Construction Industry Safety and Health

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When Jason Anker was 24 years old, he took a roofing job – something he’d had little experience with – working for his father-in-law. Nearing the end of the workday, Anker saw a situation he knew was risky (the ladder he was to use wasn’t tied on), but said nothing.

OSHA has cited the general contractor and five subcontractors working on the construction of the Berlin Power Plant in Berlin for 31 willful, serious and repeat violations of workplace safety standards.

Although falls continue to cause a large number of injuries and fatalities in the construction industry, two recent incidents in two different states demonstrate the variety of falls that can occur.

A truck driver crushed by a bundle of rebar on Monday was the second worker killed at the construction site for the new San Francisco 49ers stadium. Sports Illustrated (SI) is reporting that 60-year-old Edward Erving Lake II, was severely injured by the rebar, which was being unloaded from his truck.

These tragic electrocutions, all investigated by NIOSH, show just how widespread and unexpected electrical dangers can be, sometimes involving the most ordinary types of work:

More and more construction firms are investing in technology tools to ensure a safe environment for employees and partners. Skanska, the West Coast’s largest general contractor, is an industry leader in successful integration of technology to improve safety on its jobsites in California.

A New York-based construction company’s annual recognition of the importance of safety includes not only its employees, but their family members as well.

A coalition of construction industry trade associations is concerned that OSHA’s proposed reduction in silica exposure levels may cost construction firms a lot of money.

OSHA inspectors who were traveling to a scheduled inspection drove past the trench worksite of a different company and saw no trench box in use. They also noticed that traffic along the road caused loose debris to fall from the trench's wall.