The article on the front page of the Saturday, February 11th New York Times caught my eye. I have a love-hate relationship with technology. I love it when it works, and hate it when I can’t figure out what went wrong or what to do next. The article, written by Nicole Perlroth, was about digital thievery and went on to describe how easy it is to have your personal and corporate information hacked via your smart phones and portable laptops.

One of the areas we discussed during the driver safety webinar was distracted driving. We all have probably seen examples of distracted drivers: talking on the phone, texting, eating, grooming; children; pets; etc. The list goes on and on. Now the question we need to ask ourselves is, “Am I a distracted driver?” If so, you need to change your driving behaviors. According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), every day there are more than 15 people...

Providing equal opportunity to people with disabilities is the fundamental principle of the Americans with Disabilities Act. The 2010 ADA revisions include, for the first time, requirements for swimming pools, wading pools, and spas. The new requirements take effect on March 15, 2012 so be sure to read our Safety...

Ellen Widess was eloquent during the February 9 Advisory Committee Meeting on the Cal/OSHA Confined Space Emphasis Program when she described the 7 confined space fatalities in 2011 and the tragic and unnecessary loss of life. Zero confined space fatalities will be Cal/OSHA’s mission in 2012...

We hope you enjoyed today’s webinar on Driver Safety. One of the things we talked about was the 40 mph off-set crash conducted by the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety (IIHS). In this test, they used a 1959 Chevy Impala to crash into a 2009 Chevy Malibu to demonstrate which vehicle would be the safest to be in during a collision. Many of you felt the Impala would have fared better in this collision because it is significantly heavier and larger...

For more than 24 hours, Dante Autullo had a 3 1/2-inch nail embedded in his brain and didn’t know it. Autullo, 32, of Orland Park, Illinois, accidentally shot himself in the back of the head with a nail gun while working in his garage. He thought his injury was just a laceration and that the nail had whizzed past his ear. But he felt nauseous and a CAT scan revealed the nail’s presence. While the nail was able to be removed and Autullo is expected to make a full recovery, this incident could have been prevented. According to OSHA, nail gun injuries are responsible for approximately 37,000 emergency room visits each year...

That time of year is here again! We had very few questions about Cal/OSHA Recordkeeping this year, which I hope is a good sign that everyone was prepared.

If you posted your Cal/OSHA Form 300A yesterday, February 1st, congratulations! If not, then do your best to get it up as soon as possible.

Remember to create and post a Form 300A for each of your recordkeeping establishments and keep them up through April 30th in areas where employees...

It’s the New Year and most people have started their new years resolutions. But how many actually succeed at them? Most people believe that if they simply write down their goals for 2012 it will become a reality. I wish it were that simple, but it is not. Most people will have a difficult time trying to achieve their goals because making a wish list is not enough. So what goes wrong?

1. TOO MANY, TOO MUCH

Studies have shown that if you want to make one change in your life, you have an 85% chance of success. However if you try to change two thing at once, your chances of success drop to around 35%. Three things at once? Almost zero. Many people actually develop certain poor habits over 10, 20, 30, or even for 40 years. So trying to establish a new habit while breaking an old one can be challenging in itself. Now include a number of other goals and you will not achieve any of them.

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Coach Hofman's Healthy Recipe this week is Turkey Hash!

As President of ASSE, I am taking lots of flights in addition to those required by my paying job. Most of my flights are domestic, which means I fly economy. But on occasion, I get bumped up to first class. I used to dream of getting to travel in the first class section – now, not so much when it’s a domestic flight (within the geographic US). Yes, in first class they give you these great big seats. The seats in first class are wider, deeper and recline...

Let me give you some back ground on the following string of thoughts. Eleven years ago I was inspired by the speech given by the President of the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE). It was then that I decided that I would like to be in his shoes or rather in his place wearing my own shoes.

At the time, I was already involved in my ASSE chapter, the Orange County Chapter, and was serving as its President-Elect. I was inspired but didn’t...

Coach Hofman's healthy recipe this week is Chicken Masala!