Distraction is a deadly mindset that isn’t paid enough attention. Hearing the word distraction often elicits images of people using their cell phones while driving (or walking or eating dinner—and the list goes on) when they should be paying attention to what they’re doing. But distraction is not limited to using your cellphone behind the…
Search
Search results for driving
News post,
4 Great Topics for Toolbox Talks in August
A toolbox talk is an easy way to conduct safety training. They can be delivered in less than 15 minutes, and a lot of ground can be covered by delivering several toolbox talks on different topics every month. As noted in our previous post on Hot Topics for Toolbox Talks in July, many people struggle…
News post,
3 Mixed Safety Messages You Might Be Sending
Poor company culture and lack of employee engagement are common complaints among businesses in every industry. And with good reason as studies suggest that approximately 70 percent of people aren’t invested in their jobs. With the recent pandemic shifting the focus of many businesses away from issues like improving company culture, the unresolved feelings that…
News post,
Fire Pit Safety Tips Everyone Should Know
When you picture your family’s summer plans, do they include sitting around the fire, telling stories, helping the kids roast marshmallows or making s’mores? These are all things that make great summer memories. But fire-related injuries are not the types of memories you want to have when you reflect on summer vacation. Whether you have…
News post,
Is Your Safety Calendar Meeting Its Potential?
Safety is more than just a single plan that is rolled out to achieve a simple result. A company’s primary end goal with safety is to keep its employees safe. But there’s a lot that goes into achieving that goal. Ask any company that’s had success in safety how they got there and they’ll tell…
News post,
Which Change Management Model Is the Best for Your Organization?
There are quite a few change management models out there. The most popular ones differ, sometimes quite significantly, and their success depends on many factors. For example, how does the organizational structure affect change? Is the company very clearly departmentalized with teams working in very separate silos? What motivates people and what discourages them? Are…
News post,
3 Overlooked Safety Skills Vital to Supervisor Success
Supervisors can have a dramatic impact on a workplace’s overall level of productivity—and on workplace safety too. But the degree to which shift supervisors and frontline managers influence safety depends on whether they possess some key skills and knowledge. There are three vital areas that supervisors need to master in order to positively affect safety…
News post,
A Comprehensive Guide to Overcoming the Effects of Fatigue in the Workplace
Fatigue isn’t just feeling tired or sleepy. The term also encompasses a lack of energy, and mental and physical exhaustion. And while fatigue feels like a common condition, it shouldn’t be treated as an unavoidable fact of life. Tiredness dramatically increases the number of everyday errors and safety incidents that occur in workplaces due to…
News post,
How to Replace a Bad Habit With a Good One
Habits can have an enormous impact in the workplace—and we’re not just talking about nail-biting, junk food and cigarettes. Habits affect all aspects of a person’s behavior and they can influence how that person responds to the rules and regulations of a company, how they interact with their fellow employees and ultimately determine their performance…
News post,
Sitting on Your Wallet is a Pain in the Back
Carrying a wallet in a back pocket is a habit for many—and it’s one that can cause a great deal of back pain. The pain that people feel doesn’t come from having to shift in order to get their wallet out of their pockets—although that can be the cause of some annoyance. Rather, it comes…
News post,
3 Safety Conversations You Need to Have With Your Teen
This is a guest post by Timothy Backes. Talking with your teen about certain topics can be difficult. However, there are some things that are absolutely vital to communicate with them as soon as possible. You may think that your teen already knows much of what you are planning to tell him or her, but…
News post,
Essential Considerations for Safety on Summer Vacation
No employer wants their workers to get injured while on vacation. But how many people actually think about the hazards involved in taking a summer holiday? Everyone already knows about the risks of drowning, skin cancer and Lyme disease, but they still happen every year. Unfortunately, most employers just accept that the risks exist. Because…
News post,
Are Employers Responsible for Non-Work Related Injuries?
