890K Workplace Injuries & Illnesses in 2023
OSHA Releases Data on 2023 Injuries, Illnesses

The report covers 890K injuries and illnesses at 91K workplaces.

On Dec. 13, OSHA released comprehensive data collected on more than 890,000 workplace injuries and illnesses at more than 91,000 workplaces in calendar year 2023.

The data includes incident level details on the conditions and circumstances of injury and illness events.

"Publication of this data is a milestone in our efforts to make data on workplace injuries and illnesses more transparent," said Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker, in a statement. "This information is an unprecedented tool for researchers, public health officials, businesses and workers to understand the nature of workplace injuries and illnesses in this country, whether they are looking at national trends, or the factory where they work every day."

Federal electronic recordkeeping and reporting requirements require certain employers to use OSHA's Injury Tracking Application to submit injury and illnesses reports.

The posted data supports OSHA's continued efforts to carry out the agency's statutory mission to assure safe and healthful working conditions for working people, the agency said.

In this phase of data publication, the agency is making available workplace injury and illness incident details, including name of the employer, the location of incidents, injury or illness descriptions, workers' activities before incidents occurred, events that caused the harm, types of injuries or illnesses, and the objects or substances involved.

To protect workers' privacy, OSHA used artificial intelligence and human review to redact personally identifiable information, such as names, Social Security numbers, phone numbers, birthdates and addresses.

By making the data accessible, employers, workers, customers and the public are empowered to make informed decisions about workplace safety and health at specific establishments. It also enables researchers to identify patterns and trends in injuries, illnesses and hazardous conditions more effectively.

Learn more about OSHA's Injury Tracking Application and OSHA's recordkeeping and reporting requirements. ehstoday.com


Heading Into 2025 on a Positive Note
The "One Word" that Will Make a Positive Difference This & Every Holiday Season

"Learn from yesterday, live for today, hope for tomorrow. The important thing is not to stop questioning." - Albert Einstein

By Tony D'Onofrio - President, Sensormatic

The December holiday season is my favorite time of the year. As I write this, my wife is busily decorating the house. The Christmas trees and decorations are shimmering in multiple of the rooms. The New England winter village brings memories of the past. The nativity scene harks back to long established traditions of my native Italy. Throughout the day, my children and their mom are having whispering conversations on appropriate gifts for the family. Everyone becomes an arbiter in brokering gift lists that will make that Christmas Day very special.

The 31 days that make the month of December includes the Winter Solstice, the shortest day of the year, after which the days get progressively longer. The end of the month is packed with celebrations such as Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and New Year's Eve.

The etymology of the month December indicates that it is formed from the Latin root decem, which means ten. How does this make sense in our 12th month? The ancient Roman calendar originally only had 10 months, beginning with the month of March. "January and February were eventually added after December to the end of the year. But, by the time the Julian Calendar was established in 45 BCE, January and February appeared at the beginning of the year, which bumped all of the original months (and their originally assigned names) back by two."

Why is December my favorite time of the year? What one word comes to mind as the holidays approach? How can one word foreshadow a brighter future?

   Click here to read Tony's full article


Retail Strike Across the Pond
Harrods staff vote to go on strike and walk out over Christmas bonus

Harrods workers will strike later this month in a dispute over Christmas bonuses and a cover charge - the strike comes as the iconic store negotiates the festive season

There are fears of chaos over the busy Christmas period after workers at Harrods voted to strike.

Harrods workers will strike across four days in the coming weeks, just as the iconic London-based store goes through one of the most important periods of the year. Restaurant workers and kitchen and cleaning staff from the United Voices of the World (UVW) union will begin the strike at 8pm on December 20 until 9:30pm on December 22 - they will also walk out at 12am on Boxing Day until 9:30pm the same day.

UVW said "Harrods' management continued to ignore their demands and refused to engage or even recognise the workers' union". Harrods has said it has a "contingency plan" and had "engaged directly" with staff through worker forums, but did not recognise the UVW.

Harrods said 176 workers voted to strike. The dispute that led to industrial action, UVW said, is over improved working condition and Harrods' decision to deny them a Christmas bonus. mirror.co.uk


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Another State Advances Tough ORC Bill
New Jersey's police chiefs want to stop organized retail crime

More than ever, organized retail crime is a problem that is consuming the resources of law enforcement.

Police departments across New Jersey continue to expend precious resources responding to organized theft, as retail crime rings regularly steal baby formula, over-the-counter medication and other high-demand items from store shelves and then sell them on the gray market. The problem is evident at your local store, where everything from razors to cosmetics are now displayed behind lock and key.

Retail theft leads to a decline in neighborhood safety and quality of life, and erodes public trust in the effectiveness of law enforcement.  

