News from the Safety Industry

This week’s Friday Roundup highlights new emergency response equipment, maintenance solutions that extend system performance, digital tools to simplify regulatory compliance, cold-weather PPE innovations, and industry efforts to improve fit and inclusion for women in the skilled trades.

January 8, 2026

Reducing safety investment may deliver short-term savings, but U.S. data shows it often leads to higher financial, legal, and operational costs over time.

New rules aim to strengthen worker protections in hazardous construction environments.

National Safety Council highlights overdose prevention, impairment risks, and employer-led safety efforts after Senate confirms Sara Bailey as drug czar.

Rule updates replace “discrimination” with “retaliation” terminology and revise worker protection language in Title 296 WAC.

Construction jobsites are filled with hidden fire hazards, especially during hot work—here’s how to reduce risks, equip crews, and stay ready when seconds count.

As digital safety tools become central to occupational health, organizations are rethinking how they protect lone and vulnerable workers through automation, smarter communication, flexible protocols and stronger safety cultures.

Why traditional safety metrics fail to prevent serious injuries and fatalities—and how AI helps EHS teams identify PSIF risks before life-altering events occur.

Funding through the YouthBuild program aims to prepare young people ages 16–24 for careers in construction, manufacturing, IT and health care through training and apprenticeship pathways.