Category: Regulations

April 14, 2024

Extreme weather is becoming more frequent and severe due to climate change and is causing increased damage to U.S. transportation systems and supply chains, which were primarily designed before climate impacts were taken into consideration. “From wildfires shutting down freight […]

March 28, 2024

Phoenix city officials have passed a new ordinance aimed at protecting workers for city contractors from the dangers of extreme heat. The move comes after a summer in which the city experienced a record-breaking 31 straight days with temperatures over […]

March 20, 2024

In December, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced it was replacing traditional hardhats for its employees with ANSI-Z89.1-certified Type II safety helmets when they work on sites. But some contractors had been requiring the more […]

March 5, 2024

Global construction and engineering giant Bechtel has pledged $7 million over five years to the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention in order to increase efforts to combat suicide in the industry. The donation is the largest the AFSP has ever […]

February 9, 2024

Work in the construction industry often involves taking considerable, albeit often necessary, risks. For example, live wires present obvious electrocution hazards, and who can forget the images of rows of men in hard hats casually eating lunch while perched on […]

December 18, 2023

Inspectors with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration are switching out their traditional hardhats for more ANSI type II-certified safety helmets. The agency recommends people working in construction consider making a similar move, but has not […]

November 15, 2023

A proposed rule from the U.S. Dept. of Labor to broaden its regulation about employee representation on workplace safety inspections has drawn widespread opposition from contractors. The change would allow workers to select a representative employed by a third party. […]

November 1, 2023

The ordinance gives ISD the enforcement capacity to now issue violations, stop work, revoke permits and impose fines up to $300 on permit holders, developers, general contractors, construction managers and subcontractors found to be in non-compliance with the ordinance. Along […]

October 25, 2023

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration on Tuesday announced its most frequently cited workplace safety standards for fiscal year 2023. Eric Harbin, OSHA Region 6 administrator, presented the preliminary data for “OSHA’s Top 10” during the 2023 NSC Safety Congress […]

September 5, 2023

The General Duty Clause of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (Federal OSHA) requires employers to provide a workplace free from recognized hazards that may cause serious injury or death. This clause is often used by OSHA to enforce fall […]

August 31, 2023

DOL’s announcement has been months in the making. During a June 2021 congressional hearing, former Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh told lawmakers the department was reviewing its overtime regulations, and the agency later confirmed a review shortly afterward. The agency […]

August 31, 2023

While ABC said it will review the proposed rule and assess options for a legal challenge, unions came out in its favor. “NABTU supports DOL and OSHA ensuring construction workers have safe workplaces including ensuring that our union representatives, who […]

August 16, 2023

Construction businesses have significant safety responsibilities. Not only do companies have to ensure that finished buildings are suitable for safe use, but also that every step along the way to project completion includes hazard protection procedures. This can be challenging, […]

July 21, 2023

The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a notice of proposed rulemaking to clarify the personal protective equipment standard for the construction industry. The current standard does not state clearly that PPE must fit each affected employee properly, which the […]

July 17, 2023

Massive heat waves have hit large swaths of the U.S. this summer, breaking records for high temperatures across the country. And it’s about to get worse. About 21% of U.S. residents live in areas where heat levels could become dangerously […]

July 6, 2023

More than 5,000 workers sustained a fatal injury in American workplaces in 2021. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), this figure is equal to one person every 101 minutes. While the number of fatal injuries has increased compared […]

May 3, 2023

OSHA has begun a National Emphasis Program to prevent falls, the leading cause of fatal workplace injuries and the violation the agency cites most frequently in construction industry inspections. The emphasis program will focus on reducing fall-related injuries and fatalities […]

May 1, 2023

The Dept. of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration is undertaking a nationwide effort to prevent falls in construction and all other industries. Falls are responsible for more worksite deaths than any other type of accident. In announcing the National […]

April 11, 2023

OSHA plans to focus on roads, bridges, airports, rail, ports and power and water systems in the coming years, Ketcham said at an American Bar Association meeting in March. OSHA will be also be promoting safety helmets and suicide prevention, […]

March 21, 2023

Tutor Perini Corp., one of the largest contractors in the country, was cited 244 times for health and safety violations on its jobsites over the past decade — far more than any commercial or residential builder — and that doesn’t […]