According to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), about 30 million workers in the U.S. are exposed to hazardous noise. One of the most common occupational diseases is noise-induced hearing loss. With this many workers at risk each day, it also means very high risks of workers’ comp claims, which can be very costly to companies. What can be done? How can you protect your workers against hearing loss?

Every minute of the day, Facebook users share 2,460,000 pieces of content. Twitter users tweet 277,000 times. YouTube users upload 72 hours of new video. Over 120 users sign up for LinkedIn. That’s a lot of action!

The benefits of social media use for businesses have become clear. It helps with building brand and awareness, managing reputation, crowdsourcing, customer service, gathering customer insights, recruiting, driving website traffic, and the list goes on. But with these benefits come risks. The first step to managing the risks is to recognize them.

At Gibson, we are proud of the company culture we have established, but in order for our culture to stay strong, we must pay attention to how to we handle the integration of new employees. This is the onboarding process.

The goal of onboarding is to have engaged employees who feel valued and become a part of the company culture. Not only does onboarding teach an employee about the company and their role, but it helps them feel like a part of the organization, which in turn makes them a more engaged, empowered and productive employee.

How do you accomplish this? How do you successfully integrate new employees into your company culture?

This post summarizes Matthew Moore and Thomas O’Neill’s presentation titled “To Arm or Not to Arm” from the August 6, 2014 Securing & Surviving The Active Shooter Epidemic Seminar. It is meant to convey his ideas and opinions without endorsement or criticism. Therefore, the ideas and opinions in this post are not necessarily those of Gibson.

As active shooter events become more prevalent—not just in schools but in workplaces too—we need to do something to make where we work safer. One idea schools and businesses are considering is arming their employees. It’s an option that elicits strong and passionate arguments both pro and con. But those arguments often fail to consider the risks associated with arming (or not arming) employees or the controls necessary to undertake arming employees properly.

Ultimately, there is no “right” answer; there is no “easy” answer. It’s a decision each organization must make on its own. But when an organization weighs the option to arm its employees, it must consider all the risks and controls to make sure arming is the right decision for its workplace.

This post summarizes Andy Barker’s presentation titled “Active Shooter Response” from the August 6, 2014 Securing & Surviving The Active Shooter Epidemic Seminar. It is meant to convey his ideas and opinions without endorsement or criticism.

Shootings can occur anytime, anywhere, and to anyone. When they do, they will likely be over in 5–15 minutes—before law enforcement can intervene. So people on-site are the first line of defense; they must be ready to protect themselves. Would you be ready to take action to survive?

Workplace injuries can quickly take their toll on the injured worker, other employees and the company. Not only are their increased medical expenses, but there are production losses and added stress to your existing workforce – the costs add up fast! Working with an occupational health facility can significantly help a company control their occupational injuries, illnesses and the related expenses.

“The effects of climate change are already occurring on all continents and across the oceans. The world, in many cases, is ill-prepared for risks from a changing climate.” – Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)

Too often we hear climate change and just cast it off as the next generation’s issue to handle. Time for a reality check. Climate change is here. And it’s already having an impact. It’s one of the top emerging risks for businesses. Pay attention and get prepared. The IPCC’s Climate Change 2014 Report is one of many detailed studies that confirms the reality of the changing the climate and the risks it presents.

Have you ever texted while driving? Or perhaps ate your breakfast on the way to work? Maybe you attempted to reroute your navigation system while at the wheel? Unfortunately these have become habits and most of us are guilty of distracted driving at some point. We know the risks of distracted driving, but why aren’t we changing our actions?

Think that only novice drivers are at risk of distracted driving accidents? It is time to dispel that notion. Distracted driving is not just a concern for teenage drivers. Yes, statistics from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA) show that 25% of teen drivers acknowledge that they text once or more each time they drive. But, they are not the only distracted drivers; drivers of all ages are involved in distracted driving situations. NHTSA surveys show that at any given daylight moment, there are 660,000 drivers using cell phones or electronic devices while driving.

Whether you are building a new structure or renovating an existing one, there are significant risks of loss during the process. In 2011, commercial property losses due to wind and thunderstorms exceeded $30 billion. Meanwhile, fires caused $13.3 billion in direct property damage that year. These are just a few of the risks that construction projects face each day.