According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), nearly two-thirds of adults with a substance use disorder are employed. That means most companies are likely affected. Substances, whether they’re illegal drugs, alcohol or legally prescribed or over-the-counter medications, can disrupt the workplace by increasing safety hazards, lowering job performance, and potentially harming an organization’s reputation. 

Violations of OSHA's HazCom Standard requirements consistently rank among the top five, year after year.

A violation of the labeling requirement is considered a serious violation, and penalties can range from several thousand dollars to over $150,000 per violation, especially for willful or repeated violations.

Because grinders are commonly used machines in workplaces nationwide, many workers become complacent about their hazards. However, grinders are very dangerous when used improperly, leading to severe injuries.

Managing hazardous waste is a critical responsibility for businesses to ensure environmental safety and regulatory compliance. Organizations must adhere to strict guidelines set forth by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) and the Department of Transportation (DOT). Understanding these requirements is essential to avoid penalties, protect employees, and minimize environmental impact.

While it seems common sense to not block emergency equipment, it happens; even if clutter seems only temporary. Blocked emergency equipment is not only a frequent OSHA citation, it also can have deadly consequences.

2025 brings with it a new year of protecting workers. Our mission is to support you in achieving proactive industrial safety measures, ensuring a safer and more secure working environment.

Employers are obligated to provide a workplace free from recognized hazards, which includes, among other things, measuring and monitoring employee exposure to hazardous conditions. Often times initial and baseline monitoring is overlooked, which can lead to OSHA citations and penalties.

Electrical fires are the #1 cause of fire in the workplace. Any electrical citation from OSHA is considered a serious violation and usually results in fines that can range from $1,190 to $6,913 for a low gravity violation, and can reach up to $161,323 for a willful or repeated violation.

Held every October since 2004, National Cybersecurity Awareness Month is a collaborative effort among government agencies, businesses, educational institutions and non-profit organizations which aims to raise awareness about the importance of cybersecurity and the need to be safer and more secure online.  ACS is proud to support this important initiative, this year led by the Department of Homeland Security's Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA) and the National Cybersecurity Alliance (NCSA).

Earlier this month, OSHA launched its Severe Injury Report (SIR) Dashboard, an online tool that users to search its severe injury report database and view trends related to workplace injuries.  The dashboard is sortable and searchable by year, NAICS code, state, establishment name, event or exposure, source, nature, and body part. OSHA encourages workers and employers to use the SIR dashboard to learn how severe injuries happen in their industries and use the agency's available resources to help prevent workplace injuries.

Soaring temperatures this summer serve as a critical reminder of the dangers posed by extreme heat. It is important to be aware of occupational risk factors and how heat affects the human body in order to prevent heat-related illnesses.

OSHA has issued a final rule that updates the Hazard Communication Standard (HCS) to align primarily with the seventh revision of the United Nations' Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (GHS). The final rule was published on May 20, 2024 and takes effect on July 19, 2024.

Year after year Lockout/Tagout has remained one of the top 10 most cited violations by OSHA (6th in 2023), so the odds are good you might encounter one. Violations are generally for failing to have a machine specific Lockout/Tagout procedure, not training authorized or affected employees, and for failing to conduct periodic inspections of Lockout/Tagout procedures (aka annual audit).

Workers in many industries and occupations spend all or part of their workdays on the road. One study showed that compared with other drivers, those who drive as part of their work are much more likely to be distracted. Some of the reasons this occurs is because they are more likely to be in a hurry to reach their destination, think about work, be tired, or use a cell phone.

According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, workplace unintentional overdose deaths from nonmedical use of drugs or alcohol have increased 619% since 2011. Overdose deaths in 2022 totaled 525, equivalent to nearly 9.6% of all occupational injury deaths that year. Increases have been experienced among all employee demographics, industries, and occupations. The main driver of these deaths is opioids.

If your company is visited by OSHA, for any reason, there is a very strong chance that they will be requesting to look at your Written Safety Plans/Programs, as well as necessary documentation for their visit. The lack of up to date and site-specific Written Safety Plans/Programs and other documentation is a leading cause of OSHA citations.

For employers who are required to maintain work-related injury and illness records, it’s that time of year again. Many, but not all, employers must complete the OSHA injury and illness recordkeeping forms on an ongoing basis. But minor injuries that are treated only by first aid don't need to be recorded.

Winter and the holiday season bring greater risks of injury and illness. In an effort to help prevent these injuries and keep workers safe, we are sharing the University of Minnesota’s 12 Days of Safety.

Compressed air is widely used in industry to power pneumatic tools such as air hammers, nail guns, and pneumatic wrenches. The line pressure needed to operate such tools is typically between 85 and 125 pounds per square inch (psi).

Many times, an injury occurs, and companies are not prepared as to how to handle and track this injury, especially when it comes to whether it is recordable or not per OSHA. Not all injuries need to be recorded on the OSHA 300 Log.