The first question you’re asked when you’ve been injured and you’re seeking professional medical treatment is, “Did this happen at work?” And there’s a good reason for that. Workplace injuries are a big deal. Sometimes, workers fail to report their injuries because they fear there will be repercussions or they don’t want to miss work—and…
News post,
How to Measure Safety Indicators
Health and safety is a high-stakes issue, so it’s worth it for safety professionals and the industry at large to regularly reexamine best practices, trying to find even small improvements that could save a limb or even a life. Trying new approaches is the way the industry will evolve, and leading indicators are one aspect…
News post,
9 Proven Tips to Drive out Distraction
This is a guest post by Theodora Evans. Distractions cause a large number of fatal accidents around the world every year. Many people admit they drive while drowsy or get distracted by mobile gadgets. There’s an urgent need to return to safe driving habits and encourage your friends, family members and coworkers to do the…
News post,
Save Time with These Tips for Daylight Saving Time
Safety professionals know well that daylight saving time makes workplaces and roads more hazardous, contributing to a number of serious and fatal incidents each year, including: a significant increase in heart attacks on Mondays following daylight saving time, and an increase in fatal car crashes. Due to fatigue caused by an hour of lost sleep,…
News post,
These 7 Videos Prove That Safety Can Be Funny
Public service announcements have been around long enough that they’ve become somewhat of an art form. They can be inspiring and moving. Sometimes they can make you cry and at other times they can make you angry. Some can seem preachy or patronizing, but the really good ones can make you laugh and teach you…
News post,
5 Safety Tips for Drivers
This is a guest blog post by Kayla Mathews. Employees who commute to and from their workplace quickly grow accustomed to their routine and familiar with their route. This relaxed attitude toward the road can sometimes cause crashes and other incidents. With vigilance and caution, however, these incidents are easy to avoid. In this blog…
News post,
SafeStart 2018 Year in Review, Blog Style
Whether you’re new to our blog, or you’ve been keeping pace with our posts, we’ve compiled our most well-read blog posts of 2018 all right here. Check out our year in review, with the most popular posts (according to our readers) sorted by month. January The Proper Use and Care of Safety Gloves Is Vital…
News post,
The Urgent Need for More Rest Stops in the Transportation Industry
Almost everything we buy is shipped to stores via trucks. Trucking and transportation is a demanding—and essential—job, often performed in unsafe conditions and regularly resulting in a number of health conditions for drivers. Despite the economy’s reliance on truck drivers, some transport routes lack the appropriate number of rest areas, resulting in truckers driving for…
News post,
How to Choose the Right Type of Leadership to Improve Engagement
The subject of workplace engagement is becoming increasingly popular, popping up in business magazines, cultural reviews and at safety conferences. Engaged employees have consistently shown to be more productive, healthier, less likely to leave and, most importantly from a health and safety perspective, safer. Work performance and safety speak to different values, so engagement at…
News post,
Expert Kevin Kruse Spills All the Secrets About Employee Engagement
Kevin Kruse is the New York Times best-selling author of Employee Engagement 2.0 and We: How to Increase Performance and Profits Through Full Engagement. His interview with SafeStart was conducted over the phone on April 6, 2018. It has been slightly edited for length. Interviews with other experts on this subject are also available on…
News post,
Dr. Paul Marciano Reveals Successful Engagement Needs One Thing
Dr. Paul Marciano is a leading authority on engagement. He holds a doctorate in clinical psychology from Yale. He’s the author of Carrots and Sticks Don’t Work: Build a Culture of Engagement with the Principles of RESPECT.™ His interview with SafeStart was conducted over the phone on April 11, 2018. It has been slightly edited…
News post,
Scott Mautz Brings to Light How to Make Employee Engagement Matter
Scott Mautz is an expert on employee engagement, motivation, inspiration, workplace fulfillment and others-oriented leadership. He’s also the author of Make It Matter: How Managers Can Motivate by Creating Meaning and a follow-up book Find the Fire: Ignite Your Inspiration and Make Work Exciting Again. His interview with SafeStart was conducted over the phone on…
News post,
Trucker Stereotypes That Are Increasing Crash Risk
Truck drivers are much more likely than workers in other industries to be unhealthy and fatigued. There are an estimated 250,000 crashes involving truck drivers each year and a number of trucking incidents are caused or exacerbated by the health of truck operators. Identifying and addressing health factors that potentially increase the risk of trucking…
News post,
How One Man’s Trench Collapse Survival Can Improve Your Safety
The importance of reducing trenching and excavation hazards has become more urgent in recent years due to an increase in excavation-related fatalities. In 2016, for example, there were nearly double the average number of trenching and excavation fatalities when compared to the previous five years. Lack of adherence to safety regulations, complacency on part of…
News post,
Trucker Fatigue: A Tired Safety Professionals Can Fix
Trucker fatigue is a problem that lawmakers have tried to fix with regulations. But regulations alone aren’t enough. The issue requires a more complex solution than a few new rules—and it’s a safety challenge that extends beyond our roadways. In his regular column for Safety Decisions, Ray Prest addresses the scope of the problem: “Fatigue…
News post,
Rise in Car Crashes Uncovers a Startling Trend
In theory, driving has never been safer. Improved car design means that cars have more safety features than ever before, and new drivers have to be educated before they ever take a car out solo. And yet, paradoxically, driving in North America is more dangerous than it’s been for quite a few years. Recent…
News post,
3 Easy Ways to Maintain Ergonomics in the Driver’s Seat
People often mistake the meaning of ergonomics. According to Webster’s New World College Dictionary, ergonomics is “the study of the problems of people in adjusting to their environment; esp., the science that seeks to adapt work or working conditions to suit the worker.” If you work in an office, a number of factors have probably…
News post,
The 10 Most Useful Resources for Driver Safety
There’s plenty of resources for safety managers to educate themselves and their employees on safe driving practice. We’ve gathered ten resources on four different topics related to driving safety. From winter driving to avoiding distraction, the links in this post can help make your employees safer every time they sit down in the driver’s seat.…