EDITORIAL DIRECTOR: JIM MCCANNEY EDITOR-IN-CHIEF: FIONA HERNANDEZ OFFICE MANAGER: SHARON CONNELL Safety Alert for Supervisors (ISSN 1541-7379), August 17, 2026, Vol. 24, No. 557, is published 24 times per year by Institute of Business Publications, P.O. Box 1340, Havertown, PA 19083; PHONE : 484-472-8227; FAX : 484-472-8708. Phone: 866-572-1352 Web: iobp.com Subscription Rate (for 24 issues): Users Annual price Users Annual price 1-5 $265 flat 25-29 $44/user 6-9 $53/user 30-34 $43/user 10-14 $49/user 35-40 $42/user 15-19 $47/user 41+ Call 20-24 $45/user 866-572-1352 Survey shows workers avoid discipline because managers play favorites Heads up: When it comes to enforcing your employer’s safety rules, it’s never a good idea to play favorites. That’s your takeaway from a newly released survey showing that 38% of 503 blue-collar employees in the U.S. reported that they’d seen their coworkers violating safety rules without being disciplined. Workers who responded to the survey conducted by Tradesafe pointed to several factors that protect certain people from discipline for safety infractions, including favoritism by supervisors (39%), seniority (36%), high productivity (19%) and job title or role (19%). The survey also revealed why many staffers won’t report a near miss. Fully 25% of respondents had witnessed a near miss within the past year but didn’t report it. According to the data, 36% of employees said they didn’t report a near miss because they didn’t think anything would change. One in five (20%) said they feared retaliation from management for reporting a near miss, 17% weren’t sure whether the near miss was serious enough and 12% didn’t report a near miss due to peer pressure. No training for crew members assigned to clean up chemical spill Keep in mind the importance of not letting untrained staffers clean up hazardous chemical spills. Such advice comes too late for One Way Environmental Services, Houston, TX, which was just hit with a proposed fine of $3,045,452 by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration for allowing untrained staffers to clean up a chemical spill at the BWC Terminals facility in Houston. After an over-pressurized tank ruptured and released 1 million gallons of a caustic chemical, BWC Terminals contracted with One Way Environmental to remove the spilled substance, but the crew members sent by One Way to handle the work hadn’t been trained in safety procedures for chemical spills. Staffer trimming trees at the height of 60 feet killed by lightning bolt If any of your crew members think lightning isn’t a workplace hazard, let them know about the recent unfortunate death of Rodrigo Barrera Arreola at a job site in Whitewater, WI. The 31-year-old employee of The Davey Tree Expert Co. had been elevated to the height of 60 feet so he could trim a tree when a storm suddenly moved into the area. Without warning, there was a loud bang and a flash, and a bolt of lightning struck the tree near Arreola. Coworkers were able to lower Arreola to the ground, but his injuries were too severe and he was declared dead at the scene. safety news for supervisors 2 Safety Alert for Supervisors August 17, 2026 Staffers with deep, dark tans still need to apply sunscreen Your crew members might think they’re protected from the sun’s damaging ultraviolet (UV) rays because they have deep, dark tans – but they’re not. In reality, tanning happens because the skin is trying to protect itself from further harm; a tan isn’t a sign of good health, and a tan offers only minimal protection from UV rays. Employees should know how to administer CPR to injured mates Do your crew members know how to administer CPR to an injured coworker who’s nonresponsive and not breathing? Staffers should immediately start compressing the victim’s chest. They should place their hands in the center of the chest, interlock their fingers and begin compressions. They should press down at the rate of 100 to 120 compressions per minute and allow for the full recoil of the chest between compressions. After every 30 compressions, they should give two rescue breaths by tilting the victim’s head back, lifting the chin, pinching the nose shut and breathing into the person’s mouth until the chest visibly rises. They should keep performing cycles of 30 compressions and two breaths until medical help arrives or the victim starts breathing. Why workers should assume all electrical components are live At your next training session on electrical safety, let workers know that they should assume all electrical parts and components are live – unless and until the electrical circuit has been tested. Remember: Live electrical parts don’t look any different from parts that aren’t energized. SafetyAlert FOR SUPERVISORS Click Here to Subscribe Now Copyright © 2026 Institute of Business Publications. Reproduction of this material is prohibited without prior permission. All rights reserved in all countries. quick ideas