Instructions are one of the basic items that users expect to get when they purchase a product, and yet these important documents are often poorly written, badly translated, and incomplete. Key…
Read MoreProblems with our websites
Apologies Just a quick note to all our readers to explain the outages we’ve been having. First, I want to apologise for the downtime and sporadic outages you’ve probably experienced. We tried…
Read MoreA Note about Our Travel Policy
We believe travel gives us a broad perspective both personally and professionally. Our focus is global. Our ethical position is clear; we believe in the health and safety of ALL people.…
Read MoreGet the Basics Right!
For more than 15 years I’ve been teaching people about risk assessment, machinery safety and CE Marking of machinery in private, onsite classes and through presentations at safety conferences. Things are…
Read MoreHow to become Instantly Incompetent

Many engineers and designers fall into a really simple trap, one that makes them instantly incompetent. These are not stupid people. They have the qualifications, so what is it that can catch someone out…
Read MoreHockey Teams and Risk Reduction or What Makes Roberto Luongo = PPE

Special Co-Author, Tom Doyle Last week we saw the Boston Bruins earn the Stanley Cup. I was rooting for the green, blue and white, and the ruin of my voice on…
Read MoreFukushima Dai Ichi – Live
In a recent post on his Forbes blog, Edison 2.0, Osha Gray Davidson connects readers to a live webcam installed by TEPCO at the Fukushima Dai Ichi nuclear plant. That webcam has…
Read MoreWorse than Worst?
The increase to the incident level at the Fukushima Dai Ichi nuclear plant today by the Japanese Nuclear Regulatory Authority has brought the continuing disaster at the crippled plant…
Read MoreWhy you should stop using the term ‘Deadman’
The Deadman Control Do you use the phrase ‘deadman’ or ‘deadman switch’ when talking about safety-related controls on your machinery? I often run into this when I’m working with clients who…
Read MoreUnderstanding the Hierarchy of Controls

(Eds. note: This article was originally written in 2011 and was updated in Nov. 2018.) The “Hierarchy of Controls” is one approach to risk reduction that has become entrenched in the…
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