Why Measure Organizational Resiliency? Why PS-Prep Makes Sense By Jim Satterfield, Firestorm COO Considering the devastating straight-line winds and violent storms across the Midwest and East Coast over the past two weeks, the resulting loss of power for millions of businesses and homes, and the outage of numerous high-profile websites hosted on Amazon's Cloud, we've been thinking a lot about the Voluntary Private Sector Preparedness Program or PS-Prep™. In March of this year, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced that AT&T Inc. became the first private sector company to be certified to DHS-selected standards under the PS-Prep™ Program. PS-Prep™ is a partnership between DHS and the private sector - enabling private entities to receive emergency preparedness certification. "Private organizations across the country play a vital role in bolstering our disaster prep...

Lone Worker Safety   Workplace Violence Prevention  By Suzy Loughlin, Esq., CAO and Co-founder Firestorm Summary Article: Alberta to investigate death of Camrose caregiver Related: St. Helens, Oregon Mental health worker stabbed to death Lone workers have no choice but to be trained to both assess risk on their own, as well as be their own first responder. This type of training should be given to every employee—even for those who work with others, as you never know when circumstances will change, placing you in a lone position with another—whether a patient, customer, client, or co-worker. The facts leading up to this incident are not yet clear, and over time, I’m sure we will learn more. My comments are not specific to this event, but rather will be directed toward any scenario where one works alone with a patient/customer/client. Firestorm’s PREDICT. PLAN. PERFORM.® ...

Operational Safety   U.S. Department of Labor's OSHA cites Tenneco Automotive for exposing workers to hexavalent chromium and other hazards, proposes $90,000 in fines SUMMARY:  The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) cited Tenneco Automotive Operating Co. October 13 for 20 safety and health violations at its manufacturing plant in Hartwell, Georgia. Several violations involved hexavalent chromium exposure, which can lead to nose, throat, and lung damage.  Analysis by -Anyck Turgeon, Firestorm Expert Council member Are we killing future generations in exchange for meager fines? Are hard-working agencies such as OSHA and other international bodies sufficiently empowered to have the resources needed to inspect all manufacturing facilities on a regular basis and offer decent whistle blowing programs that truly protect the ...