1,380 articles · Page 19 of 46
More of the latest guidance from HSE Blog. Back to articles
Every year on October 10, people around the globe come together to observe Mental Health Awareness Day (also known as World Mental Health Day). This international day is dedicated to raising awareness about mental health issues, educating the public, and…
Col. Marc Welde of the U.S. Army practices using a portable fire extinguisher during a safety training event. Fire extinguishers are a common sight – those red cylinders quietly hanging on walls or tucked into corners – yet we often…
Our ability to hear is one of our most vital — yet most vulnerable — senses on the job site. Every day, millions of workers are exposed to noise levels that could quietly and permanently damage their hearing. Unlike a…
Chemicals are an integral part of nearly every workplace – from specialized industrial reagents to everyday cleaning products. With this ubiquity comes risk: according to OSHA, over 50,000 work-related illnesses are reported each year due to chemical exposures (the majority…
Radiation: the word alone can spark both awe and unease. It powers our medical imaging, fuels parts of our electricity grid, and even comes to us from the stars above — yet it’s invisible, silent, and often misunderstood. Because of…
Fatigue is one of the most underestimated hazards in the modern workplace. It creeps in quietly, dulling reaction times, clouding judgment, and eroding focus — often without obvious warning signs until it’s too late. In high-risk environments, this invisible drain…
Falls remain one of the leading causes of workplace fatalities worldwide. According to , falls consistently rank as the top killer in the construction sector, and they also cause severe injuries across general industry settings. To counter this persistent hazard,…
Toolbox talks are short, informal safety meetings held on the job site to address specific hazards and safe work practices. They are typically led by a supervisor before a shift or task, and are meant to supplement formal training by…
Home should be a safe haven, but hidden dangers like fire and carbon monoxide can threaten that safety. The good news is that affordable devices – smoke detectors and carbon monoxide (CO) detectors – can alert you to trouble early,…
Two common portable fire extinguishers – a smaller BC type (left) and a larger ABC type – each labeled for the classes of fires they can combat. Fire extinguishers serve as the first line of defense against small fires, stopping…
Schools must be ready for crises of all kinds – fires, storms, violent intrusions, medical emergencies or pandemics – because the safety of children and staff depends on it. Recent disasters have shown how vulnerable schools are: for example, unprecedented…
Falls are one of the leading causes of serious injury or death in many industries. In construction alone, about one worker dies from a fall every day. To combat this, safety experts use a tiered “hierarchy of fall protection,” which…
Personal Alert Safety Systems (PASS) are critical wearable devices designed to protect first responders and workers operating in hazardous, immediately dangerous to life or health (IDLH) environments. These compact units, typically attached to a self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA) harness or…
Falls are a leading cause of workplace injuries and fatalities, especially in construction and roofing. Fall protection broadly refers to any measures (from guardrails to harnesses) that prevent or mitigate falls. These include passive systems like fixed guardrails and nets…
Earthquakes strike suddenly and unpredictably – they can happen anywhere on Earth “and there is no way to predict them”. While we can’t control the ground beneath our feet, we can take action to protect ourselves, our families, and our…
Fire is a formidable foe. According to the NFPA, smoke and toxic gases, not flames, are responsible for about 70% of building fire fatalities. In a home fire, US fire authorities warn that occupants may have less than 2 minutes…
Certain professions push beyond physical limits—they carve deep into the psyche. Firefighters plunge into raging blazes. Paramedics grapple with split-second life-or-death decisions. Search and rescue teams sift through wreckage and despair. These roles aren’t just demanding; they’re relentless mental gauntlets.…
Winter is filled with beauty and joy, from snow-covered landscapes to cozy nights by the fire. However, beneath its serene surface, winter can also be a time of hidden dangers, especially when it comes to injuries caused by the cold.…
An effective permit-to-work (PTW) system is vital for managing high-risk activities safely and compliantly. When implemented well, it not only protects workers but also safeguards an organisation’s assets and reputation by maintaining clear oversight and traceable records. However, traditional paper-based…
The DART Rate stands for Days Away, Restricted, or Transferred Rate, and is a workplace safety metric used to track more serious recordable incidents—those that result in time off work, restricted duty, or job transfer. This rate helps employers monitor…
The Severity Rate is a workplace safety metric used to measure the seriousness of injuries by calculating the number of lost workdays due to occupational incidents. Unlike frequency-based metrics that focus on how often incidents happen, severity rate focuses on…
The Near Miss Frequency Rate (NMFR) is a proactive safety metric used to measure how often near-miss incidents occur in the workplace. A near miss is an unplanned event that didn’t result in injury, illness, or damage—but had the potential…
The Fatality Rate is a critical workplace safety metric used to measure the frequency of fatal occupational incidents over a specific number of work hours. It provides a standardized way to track and compare the risk of death across industries,…
The Heat Stress Index, commonly measured using the Wet Bulb Globe Temperature (WBGT), is a comprehensive indicator of heat stress in the workplace or outdoor environments. It combines air temperature, humidity, wind speed, radiant heat, and sunlight to estimate how…
Air Changes per Hour (ACH) is a key ventilation metric that measures how many times the air within a defined space (like a room or building) is completely replaced with fresh air in one hour. It’s essential for indoor air…
A radiation dose measures the amount of ionizing radiation energy absorbed by the body or an object. It's a critical metric in fields like nuclear medicine, radiology, radiological protection, and health physics to ensure safety and minimize exposure risks. The…
The Risk Priority Number (RPN) is a key metric used in Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) to evaluate and prioritize potential risks in a process, product, or system. It helps identify which failure modes need immediate attention by quantifying…
The Lost Time Case Rate (LTCR) is a workplace safety metric used to calculate the number of work-related injury or illness cases that result in time away from work. It is expressed per 100 full-time employees and helps organizations assess…
The Lost Workday Rate (LWR) is a safety metric that quantifies the number of workdays lost due to occupational injuries and illnesses, standardized per 100 full-time employees. It provides insight into the severity of workplace incidents, helping organizations evaluate how…
Ergonomic risk refers to the potential for injuries or disorders caused by poor design of workstations, tools, or tasks that require repetitive motion, awkward posture, or excessive force. These risks can lead to Musculoskeletal Disorders (MSDs) such as carpal tunnel…
Every safety category is listed in the A–Z directory.