Newsletter 13th Edition

Good morning! This week, we have added a new section to our newsletter. Every week, we will provide professional development tips to help you achieve your goals and overcome challenges as an EHS professional. This weeks tip is about effectively communicating your goals and getting others to support them. We will also discuss burnout and how to prevent and manage it and, as always we are covering the latest EHS news. Let's get started!

THIS WEEK’S TIPS

Tips you’ll find in this weeks edition:

• Professional Development: How to get buy-in from leadership and co-workers.

• Mental Health: Burnout Prevention for you and your co-workers.

• Winter Weather Health Tips.

PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Achieve your 2024 Goals with less RESISTANCE.

As we continue our way through 2024 with our eyes on tackling our professional goals for the year, we may be wondering, “where should I start?” or “How do I achieve this?” and even, “Why is this brilliant goal, that will benefit everyone being ignored?”. Successful leaders, like you, who want to drive strategic initiatives across their organizations must overcome a massive hurdle, the corporate and personal political landscape. Basically, “why should I buy in to what you are saying?". This may be getting co-workers to buy in to the safety systems in place (could be as simple as getting them to wear their PPE), or executive leaders to see your goals and initiatives as new priorities for the company. Regardless of your goals, here is a process you might consider using to achieve them.

Corporate Prospective

1. Adopting an enterprise perspective: Encourages leaders to think beyond their specific domain and consider the broader organization's goals and stakeholders. It emphasizes the importance of aligning personal objectives with collective success.

2. Leveraging a strategic mindset: Advises leaders to view their objectives as part of a strategic game, requiring planning, patience, and an understanding of risks and rewards. It prompts them to assess the uniqueness of their goals and potential cognitive biases.

3. Cultivating stakeholder awareness: Highlights the significance of understanding and categorizing stakeholders based on their support, indifference, skepticism, or opposition. Leaders are encouraged to tailor their approach to each stakeholder's needs, concerns, and motivations.

4. Considering personal motives and risks: Encourages leaders to define what success means to them, identify compromises they are willing to make, and assess the personal consequences of failure. It prompts them to connect their motives to character strengths, values, and potential limiting beliefs.

Team Prospective

1. Fostering a Team Perspective: Consider the broader team goals and dynamics when proposing ideas and showcase how your suggestions align with team objectives and contribute to shared success. Focus on highlight the collective benefits for team members, reinforcing a sense of unity.

2. Leveraging a Collaborative Mindset: Approach team initiatives strategically, recognizing that collaboration involves diverse perspectives and contributions, while anticipating potential challenges and proactively address concerns to maintain a positive team dynamic. Emphasize the shared goals of the team and how collective efforts contribute to overall success.

3. Cultivating Awareness of Team Dynamics: Understand your coworkers' roles, strengths, and areas of expertise within the team. Next, tailor your communication to resonate with different team members based on their roles and contributions. Acknowledge and address any concerns or reservations from team members, fostering an environment of open communication.

4. Considering Personal Motives and Risks for Team Members: Articulate how your ideas benefit not only the team but also individual team members. Connect your proposals to shared values and collective goals, emphasizing the positive impact on everyone. Acknowledge and address any potential challenges or risks, showing a commitment to the team's well-being.

PRESENTED BY EHS Momentum
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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!

OSHA NEWS
OSHA hits the tables in Vegas.

The U.S. Department of Labor has initiated a comprehensive, multi-year program aimed at reducing worker fatalities and injuries in the tree and landscape services industries across New Jersey, New York, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands. With 222 reported fatalities in these sectors nationwide in 2022, the program targets various causes such as falls from trees, electrocution, and exposure to heat and chemicals. The initiative, scheduled to run until fall 2028, includes extensive outreach to raise awareness of associated hazards and targeted safety inspections in tree trimming, landscaping, and site preparation activities to assess and enhance employer compliance.

