Ladder Safety Rules 101: A Comprehensive Approach to Working Safely at Heights

Falls are one of the leading causes of serious injury and death in the workplace, and OSHA is serious about preventing them. Four of the agency’s 10 most cited standards in 2023 were related to fall prevention, including the rules for ladder safety.

Graphic of construction workers on a ladder while constructing a building.

In 2020, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 161 fatal work injuries from which ladders were the primary source. While this is a 5.8 percent decline from 171 deaths in 2019, it could be related to pandemic shutdowns and might not represent real progress.

Meanwhile, there were 22,710 nonfatal injuries related to ladder safety in 2020, which was a 1.7 percent increase from 22,330 injuries in 2019. These nonfatal ladder injuries resulted in at least one day away from work. Workers in installation, maintenance and repair occupations faced the highest number of ladder-related injuries, followed by construction and extraction occupations.

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Women in Construction and the Problem of PPE

A graphic of a woman working at a construction site.

Women in construction have a difficult relationship with personal protective equipment (PPE). On the one hand, PPE is critical for protecting them against chemical, physical, mechanical and other workplace hazards. On the other hand, PPE that doesn’t properly fit women’s bodies can be so uncomfortable or ineffective as to increase the risk of injury or death.

This article will examine the difficulties women have with PPE in construction, as well as ways in which to make positive changes for women in the industry.

PPE and the Hierarchy of Controls

In the hierarchy of controls for eliminating or reducing workplace hazards, PPE is the least effective control. It is the last line of defense in environments in which elimination or other controls aren’t feasible or don’t provide sufficient protection. Table 1 shows the standard hierarchy of controls.

A table of the hierarchy of controls

PPE is a critical component of construction safety. Construction sites are dynamic environments with … Read more...

Manufacturing Safety in the Post-Pandemic World

Graphic of a frontline worker at a manufacturing plant

The COVID-19 pandemic profoundly impacted the manufacturing industry worldwide. With lockdowns changing the way we work and disrupting purchasing habits, many manufacturers shifted their attention to making personal protective equipment (PPE) for frontline workers. This pivot was a critical step in ensuring the resilience of the manufacturing industry. Despite the potential for the pandemic to devastate manufacturing, the U.S. economic recovery was much quicker than expected. According to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities, while the pandemic might have provoked the deepest economic recession since World War II, it was also the shortest, with contracted economic activity restricted only to March and April 2020. Since then, the recovery has been much stronger than many analysts anticipated.

However, while the economic data is trending in the right direction, injuries and fatalities are not. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 5,486 workplace fatalities in the … Read more...

Building a Safer Tomorrow: Challenges and Solutions in Construction Site Safety

Graphic of two construction workers reviewing construction safety software on a tablet

On the afternoon of August 24, 2020, a construction worker employed by an electrical contractor was preparing to install a new power line between two utility poles at a Tennessee construction site. The worker threw the guide twine, pulled the cable toward the next pole, but it arched higher than intended and contacted the distribution power lines. Flowing through those lines were 2,700 volts of electric current, which traveled down the guide twine to the worker, who was electrocuted.

Just a few weeks earlier a UK construction worker was crushed underneath concrete after a partial wall and roof collapsed during demolition work on a site. He was pronounced dead on the scene.

Sadly, this kind of day is often the rule rather than the exception in the construction industry, both in the U.S. and around the world, with workers routinely suffering fatal and life-altering injuries while working to build the … Read more...

Holiday Safety Tips for the Workplace

A frontline worker and a fork lift at a warehouse during the holiday season

The holiday season, marked by joyous celebrations, brings a unique set of challenges for workplace safety. As weather conditions change and people socialize in smaller spaces, it’s essential to navigate potential hazards and prioritize the well-being of employees. From difficult road conditions to the impact of fatigue and distractions, employers and frontline workers alike must be proactive in maintaining their safety systems.

In this Q&A guide with Intelex VP of Health and Safety Scott Gaddis, we delve into specific safety considerations and insights during the holiday season. Reflecting back on years of experience, Gaddis notes that there was always a spike in injuries and illnesses going into the holidays as workers were eager to take time off and enjoy the festivities, leading to costly distractions.

Let’s explore key questions surrounding workplace safety and discover proactive measures to ensure a safe and joyful holiday season for all.

