Construction Industry Safety and Health - Articles - Page 59

Construction safety threatened by workforce shortages

Contractors identify strong safety programs as means to address skilled labor scarcity and substance abuse

September 10, 2018

A shortage of skilled workers is the number one factor affecting jobsite safety, according to a report by the Q3 2018 USG Corporation + U.S. Chamber of Commerce Commercial Construction Index (Index). The report revealed a widespread concern among commercial construction businesses about anticipated labor shortages over the next three years, with 88 percent of contractors expecting to feel at least a moderate impact from the workforce shortages in the next three years.

Weekly news round-up

September 8, 2018

A construction worker was among those killed in the Cincinnati bank shooting; pedestrian fatalities in the U.S. continue to increase and some surprising data on young people who use marijuana every day. These were among the top stories featured on ISHN.com this week.

How you can partner with OSHA to improve safety at your workplace

September 6, 2018

OSHA has several ways in which it interacts with companies in programs that address industry-specific hazards or that help enhance worker safety on specific projects. The OSHA Strategic Partnership Program (OSPP) focuses on focus on improving safety and health in major corporations, government agencies, at large construction projects and private sector industries where OSHA has jurisdiction.

Fatal injuries at road construction sites among construction workers

A CPWR Quarterly Data Report

September 6, 2018

Working at road construction sites can be dangerous. Between 2011 and 2016, 532 construction workers lost their lives at road construction sites, an average of 89 workers each year. CPWR's Data Center recently explored road construction fatality trends and causes using data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

Colo. worker dies while installing roof

August 29, 2018

Two Colorado construction companies have been cited by OSHA after an employee fell to his death at a Greenwood Village worksite. The worker fell while installing metal roofing panels on a storage unit building. OSHA cited Hammers Construction Inc. and Montes Construction LLC for failing to use adequate fall protection and restrict employees from standing on the mid-rails of scissor lifts.

Getting "smart" about construction safety

Wearable sensors could monitor stress, physical demands and even risk perception

August 27, 2018

The construction industry, by its nature, can be dangerous. SangHyun Lee, an associate professor in the University of Michigan’s Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, says wearable sensors can can improve construction worker safety and also reduce costs through better data on worker health. He answers questions about his research.

Potentially fatal fumes: Reduce airborne hazards while welding

Alex Birrell

August 16, 2018

Welding and welding safety are nothing new to us all. While welding equipment today has dramatically improved, the fumes generated remain hazardous and are classified as a carcinogen. Has respiratory protection for welders improved to the same degree?

Call 811 before you dig

Reduce accident risk with one phone call

August 15, 2018

Roughly 38 million people will commence with a digging project this year without first having underground utility lines marked, and a line is damaged once every nine minutes because someone started digging without first calling 811.

Clearing the smoke: Workplace safety issues clouded by medical marijuana

Phillip B. Russell

August 12, 2018

Before we try to clear the smoke on the issue of medical marijuana, we should first put the subject in its proper context. Regardless of the strength of the arguments in favor of or against medical marijuana usage, its use in the workplace is primarily a safety issue.

NYC has 5th construction fatality this year

July 30, 2018

A 28-year-old man who died July 12 was the fifth construction worker killed on the job in New York City in 2018, according to news sources. Angel Espinoza was killed when he was hit on the head by a beam that fell 12 stories from a scaffold that was being dismantled on the roof of a building in the city’s Morningside Heights neighborhood. Espinoza was part of a crew working on a residential building affiliated with Columbia University.