US Employers Fear Inconsistent Enforcement of OSHA Fall Protection Rule

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On 17 January, an update to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) fall protection rule went into effect. The update allows “temporary and infrequent” work, which would have previously required the use of fall protection equipment, to be done without fall protection. However, OSHA has not clarified the meaning of “temporary and infrequent,” nor has it published guidance on how the rule will be enforced. This has left employers across the United States in fear of inconsistent enforcement of the rule.

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Tesla Workplace Injury Rate Exceeded US Auto Industry Average by 31% in 2015

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According to a May 2017 report published by California nonprofit Worksafe, workers at Tesla’s Fremont, CA plant suffered 31% more injuries than workers at the average US automobile plant in 2015. The rate for more-serious injuries (those which result in required leave or changes in job duties) at the Fremont plant was even higher, at nearly double the average rate of the US auto industry.

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Dr. Alexander Li Lays Out Vision for Future of US Healthcare in Keynote Talk

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11 May 2017 - Dr. Alexander Li was the keynote speaker at EHSSENTIALS 2017 UCLA, a healthcare industry Environmental Health & Safety symposium. The talk began with Li explaining a key issue with the US healthcare industry today - the lack of access to healthcare among US residents (particularly among the poor, people of color, and illegal residents) despite the US healthcare industry’s ability to provide high-quality healthcare, and despite the vast, if not excessive, amount of money circulating through it.

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US Environmental Market Sector Remains Positive Despite Federal Budget Cuts

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Delegates at the annual Environmental Business International industry summit, 22-3-17 through 24-3-17 in San Diego, were upbeat about the state of the environmental market sector, despite proposed major budget cuts to the Environmental Protection Agency and to funding for climate change research. Among the mostly American attendees, a commonly echoed idea - with less federal oversight, states will begin to create and enforce their own environmental policy, leading to a boom in public-private partnerships.

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Live Blog: EHSSENTIALS 2017 UCLA - A Look at Crisis & Risk Communications

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Sandy Skees, Principal Consultant at BSI, spoke about risk communications at EHSSENTIALS 2017 UCLA. In her talk she touched upon the use of appealing to emotion (e.g., familiarity, empathy) when communicating time-sensitive crisis information, as this can help one commit the information to memory and react in a positive manner. She also stressed the importance of preparing communications in advance, be it text messages, emails, tweets, etc., so that one can quickly respond to questions that come in during an incident. Another important point of emphasis was the need for consistent feedback loops: making sure you receive feedback whenever you release a communication to ensure that the right message comes across.

Skees' overall guiding principles of crisis & risk communications:

o   Be first

o   Be right

o   Be credible

o   Express sympathy

o   Promote action

o   Show respect

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Convergence

convergence is an environmental, health, safety and social management consultancy that specializes in multi-country (international) projects and programs.  We are able to meet our clients’ needs on a global scale while recognizing the important regional differences that our clients face in conducting business. Our country health and safety legal compliance tools for offices, retail and service sectors, known as CORE, are the foremost resource of its kind.