Newsletter 11th Edition

Good morning! We hope you had a healthy, happy and safe holiday season. As we begin 2024, we wanted to make sure we helped you begin the year on the right foot! So if you’re ready, grab yourself your favorite morning beverage and let’s dive into 2024 together.

THIS WEEK’S TIPS

Tips you’ll find in this weeks edition:

• 7 EHS Trends for 2024

• 2024 Changes You Need to Know, Today

• What’s coming to Safety Knights this year

EHS TRENDS
7 Trends we are keeping an eye on in 2024.

With 2024 here, we decided to take a look into trends we expect to see this year. Here we will take a look into the top trends we expect to see over the next year.

1. Mental Wellbeing 

   Mental wellbeing in the workplace is something we have seen being talked about…a lot. From burnout to feeling psychologically safe at work. In fact, we’ve covered mental wellbeing in the workplace in almost every edition of our newsletter so far and it wasn’t necessarily on purpose. In our 4th edition of our newsletter, we had a section titled, Drugs, Mental Health and Suicide Help, that looked at the role burnout, long hours and job insecurity plays when it comes to drug use and suicidal thoughts among construction workers in Australia. Our 3rd edition covered the psychological safety requirements that are needed to promote safe working conditions in the section, “Top Gun’s” Maverick wants Inclusion and our last edition took a look at the mental health concerns for Santa in the section titled, HO HO HOOO, OH NO. We only bring up our previous newsletters to outline the fact that mental health and wellbeing is present everywhere we look, and we don’t see this trend slowing down anytime soon.

2. Tech Solutions

   The introduction of AI, the advancements of Augmented Reality and Virtual Reality and the new digital form submission requirements, means we expect to see EHS tech solutions to really ramp up this year. In fact, we expect to see an overwhelming number of tech solutions enter the market, all with the pursuit of making the workplace safer through advanced trainings, worker assistance and data collection. The challenge will be to understand which solutions meet your needs and truly solve your problems and which are just not for you. After all, the last thing anyone wants is to purchase some tech, spend time implementing it and training coworkers, only to discover it doesn’t meet your needs.
   

3. Workplace Violence Prevention 

   States like California and New York have already begun implementing requirements for employers around workplace violence, and for good reason. The numbers reported in 2023 showed a disturbing trend of workplace violence towards young female employees in the retail and service industry and those working in healthcare. The federal government seems to be eyeing a federal bill, but as usual the change is slow coming. Which has led to states like Michigan, joining New York and California in taking action. We don’t expect to see this trend slow down especially when you consider workplace violence doesn’t just mean physical violence anymore, it also means psychological violence. And with mental wellbeing also being a topic we expect to continue to gain momentum we believe workplace violence will follow.
   

4. EHS Compliance and Reporting

   We are already seeing a change, starting today (which we cover in the next section) in how certain industries are now required to submit forms. The interesting part is that we think it’s OSHA’s way of targeting some seriously bad actors, who seem to be more interested in paying fines than actually making working conditions better. We’re looking at you Amazon! On top of the way forms are now required to be filed for high hazard industries, there will be an increase in site visits from OSHA to certain facilities. If you made a Venn diagram it wouldn’t be hard to see that Amazon warehouses fall right where these two changes overlap. It’s our belief that access to info in digital form along with an increase in surprise inspections will make it even easier for regulatory agencies to spot troubling trends and find ways to put an end to them before they spiral out of control.
   

5. Sustainability

   We expect the focus on sustainability from an environmental and supply chain prospective to be a focus in 2024. We are already seeing it taking shape with PFAS and the increase in reporting required for PFA manufacturers and importers. On top of that we are seeing the EPA take a stronger stance on methane and other harmful air pollutants within the oil and gas industry as well as “strengthen restrictions on two persistent, bioaccumulative and toxic chemicals already regulated under the Toxic Substances Control Act of 1976”. Not to mention the EPA conducted more on-site inspections this year than any time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic and opened nearly 200 criminal investigations this year, a 70% increase over 2022.
   

6. EHS and Corporate Strategy

   In 2024, we think executive leaders, corporate strategy and EHS will start to see they go together like peanut butter and jelly. Preventing burnout, increasing productivity and efficiencies safely, while fostering sustainability. These are all the buzz words that get executives excited.
   

7. Work Place Heat Standards

   As we continue to experience rising temperatures across the globe, we expect to see an increase in the number of states and even municipalities creating their own workplace heat safety standards. We are already seeing California do this with their new indoor heat standards and Miami is looking to vote on a new outdoor heat standard for construction workers. With heat related deaths up 95% from 2010 to 2022 and only expected to rise, we expect to see some changes. The only question is who will be leading these changes for you, the feds, the state or your local government?

PRESENTED BY EHS Momentum
Drive accountability and leave spreadsheets behind with EHS Momentum!

EHS Momentum is on a mission to make life easier for EHS staff at any size company. Leveraging cutting-edge EHS management software and leading consulting services, EHS Momentum provides proven, real-world expertise. We know exactly what you are up against, and we can help. Imagine leaving manual processes behind and modernizing your program to drive employee engagement. With the MyMomentum™ safety management software, you will drive employee accountability and raise program visibility. And that's not all! Every MyMomentum subscription comes with expert program consulting, so you have a built-in advocate and sounding board to support your efforts. EHS Momentum was built by safety pros for safety pros, and has a proven track record of success. So get organized, get in compliance and do it right. All you need is some momentum!

