Construction Industry Safety and Health

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Every week at least one person is killed on a construction site in the United Kingdom, but the truth is that various simple measures can prevent this. We all know that construction has its dangers with hazardous chemicals, falling objects and damaging noise levels however; there are many different pieces of equipment that can literally save your life.

The June, 2013 collapse of a steel structure at Texas A&M that was intended to serve as the university’s equestrian shelter injured four workers and earned OSHA citations for two Houston-based construction companies.

A New York paining and stucco contractor with a long history of fall protection and scaffold safety violations has wracked up a new set of OSHA violations, with a $460,350 price tag.

One man – a company owner – has turned fall prevention in the construction industry into a moral crusade. A fall victim has made a video to warn others about the mistake he made on the job – an error that left him paralyzed.

Construction deaths rose even as overall occupational fatalities in the U.S. decreased. OSHA finally unveils its silica rule. OSHA inspectors kept busy at construction sites around the country. These were among the top construction-related stories featured on www.ISHN.com in 2013.

Construction on half of the dozen stadiums being erected for Brazil World Cup 2014 is behind schedule – and those working on the projects say the pressure to work quickly is affecting their safety. The death of a 22-year-old worker who fell more than 100 feet on Saturday at Arena Amazonia resulted in a strike by the builder’s union and a court order halting all high work on the project, according to the BBC News.

OSHA has cited North Florida Roofing & Repair of Jacksonville with one willful, one repeat and two serious safety violations following an inspection at a job site on Ashbourne Trail in Jacksonville. The agency initiated the inspection in August as part of its local emphasis program on fall hazards.

The Roadway Work Zone Safety and Health Coalition* has formed an alliance with OSHA aimed at reducing the hazards for both workers and motorists in roadway construction zones.

If you’re in the construction industry and you’re making a New Year’s resolution to improve on-the-job safety in 2014, you might want to check out the Center for Construction Research and Training's (CPWR) new library of 52 toolbox talks on common construction hazards, which provides a short safety lesson for every week of the year.