Congratulations and Happy Anniversary (or as we say around here, HAMiversary!) to Pollution Engineering Magazine.

40 years says it all. As the editor, Roy Bigham, points out in his outstanding historical editorial, “The company mission is to serve industry professionals by delivering useful, timely and accurate information through its magazines, websites, conferences and events. In 40 years of publishing the magazine, that commitment has never wavered.” BRAVO! They have persevered and served their readers well..

Despite the dramatic changes in industry, as well as in publishing, somehow Pollution Engineering has managed to keep up with it all and excel. Needless to say, they have been a reliable resource on safety, environmental, compliance and health issues for New Pig since we began in 1985. They’ve treated us right for 24 years.

Best wishes for another 40!

Balloon image © James Steidl - Fotolia.com

You may already know to expect a skilled labor crisis in your workplace as older workers retire and fewer younger people are attracted to manufacturing.

Now there’s word of a manager shortage as well.

This news may cause some to cheer, but if you’re hurting for managers, here are quick notes on what’s behind this trend.

Reasons that qualified workers resist becoming managers include:

• Increased stress
• Handling disgruntled employees
• Increased paperwork
• Having to lay off or fire employees

Aspects of managing cited as attractive include:

• Sharing knowledge and experience with others
• Being responsible for the success of an organization
• Being able to influence decisions

The people behind the study urge companies to take steps to reinforce the value of managers.

In other words, take on “The Office.” Whew.

Image © endostock - Fotolia.com

Earlier posts about The Skilled Worker Crisis:

A crisis crying out for New Pig’s help?

Industry faces an engineering crisis too?!

Best analysis yet of the looming skilled labor crisis

1. Because there are about ten seconds of silence before a forklift enters.

2. Because there are three people in the video who could use some dialogue.

3. Because somebody needs to say something about how this could have been avoided.

This did NOT take place in New Pig’s warehouse.

Man, I hope no one was hurt …

We now return you to your regularly-scheduled SAFE Storage & Handling activities.

What’s a Health & Safety Management System?

This article offers an illustration: It’s a way to help ensure that bonding/grounding wires are in place where needed. It provides answers to such questions as:

• Who tells employees about the relevant OSHA regulation?
• Who inspects wires?
• How often are wires inspected?
• Who reports broken wires?
• Who gets new wires?
• Who installs wires?
• Who okays the installation?
• How soon must a faulty wire be replaced?
• Does work stop when there’s no wire in place?

If your site uses bonding/grounding wires, and you don’t have ready answers to those questions—maybe you’re not ensuring your employees’ health and safety, and maybe you need a Health and Safety Management System.

It’s chocolate that melts in your mouth, not in your hand.

But it’s not candy-coated.

And it’s low-calorie!

So we’re promised, anyway. It’ll hit the market in about two years.

This announcement brought to you by an absorbent able to clean up puddled chocolate, PIG® Heavy Fluids Mat.

Image © Sergey Lavrentev - Fotolia.com

This study says that hands-free phones are no safer than hand-held phones. The distraction factor is why the National Safety Council urges banning all mobile phone use during driving.

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TreeHugger.com (unfairly?) slams energy-generating speed bumps, particularly those installed at a Burger King drive-through.

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Advice on how to reengineer your maintenance stockroom to save time.

Following is a transcript of a call to our 1-800-HOT-HOGS® order line that we haven’t received yet.

But we could … any minute now …

Thoinks for calling New Pig! How can I help you?

I need a pig.

A PIG® Mat?

No, that doesn’t sound right.

A pad for absorbing leaks or spills?

No, this is sort of a cylinder.

PIG® Mat comes in rolls, too.

No, this is a solid cylinder, like a tube.

A PIG® Sock? It’s tubular and also for cleaning and comes in different diameters: 3 inches, 5 inches, 10 inches …

10 inches sounds right. It’s for cleaning the inside of an oil pipeline.

Oh, that kind of pig! I’m so sorry, but we don’t carry that kind.

Image © Jim Parkin - Fotolia.com

Isn’t this New Pig?

Ab-sow-lutely.

The place for industrial cleaning and maintenance?

None swine-er!

But you don’t carry pigs?

I know it’s ironic, but you need a pig for maintaining a pipeline, also called pigging, and that’s not our area of expertise. We focus on leaks and spills. Sorry!

Do you know any experts on “pigging”?

I can refer you to an excellent website: ppsa-online.com. The Pigging Association!

The Pigging Association! This is too much.

Too much, or may I give you a piece of trivia?

Fire away.

Pipeline pigs figure into three James Bond movies.

Get out.

Bond does use a pig to get out—of a tight spot—in Diamonds Are Forever. Also check out The Living Daylights and The World Is Not Enough.

Do you sell those movies?

Sorry!

Just kidding. Bye now.

Best wishes! Thoinks again for calling!

Last week Cakes.com created the biggest cupcake ever (151lbs.) and displayed it at the Mall of America. They decided not to hack it up for mall patrons because most pieces would lack frosting. Instead, they shipped it to a pig farm.

Don’t get any ideas, Fruitcakes.com.