Violence has unfortunately become an all too common problem in the workplace. As an employer it is important, and your duty, to do what you can to prevent and prepare for a violent workplace incident. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, more than 70% of U.S. workplaces do not have a formal program or policy to address workplace violence. An effective program requires the following elements: prevent, policies and procedures, and training.

National Work Zone Awareness Week (NWZAW) is upon us. This year’s theme is Work Zone Safety: Everybody’s Responsibility. With warmer weather comes roadwork season. As we hit the road, it is important we are aware and alert while driving in work zones. This protects workers and ourselves.

National Public Health Week (NPHW) is an opportunity to celebrate the power of prevention, advocate for healthy and fair policies, share strategies for successful partnerships, and champion the role of a strong public health system. Despite advancements in public health, Americans live shorter lives and suffer more health issues than people in other high-income countries. Below are the pillars of public health:

Group captives continue to be a viable alternative to traditional casualty insurance programs for construction firms across the country. Once reserved for firms with annual revenues more than $100 million, captives are now available to firms with annual revenues of $25 million – and in some circumstances less.

For the near term, today’s construction landscape appears to be stable. However, with the recession still in our rear-view mirror, a relatively slow recovery underway, an aging workforce, limited numbers of younger folks joining the trades, and many construction company owners nearing retirement age - the smell of transition is in the air.

Spring showers can include severe weather. This week is Severe Weather Preparedness Week. The focus is to better educate and prepare about the hazards of severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, and flash flooding. 

Lightning kills more people each year than tornadoes. It can strike as far as 10 miles away from any rainfall. If you can hear thunder, you are in danger from lightning. Below are tips for staying safe from lightening. When you see lightening:

National Poison Prevention Week is always the third week of March. It’s an opportunity to emphasize the dangers of poisoning for people of all ages and highlight prevention strategies.

March is Workplace Eye Wellness Month. Work-related eye injuries are common and preventable.

According to OSHA and Prevent Blindness:

• Over 2,000 people injure their eyes at work each day.
• 1 in 10 of these injuries require one or more missed workdays.
• 10-20% of work-related eye injuries will cause temporary or permanent vision loss.
• Eye injuries cost over $300 million per year in lost production time, medical expenses, and workers’ compensation.

Children are becoming an easy target of identity theft not only due to their blank credit files, but because the theft can go unnoticed for years and not be discovered until well into a child’s teens.

Risk is defined as the potential gain or loss of something valuable. Many risks are easily identified as physical, financial, or strategic loss. Others, like emerging risks, are difficult to identify or quantify. They typically have a high degree of uncertainty and there tends to be no common approach. Emerging risks often start as a trend, or slight shift, that will ultimately have impact years down the road.
New risks often take years to mature and are very complicated in the process. As little as five years ago, cyber risk was considered an emerging risk. Today, it is better known, but arguably still emerging due to the highly uncertain, unpredictable, and rapidly changing nature of the risk.