Construction Industry Safety and Health

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Although construction accounts for less than four percent of the jobs in New York City, it represents 20 percent of the on-the-job deaths, according to a report released yesterday by the New York Committee for Occupational Safety & Health (NYCOSH).

As it enters its second week, OSHA’s effort to prevent falls in the construction industry is causing work stoppages around the globe.

A joint report conducted by the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) and the  National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) concludes workers who are Hispanic, young and work for small construction firms likely face greater occupational safety and health challenges than almost any other employee segment or industry in the United States.

A 30-year-old roofer's life was tragically cut short in November 2014 after a fall caused severe head trauma. The man was found unresponsive below a 32-foot extension ladder he was using to renovate a roof at a two-story building at Missouri's Whiteman Air Force Base.

With this year’s National Fall Safety Stand-Down – which began on Monday – OSHA is hoping to reach even more than the million+ workers who heard the word in the 2014 event, by way of the more than 5,000 construction industry employers who got involved.

If you are in the construction industry, there is still time for you to participate in OSHA’s National Fall Prevention Stand-Down, which runs today through May 15th.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration today issued a final rule to increase protections for construction workers in confined spaces. “This rule will provide construction workers with protections already afforded to workers in manufacturing and general industry, with some differences tailored to the construction industry,” said OSHA chief David Michaels, who predicted that it will prevent 800 serious injuries and save five lives a year.

Hand tools are tools that are powered manually. Hand tools include anything from axes to wrenches. The greatest hazards posed by hand tools result from misuse and improper maintenance. Some examples include the following: If a chisel is used as a screwdriver, the tip of the chisel may break and fly off, hitting the user or other employees.

On the heels of Workers Memorial Day, Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR) Executive Director Pete Stafford said; “Just as we owe a debt we can never repay to the men and women who died defending our nation and our freedom, we owe a similar debt to those who died while laboring to create the prosperity we enjoy as Americans.”