This is one in a series of articles about occupational health and safety management systems, or OHSMS. It’s based on the ANSI/ASS Z10 standard, which we encourage you to buy.

In this article, we’re going to take an extended look at Section 4, which is all about planning an OHSMS. That includes reviews, both initial and ongoing; assessments and prioritization of tasks; objectives; implantation plans; and allocation of resources.

In the sections below, we’ll link you to all of the articles in this series, but for now, we’ll dive right into this one.

And don’t forget to download our helpful 10 Steps to Starting Safety Management infographic!

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We’re in the middle of a big generational change in the United States.

The Baby Boomers are retiring and leaving the workforce. And a new generation, the Millennials, are entering the workforce.

(Quick facts: Millennials were born between “the late 70s” and “early 2000s” and there are somewhere around 75 million of them in the US–more than the number of Baby Boomers. Read more about Millennials here).

It seems you can’t go anywhere without hearing or reading about Millennials, how they’re different than other generations, how they’ll change things, and how to best interact with and communicate with them. Honestly, I think some of this is exaggerated and are straight-up wrong. I’ve got two daughters who are Millennials, their friends are Millennials, and I seem to be able to communicate with them. They’re MILLENNIALS, not MARTIANS, right? And I’ve seen lots of others pushing back on this idea that millennials are some inexplicable, alien life form as well.

But on the other hand, it’s true they’ve lived different lives, have had different experiences, and have different expectations and desires than some of the rest of us do. At work, that will manifest itself in many ways, and one of those is the kind of safety training they’re going to expect, appreciate, and benefit from.

So without wading too deep into the murky philosophical waters of asking “What defines the Millennial generation?,” let’s take a look at a few simple things you can do to make your safety training better for this new generation.

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Safety training can come in many forms, media, or “delivery methods.” For example, there’s field-based training, classroom-style instructor-led training, written materials, video-based training, interactive eLearning courses, and more.

Learning experts recommend you use a mix or blend of many to get the best safety training at work. For example, that’s the recommendations from:

• ANSI Z490.1, the US national standard for Criteria for Accepted Practices in Safety, Health, and Environmental Training
• The classic book Evidence-Based Training Methods by Dr. Ruth Colvin Clark
• Dr. Will Thalheimer’s recent research study on the effectiveness of online courses and instructor-led training
• Our post on blended learning, including a free guide to blended learning

Within that blend learning solution for safety training, we recommend you make use of animations and even 3D animations in some instances. In this article, we demonstrate 10 amazing things you can do with animations to create more effective safety training. Check ’em out!

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It’s October already. And that means that here in the US, cold weather is on its way once again.  Brrr.

And that also means it’s a good idea and a good time to consider how well prepared you and your workforce are for the lower temperatures.

Dealing with the cold weather may seem like something we all know about. But the truth is that people suffer from hypothermia, frostbite, trench foot, and other cold-related problems every year. And it’s almost always avoidable.

So, we’ve pulled together some helpful resources for you about cold stress, frostbite, working in the cold, and generally keeping safe in the cold. They’re drawn from various sources, including OSHA, the Department of Labor, AAA, National Public Radio, the American Academy of Pediatrics, and more. Hopefully you’ll find one or more of these helpful.

Stay safe and stay warm, friend!

And hey, here’s a nice tune to listen to when the temps really begin to drop: Baby, it’s cold outside. I like that version, don’t you?

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This is the third and last article in a three-article series looking at OSHA compliance requirements for general industry employers.

In the first article, we looked at six compliance requirements that apply for most general industry employers.

In the second article, we looked at an additional nine compliance requirements that may also apply to those employers.

And in this third article, we’re going to kind of “mop up” and provide a series of five additional compliance considerations that all general industry employers should keep in mind.

The information in these articles is coming from OSHA’s handy online Compliance Assistance “Quick Start” Guide for General Industry. If you’re not familiar with it, we definitely encourage you to check it out.

And finally, you may want to download our free Guide to OSHA General Industry Compliance.

And with that, let’s continue and wrap up our series.

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