Workers in these industries are exposed to dangers related to heavy equipment usage, working at elevated heights, tree climbing and removal, and operating powered equipment. These activities align with OSHA's strategic emphasis areas, covering risks such as falls, amputations, noise, electrical, and struck-by injuries. OSHA encourages small employers to utilize the On-Site Consultation Program, offering no-cost assistance for safety strategies and federal safety and health standards compliance.

Vegas Roundtable

Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su participated in a roundtable discussion with Arriba Las Vegas Workers Center, focusing on protections for immigrant workers and enforcement strategies. The event marked the one-year anniversary of the Department of Labor securing a consent judgment against Unforgettable Coatings, a Las Vegas contractor accused of worker intimidation, resulting in a $3.6 million payout to 593 employees across four states. Arriba Las Vegas Workers Center, instrumental in the investigation, is a recipient of the 2023 Susan Harwood Training Grant from OSHA, supporting education on workplace hazards and rights. Secretary Su praised the organization's efforts and emphasized the department's commitment to enforcing labor laws to combat wage theft and empower workers.

More OSHA News

• Feds raise the penalties for OSHA infractions.

• OSHA: A Look Forward into the 2024 Regulatory Agenda.

NIOSH News

• NIOSH Provides Information to Reduce Workers’ Lead Exposure When Replacing Lead Pipes.

• NIOSH Bringing ‘Strategic Foresight’ to OSH Community.

• Firefighter Cancer Awareness.

MENTAL HEALTH
Feel the burn.

Work-related burnout, a consequence of chronic workplace stress, is a growing concern, exacerbated by factors like long working hours, the blurring of home and work life, and the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Quentin Durand-Moreau, an expert in occupational medicine, emphasizes that burnout is not a normal requirement for any job, and it often overlaps with depression. Excessive work hours, lack of support, and employees feeling unheard contribute to burnout, with the World Health Organization indicating a higher risk of health issues with workweeks exceeding 55 hours. Burnout has serious mental health effects and can lead to family problems, divorce, and even suicidal thoughts, highlighting the need for preventive measures in organizations. Durand-Moreau asserts that the responsibility for preventing burnout lies with organizations, not workers, emphasizing the unethical nature of placing the burden on employees.

So what should we be focused on? A survey of 5,055 employees has provided some insights. The employees reported nine policies that are linked to improved well-being at work.

• Assess alignment between skillset and job tasks

• Establish clear roles and responsibilities

• Regularly assess workloads

• Design job roles with employee input

• Establish a training path to develop employee skills

• Assess if employees feel supported to lead a healthy life

• Promote overall employee well-being

• Discourage work-related technology use after hours

• Promote employee support (resource) groups

Burnout Resources for YOU

• How to STOP Burnout in 3 Steps - Tips from A Psychologist.

• Join our Safety Knights community of like minded EHS professionals, built just for you.

• Handling job burnout, tips from the Mayo Clinic.

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SAFETY KNIGHTS COMMUNITY
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NEWS
Your Virtual Water Cooler

• Protecting Healthcare Workers Against Violence [Podcast].

• Five New Year’s health and safety resolutions.

• Achieving World-Class Safety: The Executive Leader’s Role.

• Amazon's winter weather preparedness.

• Australia bans engineered stone to prevent silicosis.

• Increasing risk management success in your business.

• Valley employers join Recovery Friendly Workplace Initiative.

• Winter health tips — How skin care and food safety help to prevent infection.

• NIU receives $158,531 from U.S. Department of Labor grant for Workplace Mental Health and Suicide Prevention Training.

• Safety in Design: The First Step in Controlling Workplace Risks.

• A Tragic Workplace Incident at NIH.

• Eliminate the risks of falling from heights.

• How Automation and Robotics Contributes to Warehouse Workplace Safety.

• Building a Safer Tomorrow: Addressing Hazards in Modern Construction.

• Crafting Effective Wellness Plans for Employees using AI.

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