Category: Hazards

March 29, 2021

A new report from the Governors Highway Safety Association (GHSA) projects that the U.S. pedestrian fatality rate rose 20% in the first six months of 2020. GHSA says this spike in pedestrian fatalities came as speeding, distracted and impaired driving, […]

March 25, 2021

It’s not every day that a project interior designer sits down with the project team to discuss construction and occupant safety. But in 2019, Keith Switzer, who heads interior design firm INTEC Group, found himself in meetings doing just that […]

March 15, 2021

Even though construction employers are on the list for inspections under the program, area offices can delete employers from that list if they have had previous COVID-19-related inspections in the previous 12 months with the following outcomes: Were issued serious […]

March 3, 2021

On dangerous or risky job sites, and within certain environments, personal protective equipment (PPE) must be worn at all times. It makes perfect sense, because the gear is designed specifically to mitigate severe or fatal accidents. Helmets, for example, protect […]

February 26, 2021

A recent article in the Scandanavian Journal of Public Health called COVID-19 and mental health in construction a “perfect storm.” The article’s conclusion urges governments, the industry and individual workplaces to act quickly to mitigate suicide risks. “Anticipating, preparing and […]

February 25, 2021

The legislation requires all coroners and medical examiners to report construction industry workplace deaths within 72 hours to New York State’s Department of Labor, which is tasked with maintaining the registry. Once that information is cataloged, DOL is then charged […]

February 17, 2021

Construction sites house nearly 6.5 million American workers and their safety is a key concern for employers. Despite this, the fatality rate in the construction industry is the highest in the U.S. Workers at these sites constantly have to monitor […]

February 10, 2021

Winter is right around the corner and we all know that construction work doesn’t get put on ice when the mercury starts dropping. Working in the cold can be dangerous if you don’t take the necessary precautions to keep your […]

February 9, 2021

Workers use their hands constantly throughout the day. One mistake or hazard could lead to a lifetime of pain and a limited range of motion. Companies tend to lose more time and money on hand-related injuries than any other type […]

February 1, 2021

As builders, we are often tasked with creating new facilities — whether a hospital, science lab, airport or university building — that improve a community’s quality of life and contribute to its overall wellbeing. What is sometimes overlooked in our […]

January 27, 2021

In the fourth quarter of 2020 as in many other quarters, fall protection safety standards have a prominent place on the list of top OSHA violations. However, there were also four deaths, as well as violations for failure to protect […]

January 14, 2021

OSHA can, under certain circumstances, issue emergency temporary standards that take effect immediately and remain in effect until it issues a permanent standard, according to the agency. The follow-up standard is “subject to the usual procedure for adopting a permanent […]

December 31, 2020

While early builders proved that construction with primitive tools and materials is possible, it would take them generations to accomplish what modern teams can do in a few months. Today’s equipment takes much of the weight off workers’ shoulders, but […]

December 29, 2020

Heat stress is a persistent problem on construction sites during the summer months. Workers tend to push themselves to keep working even as they begin to show signs of heat exhaustion, and safety can suffer as a result. So Ryan […]

December 16, 2020

Construction workplace fatalities continued to rise, reaching a 12-year-high in 2019 and the industry’s fatal-injury rate also turned upward, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has reported. The BLS annual report on occupational deaths, released on Dec. 16, shows that private-sector […]

December 15, 2020

The zones are designed to help control COVID-19 spread and protect hospital capacity in New York, which has seen rising caseloads since the fall. According to an online tracker, no areas are deemed Red Zones but there are several Orange […]

December 15, 2020

The study encompasses one of the largest datasets yet of positive test results among construction workers and comes at a time when an advisory committee to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention weighs whether essential workers, including those in […]

December 10, 2020

Attorneys from a prominent workforce law firm told contractors that it is within their legal rights to compel workers to get vaccinated against COVID-19, during a webinar hosted Wednesday by the Associated General Contractors of America. D. Albert Brannen and […]

December 3, 2020

Commercial construction companies often must demonstrate safety performance before bidding for business contracts. Safety performance traditionally includes injury records, workers’ compensation claims, and future risk. However, these indicators are limited in their ability to predict future safety. Policies, programs, and […]

December 3, 2020

Construction and demolition sites are among the most hazardous work environments, especially when multiple contractors and employers introduce operational complexities to a job site. A newly revised standard from the American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) and American National Standards […]