What is the Lehigh Valley Safety Peer Group and How Does it Help Employers?

Posted by: Populytics
Date: June 14, 2019

How many U.S. workers are sleep deprived, and what can employers do to help them? How should employers handle substance abuse in the workplace? What are the legal ramifications of employees using medical marijuana? These are just a few of the topics tackled at the Lehigh Valley Safety Peer Group, a consortium of Lehigh Valley area employers that came together to enhance workplace safety and health.

“At least four times a year we present a program on a topic that is especially pertinent to employers. We want them to feel supported, not just in compliance, but also in innovative ways to improve the workplace environment,” says Scott Appnel, Manager, Business Development, with Populytics, now providing a range of services exclusively for employers, including occupational medicine. The Safety Peer Group serves as a liaison and as an educational resource, helping local businesses work safer and better. We tap into LVHN’s extensive expertise in health and wellness as well as bringing in other subject matter experts such as lawyers and government officials to provide a thorough overview of our topics.”

In 2017, Lehigh Valley Safety Peer Group joined the Alliance of U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the PA-OSHA Consultation Program. Groups in the OSHA Alliance program are committed to worker safety and health to prevent workplace fatalities, injuries, and illnesses. OSHA strives to align its Alliances and other cooperative programs with the agency’s Areas of Emphasis, which range from construction to health care to small businesses. Its focus is reducing and preventing exposure to ergonomic hazards, environmental health care conditions, and chemical hazards. It emphasizes injury and illness prevention programs and effective safety training.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to ensure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education, and assistance.

“We know that OSHA and the Alliance are here to protect U.S. workers, and we are glad to be able to assist in this important work,” says Appnel. “I believe that when employers and employees work together, we can bring change to American industry and business in a way that is highly beneficial for those who spend much of their lives at work.”

To be added to the Safety Peer Group notification list or for more information on occupational medicine, contact [email protected]. For more information on OSHA, visit osha.gov.