Construction Industry Safety and Health - Articles - Page 62

OSHA sets crane operator certification compliance date

November 14, 2017

OSHA) last week issued a final rule setting November 10, 2018, as the date for employers in the construction industries to comply with a requirement for crane operator certification. The final rule becomes effective November 9, 2017.

One fall can be traumatizing- and costly

10,000 construction workers sustain fall injuries annually

Kris Manning

November 8, 2017

Fall prevention and protection is a primary focus of construction industry safety programs. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, falls are the number one cause of construction-worker fatalities, accounting for one-third of on-the-job injury deaths in the industry.

Worker dies in sewer pipe

November 1, 2017

A 22-year-old worker died last week in Streamwood, Illinois after becoming trapped in a manhole. Authorities say Brett Morrow was part of a construction crew working to clean out and install lining in a sanitary sewer system. He was about 30 feet into a two foot-wide pipe when he became trapped. According to news sources, firefighters crawled down through the pipe, but had trouble reaching Morrow because of a large quantity of hardened lining material that was blocking the pipe.

A NIOSH Science Blog post

Can drones make construction safer?

Dr. John Howard Dr. Christine Branche Vladimir Murashov PhD

October 26, 2017

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) often called drones are increasingly used for military, recreational, public, and commercial purposes. UAVs have the potential to prevent injury and death in the construction industry where nearly 1,000 workers died in 2015. Advancements in UAV technology could help reduce construction-related injury and death from falls, toxic chemical exposures, electrical hazards, or traumatic injury from vehicle and equipment collisions.

Ala. framing company workers exposed to fall hazards

October 24, 2017

Workers at a Birmingham, Alabama framing company were wearing fall protection harnesses when OSHA inspectors visited the sight, but the harnesses were not tied off to prevent a fall. Structural Subcontractors Service, LLC was cited for exposing workers to fall hazards and faces proposed penalties totaling $102,669.

Half dozen workers injured at NYC construction site

October 23, 2017

Six construction workers were injured last week – four seriously – at a Brooklyn, New York worksite. According to news sources, the injuries occurred when a two-story brick building that was under construction collapsed after a load of cinder blocks was placed on its roof.

NJ scaffold put workers “dangerously close to power lines”

Co. owner cited previously for same violations

October 23, 2017

A South Jersey construction company owner with a long history of workplace safety violations was cited by OSHA for exposing workers to serious scaffold hazards at a job site in Philadelphia. The owner, Vyacheslav Leshko faces $191,215 in proposed penalties. OSHA inspectors responded to a complaint of unsafe working conditions at DH Construction LLC., and discovered employees performing masonry and bricklaying while working on a scaffold that was dangerously close to power lines.

Circle the date: Next year’s National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls is set

October 20, 2017

Start planning now. The 2018 National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls will be held May 7-11. The Safety Stand-Down is a voluntary event for employers to talk directly to employees about safety. Employers are encouraged to take a break during the event and focus on fall hazards and and fall prevention.

Survey: Safety, worker shortages are top contractor concerns

October 20, 2017

Improving the safety performance of both employees and contractors was identified as a top priority for driving organization's contractor management goals, according to a recent Contractor Management Survey by ISN, a global leader in contractor and supplier information management.

Robotics set to lend construction workers a “helping hand”

October 10, 2017

Some robots may do the majority of back-breaking work for construction workers that repeat the same routine for hours. The Hadrian X is a bricklaying robot courtesy Australia's Fastbrick Robotics, which uses its 30-metre metal arm to lay bricks at a rate of 1,000 bricks per hour, compared to a human worker's average of 1,000 a day.