2024 REGULATORY UPDATES
Are You Ready for 2024?

While it’s great to look at the trends that we see playing a role in 2024, it’s also important to take a look at the changes that are already here!

OSHA

Back in July, OSHA introduced a final rule amending its recordkeeping regulation. Entities with 100 or more employees in specified High Hazard industries like, agricultural, food production, manufacturing, retail, wholesale, transportation, medical and entertainment are now obliged to electronically submit:

• Form 300 (Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses)

• Form 301(Injury and Illness Incident Report)

Establishments that had a peak employment of 100 or more employees during the previous calendar year meet this size criteria for electronic submission of these forms.

One way to determine if you are required to report electronically is by using the ITA Coverage Application. If you meet the new reporting requirements, forms must be electronically submitted through OSHA's Injury Tracking Application (ITA) in one of three ways:

1. webform on the ITA

2. submission of a csv file to the ITA, or

3. use of an application programming interface (API) feed.

The ITA will begin accepting 2023 injury and illness data on January 2, 2024. The due date to complete this submission is March 2, 2024. The submission requirement is annual, and the deadline for timely submission of the previous year's injury and illness data will be on March 2 of each year.

More info on this new change can be found here.

EPA and PFAS

Here’s a reminder if you manufacture PFAs. Under the new reporting rule change, companies that manufacture, process, import, or use PFAS listed under 40 CFR 372.28 must comply with Toxics Release Inventory (“TRI”) reporting obligations and provide downstream businesses with notifications that products may contain PFAS. This rule change comes into effect, January 1st, 2024 with reporting to the EPA due by July 1, 2025.

We covered this in a previous newsletter edition which you can find here.

California Workplace Violence Prevention Plan

Effective January 1, 2024, California Senate Bill 553 amends Code of Civil Procedure section 527.8, allowing employers to seek a temporary restraining order on behalf of employees who have experienced unlawful violence or a credible threat at the workplace. By January 1, 2025, the law extends this right to collective bargaining representatives. SB 553 also amends the Labor Code, requiring most California employers to establish a written workplace violence prevention plan by July 1, 2024. Exceptions apply to certain employers, and the law mandates initial and annual employee training, record-keeping, and accessibility of the prevention plan to all employees. More info on this can be found here.

Anaheim is even jumping in on some changes as their, hotel worker protections law, goes into effect, January 1. The change mandates safety measures for hotels and motels. The law covers various accommodations, excluding certain types like rooming houses and short-term rentals. Hotels and motels require electronic security alarms for lone workers in guestrooms and restrooms, along with alarm monitoring and response. The law also mandates incident reporting, guest notifications, and three hours of paid time for workers reporting threats. Personal security devices are provided at no cost, and training on their use is mandatory. Employers must keep records of training and incidents, and extensions are available for compliance challenges.

Possible Changes we are keeping out eye on:

California’s New Indoor Heat Standards, which we covered in a previous newsletter.

Miami-Dade Board of County Commissioners municipal heat standard for outdoor workers.

SAFETY KNIGHTS UPDATE
What we’re working on for 2024!  

Over the past few months we have been focused on one thing. Creating value for EHS professionals, and 2024 will be no different. From creating a community where EHS professionals can connect to our discounts and

Here is what we are looking to bring to the community in 2024:

• Revamped website

• Additional discounts

• New features for EHS Consultants

• Upgraded version of our daily newsletter, Position Eliminated

• Safety Knight Product Seal of Approval

• Partnership opportunities to help EHS professionals

• Plus our Safety Knight’s Referral swag is in!

Keep your eyes open as we will keep you up to date when we have more details on these new upgrades coming in 2024!

DON’T FORGET YOU DISCOUNT
Don’t forget your discount SKsaves10

Compliance training online is the way to go because they've got the best content and customer service in the biz. With over 30K trusted clients, including government agencies and universities, their certificates are accepted on a federal level. Trust us, we've been in business since 2008.

NEWS
Your Virtual Water Cooler

• The EPA is increasingly enforcing policies, monitoring business.

• Uncontrolled chemical reactions fuel crises at LA County's two largest landfills.

• The Air Force said its nuclear missile capsules were safe. But toxic dangers lurked, documents show.

• Here’s How One Domestic Worker Emphasizes Workplace Safety, Even Without Official Rules.

• Safety advocates raise alarm on mining, forestry sector-related disease risks.

• The Silence Surrounding Mental Illness at Work, A Personal Perspective: How to start safely sharing.

• The Regulatory Rift Over When to Use N95s in Health Care.

• How to Prepare Your Organization for an External Safety Audit.

• Guidelines For Selecting Safety Helmets: Three Critical Aspects to Consider.

• Investigating Amish attitudes toward farm safety and the well-being of their children.

SHARE THE NEWS

Enjoying the newsletter? Share it and earn some free Safety Knight swag. The more referrals you have the more you earn!

All you need is one to start earning.