by global geopolitical issues such as the war between Russia and Ukraine. This perpetual state of volatility impacts the ways businesses operate and their ability to plan ahead to mitigate risks. According to Ontic’s 2022 […]
Most U.S. employees are more concerned about workplace safety than ever before, with worries ranging from health hazards to cybersecurity, and they expect employers to ensure their well-being while on the job, according to a new study from AlertMedia. Based on responses from over 2,000 full-time U.S. workers, the State of Employee Safety Report found […]
Workplace violence is not industry specific and can happen to workers in any facility. With that in mind, the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (OSHRC) states that workplace violence is a recognizable hazard and reminds employers that they are responsible for protecting employees from assaults and homicides at their facilities.
On January 8, following an outbreak of violence at the U.S. Capitol, AIHA, also known as the American Industrial Hygiene Association, called for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to establish a safety standard for workplace violence prevention.
Every year, nearly 2 million American workers report that they are victims of workplace violence, according to research from OSHA. That number obviously doesn’t include the numerous unreported instances of workplace violence, which fall through the cracks due to a lack of preventive measures, policies, or mandated workplace violence training programs. Is your facility doing […]
Summer may bring beautiful weather, but facility managers need to be extra vigilant when it comes to controlling workplace safety and health hazards that peak during the summer months, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Region 7 office in Kansas City, Missouri.
As a facilities management (FM) professional, you are probably not writing workplace violence prevention plans. However, you probably are looking at facility design, and facilities managers can be key in helping their buildings and tenants with hazard identification and engineering controls used to prevent violence.
One of the most important tools for preventing workplace injuries, illnesses, and fatalities at any facility is a hazard assessment. Situations are analyzed to determine the risks they pose, and then employers and facilities management professionals decide how best to control those risks. Unfortunately, one increasingly common hazard has thus far defied our ability to […]