Julia Guerra Slater: Are

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7 Organizations Focused on Improving Safety Culture 

tools to improve safey culture

Table of Contents

Over the past year, we’ve had the chance to listen to some of our customers, celebrate their successes and learn about their thoughts on the future of health and safety in the workplace. This article is a roundup of what we’ve learned from working on customer case studies throughout 2023. We’ll look at their achievements in reducing workplace accidents and how EHS management system software from Intelex has helped them work towards their safety goals.

Customer Needs and Safety Achievements in 2023

Reducing manual workflows and using data to get deeper insight into the organization top the list of most significant customer needs in 2023. Many organizations used manual processes and spreadsheets for incident reporting and had poor communication between frontline workers and … Read more...

How to Use AI for Workplace Safety with Intelex and Protex AI

Artificial intelligence (AI) is changing how we manage workplace health and safety. As safety management becomes increasingly complex, AI can reduce the burden of collecting, logging and analyzing safety data. It can be beneficial for managing data associated with leading indicators, which can help prevent incidents before they happen.

Computer vision with AI, deep learning and CCTV analyzes the PPE of two frontline workers

The partnership between Intelex and Protex AI marks a new stage in the evolution of workplace safety. Protex AI uses computer vision (CV) with AI, deep learning and closed-circuit television (CCTV) cameras to identify a range of safety hazards and events. It automatically categorizes events by hazard type, severity and more and then logs them in Intelex with all the key details. This allows safety leaders to capture events they would otherwise miss and streamlines the tedious task of incident and hazard reporting. Users can customize the event categories to determine which events they want Protex AI to send to the … Read more...

How to Identify and Prevent the Top 10 Causes of Workplace Injuries

In 2022, the US Bureau of Labor recorded a staggering 2,804,200 non-fatal injuries. These statistics are alarming. Workplace safety is not just a regulatory obligation; it is also a necessity for the well-being of frontline workers and the financial health of businesses. Consider this. The total cost of work injuries in 2021 reached $167 billion dollars, impacting not just individuals but the broader economy. 

Graphic of frontline workers in a warehouse driving a forklift, lifting boxes and standing on a ladder.

While there have been significant advancements in health and safety, we continue to see the same injuries year after year. In fact, according to OSHA, fall protection was cited as the top violation for the 13th consecutive year, signaling an enduring need for targeted intervention. 

The administration compiles and publishes an annual list of the Top 10 Violations to alert businesses to commonly cited standards that lead to worker injuries. Understanding them empowers organizations to address common hazards and mitigate risks preemptively.

As a safety … Read more...

CSRD and SEC Reporting Requirements: What’s New for 2024 and Beyond

Graphic of two bike riders going by windmills and solar panels

ESG reporting requirements are becoming a critical component of corporate strategy for organizations around the world, particularly in the United States and the European Union. With the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) about to come into force in the EU and new rules from the Securities and Exchange Commission arriving soon, ESG reporting has quickly moved from a voluntary activity designed to enhance the brand to a vital requirement for compliance. 

This article will look at the background of the ESG reporting requirements from CSRD and the SEC, the obligations different organizations will have to each and how the world of ESG risk is rapidly changing.

CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive)

SEC (Securities and Exchange Commission) Climate-Related Disclosure Rules

CSRD (Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive)

What is the CSRD?

The Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD) is a European Union directive that sets out rules for organizations to report ESG and sustainability … Read more...

Enhanced Compliance: OSHA’s 2024 Updates to 300 and 301 Forms for Accurate Safety Reporting

Two EHS professionals considering health and safety data

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has amended the regulation 29 CFR part 1904 for occupational injury and illness record keeping. Under the amended regulation, organizations in certain industries with more than 100 employees must now electronically submit Form 300-Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses and Form 301-Injury and Illness Incident Reporting once a year. This rule becomes effective on January 1, 2024. 

Organizations will also be required to submit the company name when submitting Form 300 and Form 301 data. OSHA intends to publish some of the data on its public website, as it believes the information will promote informed decision making for employers, workers and customers relating to the organization’s safety record. OSHA believes this approach will provide incentive for organizations to increase their efforts to reduce injuries and illnesses. It is important to note that OSHA will not post information that could reasonably identify individuals … Read more...