In direct response, the New Jersey State Association of Chiefs of Police (NJSACOP) is urging state lawmakers to adopt a bill (A.4755/S.3587) that will protect consumers and retail workers, ensure vital collaboration between retailers and state prosecutors, and target leaders of organized retail theft.

The proposed legislation is to be heard before the Assembly Judiciary Committee later this month as it moves through the state Legislature and hopefully to the governor's desk for signature.

Our association's leadership strongly supports the bill because it specifically targets professional theft rings that methodically move throughout New Jersey and beyond state lines. Police chiefs are also pleased to see the proposed bill will help curtail gift card fraud, another expensive crime that pulls resources from law enforcement to investigate.

Through this bill, police can work more closely with state prosecutors and law enforcement officials, who would be able to demand harsher punishment for persistent offenders. Another important benefit: prosecutors could look back, regardless of the time period over which the scheme or course of conduct took place, in determining the total amount of theft and upgrade the offense, under the proposed law.

Ringleaders of organized retail theft would also finally face increased penalties for tax evasion, which we believe will directly correlate with crime reduction. northjersey.com
 

IT & Business Execs Sound the Alarm
Executives see another CrowdStrike-level IT outage on the horizon

IT and business leaders admit to prioritizing security at the expense of service disruption readiness, a PagerDuty report found.

Most executives expect their organization to experience a CrowdStrike-level IT outage within the next year, according to a PagerDuty survey of 1,000 IT and business leaders conducted by Wakefield Research.

The July global outage caused by a faulty Falcon sensor update was a wake-up call, the report found. Nearly 9 in 10 respondents said they now realize their organization had prioritized security at the expense of service disruption readiness.

"Executives around the globe are shifting their leadership priorities with major incidents in mind, with 100% of those surveyed reporting a heightened focus on preparing for future service disruptions at their companies," PagerDuty CIO Eric Johnson said in the report.

Occasional service disruptions are par for the course in enterprise IT. Microsoft's widely used 365 productivity suite experienced a minor hiccup Tuesday and the company reported a broader issue impacting Teams and Outlook on Nov. 25.

While severe outages on the scale of the CrowdStrike incident are far less common, they pose greater risk to business operations.

The defective CrowdStrike update, which crashed millions of Windows-based systems, led to the grounding of thousands of commercial flights. The event also slowed financial transactions and cost Fortune 500 companies an estimated $5 billion in direct losses. cybersecuritydive.com


Understanding How Hackers Think
Cultivating a Hacker Mindset in Cybersecurity Defense

Security isn't just about tools - it's about understanding how the enemy thinks and why they make certain choices.

In the past, security professionals were true hackers at heart - passionate individuals who made money doing what they loved: breaking systems, pushing boundaries, and constantly learning. They grew their skills out of sheer curiosity and dedication.

Today, however, many in security are simply "professionals" who found a well-paying job but lack that hacker spirit. They're not driven by a love of the challenge or a hunger to learn. They may take the occasional course or learn a few technical tricks - but often, they're doing the bare minimum. This leads to weak security. Meanwhile, attackers? They still have that old-school hacker passion, constantly learning and evolving for the love of the challenge.

We've completely misunderstood how to do security. Instead of genuinely simulating bad guys and preparing for the real thing, we play around with automated tools and call it "offensive" security. Many red-team exercises simply follow a checklist of known exploits without adapting to the specific environment. In contrast, a genuine adversary simulation requires creativity and a deep understanding of the target's weaknesses - crafting custom attack paths and adjusting tactics on the fly. It's about going beyond technical skills and truly getting into the adversary mindset.

Let's be real - technical skills alone aren't going to save anyone. To outsmart attackers, we need to cultivate a hacker mindset: understand the motivations, tactics, and psychology behind attacks, focusing on creativity and adaptability rather than just checking boxes. darkreading.com


'Secure American Communications Act'
Sen. Wyden wants FCC to tighten security rules on telecom companies

The U.S. senator from Oregon wants the agency to strengthen rules requiring network operators to defend their systems and customers against intrusions.

Sen. Ron Wyden, D-Ore., proposed regulation requiring the Federal Communications Commission to impose stricter cybersecurity rules on telecom operators in the wake of a swarm of China-government sponsored attacks on U.S. telecom companies. Wyden introduced the Secure American Communications Act on Tuesday.

Wyden's legislative effort follows FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel's proposed rule changes that would require telecom operators to secure their networks and maintain cybersecurity risk management plans. President-elect Donald Trump last month said he plans to nominate Brendan Carr, a current commissioner, to run the FCC as chair after he takes office. cybersecuritydive.com


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