Soft skills: A modern workplace must

Posted on September 6, 2017 by

Employees with strong soft skills are leading the charge into a new age of communication-driven business.

Effective communicators improve their teams and their organizations as a whole.

Effective communicators improve their teams and their organizations as a whole.

No job today can be performed optimally without soft skills, the abilities that go beyond raw information and involve emotional intelligence and communication aptitude. The increasing focus on these interpersonal competencies should be reflected in the way companies hire, onboard and train their employees. Operating a business on the basis of these kinds of intelligence may enable organizations to strengthen the bonds that hold their teams together.

Even with modern technology at employees’ fingertips and solutions that mean they can contact one another at will, infrastructure is no substitute for great communication. People who can relate to others and express themselves clearly are valued contributors to both internal projects and external messaging. One of the most exciting things about soft skills is that they are relevant in every conceivable department. The following are a few of the ways these abilities are proving useful. Continue reading →

Posted in Office Culture, Professional Development | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Creating a fall-free workplace

Posted on August 28, 2017 by

There are a host of different fall prevention training options, divided up by the type of workplace affected.

Fall prevention is varied and essential.

Fall prevention is varied and essential.

The danger of a slip, trip or fall is something that workplaces of all kinds must minimize – but the ways in which this occurs may differ heavily from one environment to the next. The risk factors that can lead workers into danger include everything from wet floors in break rooms to high catwalks on factory floors, and all must be safeguarded in line with OSHA regulations.

Falls proved to be the second-most-common form of fatal occupational injury in the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ most recent data release, for 2015. Coming in behind only transportation incidents, falling accounted for 800 deaths. Most of the number involved someone falling from a high place to a lower level but a significant amount, 152 fatalities, resulted from other kinds of slipping, tripping or falling. Falls caused more deaths than harmful substances, equipment or violence in the workplace, and more than six times as many fatalities as fires and explosions combined. Continue reading →

Posted in OSHA, Workplace Health and Safety | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Take a serious look at workplace fire safety

Posted on August 10, 2017 by

Fire safety is a well-known branch of workplace training. But are companies really ready to face an incident?

Workplaces should be prepared to deal with the risk of fire.

Workplaces should be prepared to deal with the risk of fire.

Fire – it’s about as well-known as a workplace risk can be. That said, it’s important not to take fire safety for granted. Preventing fires and creating a safe work environment demands involvement from many different levels of an organization. Workers need to know how to keep themselves safe in case of an incident, and leaders need to ensure they are aware of – and working to correct – any risks their facilities may pose.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics’ 2015 report on fatal injuries in the workplace, the most recent edition available, revealed 121 people died in fires and explosions. This is significantly lower than categories such as transportation accidents or falls, and encouragingly down 16 from 2014. However, the loss of those 121 employees should be taken seriously when company leaders ask themselves whether they’ve adequately protected their own workforce. Continue reading →

Posted in OSHA, Workplace Health and Safety | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Electrical hazards: Keeping employees safe

Posted on July 31, 2017 by

Electrical hazards, present in a host of industries, claim many lives each year – they’re worth guarding against.

Electricity risks are omnipresent in all kinds of workplaces.

Electricity risks are omnipresent in all kinds of workplaces.

Electrical hazards are one of the most universally relevant dangers to warn employees about because they are so ubiquitous. It’s hard to think of an industry without electrical equipment, and whether or not power generation is a company’s prime business, it pays for leaders to assess potential dangers. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) offers guidance on keeping the workforce safe from exposure to dangerous current, and it will likely take a mixture of good risk management, appropriate use of personal protective equipment (PPE) and relevant training to safeguard employees.

Continue reading →

Posted in Workplace Health and Safety | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Supervision excellence in manufacturing

Posted on July 17, 2017 by

Manufacturing excellence starts with the right people, especially at the management and supervisory levels.

What does supervision in manufacturing entail today?

What does supervision in manufacturing entail today?

When it comes to manufacturing, a company’s workforce is its source of strength. No matter how far automation technology progresses in the sector, businesses will be defined by the people who work for them. A great team can transform a facility into a more effective environment, while a negative group can hold an organization back.

The supervisors and managers who oversee a team bear an outsize responsibility for keeping the company culture strong and ensuring other employees are on board with best practices. The following are a few of the team supervision and management priorities that are especially relevant in today’s manufacturing sector, a space defined by efficiency and change. Continue reading →

Posted in Professional Development | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment