The Workplace Safety blog includes safety articles on a wide range of occupational health and safety topics. Search our safety articles by category or by keyword. Please contact Jon Wallace by email or phone (919.933.5548) with questions or comments.
A Yale senior was killed after a machine shop incident. Click here to learn more. Machine shops typically have numerous machine guarding issues - abrasive grinders; metal lathes; saws. It is essential this equipment is properly guarded and employees properly trained...
March 30, 2011: The Chemical Safety Board announced it will launch an investigation of the Hoaganeas Corporation facility located in Gallatin, TN after two serious flash fires have occurred since January 2011. The first incident resulted in one fatality and one...
A $7,000.00 OSHA fine against Wal-Mart was upheld on March 25, 2011 by Covette Rooney, the chief Administrative Law Judge of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission. Judge Rooney concluded that unruly crowds led to the trampling death of a Wal-Mart...
MSNBC recently published an article attributing the significant increase in worker productivity to the use of robots: (click here to read the article) Indeed robots are extremely effective at improving productivity and product quality. However, unsafe work practices,...
The New York City Fire Department is replacing new fire-retardant gloves after determining they do not properly protect firefighters from burns. Since November 2010, six firefighters have suffered second degree burns on the back of their hands after fighting house...
I was interviewed by ESPN - Outside the Lines following the Notre Dame scissor lift incident. Click here to view the video. Jon
Following the death of Declan Sullivan, a videographer at the University of Notre Dame, I was interviewed by the Chicago Tribune concerning the incident. Click here to read the interview. Unfortunately, this incident was entirely preventable: Forseeable: On October...
Imperial Sugar Co. agreed to pay $6 million in fines over safety violations following the February 2008 explosion in a Georgia plant that killed 14 people. Imperial Sugar says it added numerous safety features when it rebuilt the Georgia plant last year. The...
Several recent safety accidents will likely result in increased enforcement from federal safety agencies. Consider the following incidents that have occurred in 2010: Tesoro Refinery explosion: On April 2, 2010 a catastrophic failure of a heat exchanger resulted in 7...
After the recent fatality of a Sea World trainer, USA Today interviewed Jon Wallace. Click here to read the article: http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-04-14-animal-attacks-inside_N.htm Jon