Just last week, a California worker was buried alive under tons of soil in an unprotected 17 foot deep trench and two weeks ago an unidentified 34-year old South Dakota construction worker was crushed to death in a 10 to 15 feet deep trench.
Unfortunately, par for course in these United States. Why, I don’t know.
Thousands of worksites will join OSHA and its partners this week for the annual National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction, with events across the country. Employers and workers will pause during the workday to talk about fall hazards, OSHA compliance, and industry best practices to prevent falls in all workplaces.
Workers across the nation are participating in the fifth National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction, during the week of May 7-11. With falls on construction sites the leading cause of death in the industry, employers are encouraged to stop all work at some point during this week and speak directly to their workers about fall hazards through talks, demonstrations and training to reinforce the importance of proper fall prevention.
April 26th marked the 10th Anniversary Memorial Mass for Deceased Construction Workers in New York City, better known as the Annual Hardhat Mass. At this mass in St. Patrick's Cathedral, all those killed on a construction site in New York City are remembered and revered.
New construction safety training legislation establishes a program to provide equal access to construction site safety training (SST) for workers in New York City. This training is in addition to existing federal, state and local requirements.
On May 7-11, the construction industry celebrates its commitment to safety on the jobsite and beyond as part of an industry-wide education and awareness event, Safety Week.
During Safety Week, construction companies take the opportunity to thank their employees for their commitment to safety.
A construction accident at Indiana University (IU) Wednesday afternoon claimed the life of a contract worker. Sources say William Brown Jr. was killed when a large piece of limestone fell on him.
There are a wealth of resources available for helping raise awareness of fall hazards and how to abate them. From lesson plans to fact sheets to safety posters – in a variety of languages – employers who feel that they need some additional information can find it online.
Here are some of those resources:
NIOSH: Campaign to Prevent Falls in Construction -
Infographics by NIOSH and CPWR
The North Dakota Safety Council has put together information about (29 CFR 1926, Subpart M), the general construction fall protection rule, which may come in handy when you’re planning or conducting a Safety Stand-Down.
The guide includes:
Who the rule covers (most construction workers except those inspecting, investigating, or assessing workplace conditions prior to the actual start of work or after all work is done).
Employers looking for training materials for their Safety Stand-Down may want to use some of them many safety videos available to them. Here are some: A worker leaves his fall harness in his truck and doesn’t want to take the time to go and get it. Fall Protection Can Save Your Life from WorkSafeBC dramatizes the consequences of not wearing fall protection -- and why wearing it is the right choice every time.
RSS
