Category: Construction Site Safety

October 3, 2022

Refugio Alvarez. Eric Buschard. Rebecca Klein. Aaron Boggs. Four safety and health professionals from across the country who share a common bond: all enthusiastically use a free safety climate assessment and improvement tool created by CPWR – The Center for […]

September 23, 2022

It’s paramount to know the exact temperature on your jobsite to protect workers in hot conditions. At higher temperatures, a change of even a few degrees can be a warning sign that you need to alter their workday activities to […]

September 21, 2022

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced Tuesday its preliminary Top 10 most frequently cited workplace safety standards for fiscal year 2022. NSC Safety+Health Associate Editor Kevin Druley introduced Patrick Kapust, acting director of OSHA’s Directorate of Enforcement Programs, who […]

September 21, 2022

When Hensel Phelps chief innovation officer Thai Nguyen discusses the use of technology to improve jobsite safety with workers, he’s always careful to emphasize why it’s important and specifically what is being monitored. “We really reassure them that the monitoring […]

September 8, 2022

Though DOB did agree with most key recommendations in the report, Eric Ulrich, commissioner at the DOB, said in email to the deputy comptroller that “it is important to note that the onus is on contractors and site safety professionals” […]

September 6, 2022

Construction workers often face some of their industry’s most serious dangers – such as falls from elevation, being struck or crushed by equipment or other objects, and electrocution – but recent studies suggest another occupational concern is lurking silently at […]

August 29, 2022

In response to requests from interested parties, federal labor officials have extended the deadline to comment on its proposed revisions for the workplace lead-exposure standard by two months. It is now Oct. 28. The U.S. Dept. of Labor’s Occupational Safety […]

August 17, 2022

As Hensel Phelps looks for better ways to improve on all things safety, the multinational contractor is piloting technology solutions like Edify, an app designed to create safety-minded culture within construction companies. Every morning, Hensel Phelps workers log in and […]

July 28, 2022

On Tuesday, July 19, 2022, United States legislators, labor leaders, PPE manufacturers, and safety experts met at the Rayburn House Office Building in Washington, D.C. to advocate for heat safety and the Asunción Valdivia Heat Illness and Fatality Prevention Act. […]

July 26, 2022

At the moment, it’s not clear what kind of impact the legislation would have for contractors. “We would have to consult with our members to see what, if any, impact this [legislation] would have,” said Kevin Cannon, senior director of […]

July 21, 2022

OSHA has long had the ability to seek criminal referrals and issue heavy fines for workplace incidents that involve serious injury or death. Last week, it flexed that muscle. In response to what the Department of Labor organization called an […]

July 21, 2022

Safety hazards are so common in the construction industry that it can be easy to overlook some of their severity. As a standard part of virtually every project, foundation work may not stand out to crews as particularly risky — […]

July 20, 2022

As temperatures and the risk of heat illness rise in Alabama, Georgia, Florida and Mississippi, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration reminds employers and workers not to ignore the dangers of working in hot weather – […]

July 19, 2022

While most recent thinking on safety is based on ideas generally known as human and organizational performance—where it is assumed workers will make errors and the emphasis is on the work environment and processes to prevent severe injuries—real problems stand […]

July 18, 2022

OSHA is in the process of developing a federal standard to protect workers from exposure to dangerous heat conditions, which it currently doesn’t have. That — combined with summer weather and heat waves sweeping many parts of the country — […]

July 15, 2022

OSHA highlighted a June 28 incident as an impetus for its decision. In Jarrell, Texas, two workers, aged 20 and 39, died when the 20-foot trench they worked in collapsed on them. Shields to reinforce their trench could have saved […]

June 24, 2022

A pair of amendments to Illinois state law aimed at preventing wage theft make construction contractors liable if subcontractors don’t pay their employees. Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed the bills amending the state’s existing wage payment and collection law June 10. […]

June 22, 2022

Due to lack of power during the initial stages of construction projects, some sites rely on air horns as an evacuation method on construction sites, but it’s not without drawbacks. Sean Ryan, environmental health safety manager at Turner Construction, said […]

June 16, 2022

The dangers associated with heat related illness are well understood. However, deaths and serious illnesses continue to occur, and may increase in time, because of increased frequency of extreme temperatures. To emphasize its concern and take necessary action, OSHA is […]

May 31, 2022

San Antonio-based oil refining giant Valero Energy Corp. and three contractors working at its San Francisco Bay-area refinery face combined fines totaling more than $1.75 million for multiple state safety violations—including a number of willful and serious infractions—which ed to […]