{"id":883734,"date":"2025-01-21T08:00:13","date_gmt":"2025-01-21T13:00:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thecompliancecenter.com\/ca\/?p=883734"},"modified":"2025-09-05T05:15:22","modified_gmt":"2025-09-05T09:15:22","slug":"new-years-resolutions-for-safety-professionals","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thecompliancecenter.com\/ca\/help-center\/articles\/new-years-resolutions-for-safety-professionals\/","title":{"rendered":"New Year\u2019s Resolutions for Safety Professionals"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/h2>\n

6 New Year\u2019s Resolutions for Safety Professionals<\/h2>\n

Yes, we know, everyone is swamped with New Year\u2019s resolutions these days, about eating right, exercising, and saving money. But the start of a new year is a good time to look at your safety program at work. It\u2019s a chance to build on what worked last year, fix what didn\u2019t and maybe try out some new ideas to keep everyone healthy and injury-free. Here are six solid resolutions to make 2025 the safest year ever!<\/p>\n

1.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Goodbye 2024, but First, Tell Us What You Learned<\/h3>\n

So, like any good television New Year\u2019s program, let\u2019s start off with a look back at 2024. What was your best achievement in improving your corporate culture? What was the worst catastrophe? If your job produces measurable data, go over it looking for patterns. Are more accidents happening during the night shift? More \u201cslip, trip and falls\u201d occurring each year? A thorough review of the data can tell you where you need to focus your attention for the coming year.<\/p>\n

2.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Resolve to Stay Current with Regulations<\/h3>\n

First, figure out what regulations you need to be current with. If your job involves compliance, you\u2019ll need to work out what that really means. Are you in the transportation sector? Internal health and safety? Fire protection? Environmental? Product liability? All of these involve different regulations. Yes, it\u2019s nice to be cross-trained, but you need to focus on the regulations that are part of your job responsibilities.<\/p>\n

Take a look at the big picture. Yes, you\u2019ll probably need to start with federal regulations. But also look at state (or provincial) and municipal. Do you sell to other countries or markets such as the European Union (EU)? They\u2019ll need to be factored in as well. Don\u2019t forget, there may also be codes of practice or standards such as ISO that while they aren\u2019t \u201ctechnically\u201d regulations, your organization will be expected to comply with them.<\/p>\n

How can you ensure that you\u2019re current with all these requirements? Back before the internet this could be a difficult question. Fortunately, most national and state\/provincial regulations can be found online for free. Other regulations and standards such as the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations for air transport are not available online, but at least you can source and order them that way. Most of these come as downloadable purchases, so you can update quickly, if not inexpensively.<\/p>\n

Check each regulation you currently access. Many, like the IATA Dangerous Goods Regulations<\/em>, are dated and must be repurchased regularly. However, in North America, most regulations don\u2019t come with a fixed schedule for updates. Some years have a lot of changes, others far fewer. So, you\u2019ll have to do your research if you\u2019re working with, say, the \u201cHazardous Materials Regulations\u201d of Title 49, Code of Federal Regulations<\/em><\/a> for U.S. transport, or the Canadian \u201cTransportation of Dangerous Goods Regulations<\/a>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Fortunately, there are now a lot of online resources. Of course, the websites of the regulatory bodies are your first stop. But many of them will have services that provide push notifications that send new information to your inbox without you having to lift a finger. Google alerts can also send you daily sweeps of postings for topics like \u201cdangerous goods\u201d or \u201cOSHA.\u201d<\/p>\n

And, of course, don\u2019t forget us here at ICC. If you sign up for our free newsletter<\/a>, you\u2019ll find lots of useful information about regulatory change coming your way.<\/p>\n

3.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Update Your Documents<\/h3>\n

Once you\u2019re current with any changes over the past year, take a look at your paperwork. Has there been any change to hazardous materials documentation? (Hint \u2013 yes, there\u2019s a new rule for air documentation that started on January 1, 2025.) Make sure that any computer programs used for documentation have been amended as necessary.<\/p>\n

Review your Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). We bet you\u2019ll find lots of potentially outdated information lurking in them. Even something as critical as emergency contacts may have changed over the past year. Don\u2019t just trust what\u2019s in the paperwork. If it\u2019s a telephone number, try to call it. If it\u2019s a list of the chain of authority, make sure that each person is still in the same position.<\/p>\n

Safety Data Sheets (SDSs) are one area where there\u2019s a lot of outdated information can be found. Remember that both Canada and the United States have updated their hazard communication standard to the 7th<\/sup> edition of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals<\/em><\/a>. These changes affect both the basic template for SDSs and substance-specific information such as classification. Pay attention to sections where inconsistencies are often found, such as:<\/p>\n