Happy Holidays from the TT&S Team

For all our blog readership, we hope you have a wonderful holiday season, and cheers to another year of being proactive about employee safety!

The More You Know: The Myth of "OSHA-approved" Training

Have you ever seen a safety course advertised as "OSHA-approved?"

If you did, you stumbled upon a sales gimmick that holds no water.

OSHA doesn't approve safety courses. There's no vetting system that training courses must pass in order to have the approval of OSHA. The OSHA regulations set requirements for training which must be followed, but beyond that, they do not comment on specific training courses.

That's why here at TT&S, we don't describe our courses as OSHA-approved, but what we can guarantee is we do the homework to ensure our courses are OSHA compliant down to the every word in the regulation. We keep up with regulation changes and update our training programs accordingly.

You might see some courses advertised as "OSHA-authorized." This is a valid term, but all it means is that the training center is eligible to offer OSHA 10- and 30- hour trainings. These trainings are valuable and can give employees a good foundation for understanding a wide array of hazards, but follow up training is still required from the employer, as many topics require repeat trainings at specific intervals set by law.

If you see someone advertising an "OSHA-approved" training, you can be sure of one thing. They're not familiar enough with how safety training is regulated to know not to say this, or they want your business with little thought to ethical practices.

The more you know!

Christmas List: PPE that really rocks

PPE gets a bad rap.

Thought of as clunky, uncomfortable, and uncool much of the time, PPE probably won't make too many Christmas lists. But there might be a few who change their tune after seeing some of the new generation of PPE, which combines comfort, convenience, and style to update older, less-loved versions.

**TT&S as an organization doesn't endorse or receive affiliate income from followed links. We just think this stuff is cool and deserves a look.

Here's a few of the new products that we've learned about recently.

1. ISOTunes - Hearing protection is often not fun to wear, but it's so important to protect your hearing. Unlike many other injuries, hearing loss isn't something that can come back after therapy or treatment. Once it's gone, it's gone.

Enter ISOTunes: an innovative company that's combined hearing protection with bluetooth headphones. Available as earbuds or over-the-ear headphones, these will protect your hearing while providing you with your favorite music or podcasts. Earbuds are everywhere anyway, so why not protect your hearing while you're at it?

Check it out here.

Thanks to Melanie for finding this one.

2. Fire Blankets - While technically not PPE (and not all that new), these fire blankets are very effective at putting out small, contained fires. And they have several advantages over fire extinguishers. They're easy to deploy (just throw the blanket over the fire), you don't have to deal with the cleanup of fire extinguisher discharge, and they're reusable. Anyone should be excited to find one of these in their Christmas stocking.

Credit to Keith for sending this tip our way. Check out this short video on how they work.

3. Xena Workwear - Xena Workwear offers an excellent selection of women's steel toe footwear. You'd never guess their boots are steel toe since they look like a pair you'd buy from any clothing store. Gone are the days clunking around in bulky, hard-to-lace boots. A pair of Xena Workwear boots will take you from the office to the field and back again, keeping your feet protected with every step.

Kyla has a pair of these, and they've been great to wear for safety inspections that take her into manufacturing, shop, or field environments.

Here's the website to take a look.

These are just a few examples. Expect more innovation from the world of PPE, as companies work to provide options that integrate more easily into work and home life.