Tag Archives: construction

Stand Down for Fall Safety

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This week is the National Safety Stand-Down in the United States, which raises fall hazard awareness across the country in an effort to stop fall fatalities and injuries.

The National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction on May 3-7 is led by the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to reduce injuries and fatalities from falls.

Each year, OSHA publishes a top 10 list of the most frequently cited violations it has recorded. The list for 2020 is largely unchanged from 2019, suggesting that little progress has been made addressing the most common workplace incidents, four of which are related to fall protection: fall protection (general requirements), ladders, scaffolding and fall protection (training requirements). OSHA logged nearly 12,000 violations for these four standards.

Fatalities caused by falls from elevation continue to be a leading cause of death for construction employees, accounting for 401 of the 1,061 construction fatalities … Read more...

Intelex Experts Examine How the Construction Industry Is Flexing its Technology Muscle

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The construction industry has been engaging more and more in technology solutions for challenges such as regulatory compliance, safety analytics, training tracking and more. Join our panel of experts for our latest Expert Connect session, “Construction Builds Technology Muscle” on Wednesday, May 5, 2021, from 10am-10:45am EDT

Chuck Pettinger, Ph.D., Process Change Leader – Implementation for Predictive Solutions Corp., will be our moderator. Chuck has over 30 years of experience designing, implementing and evaluating culture step-change initiatives. His major interests include developing large-scale corporate behavior change initiatives, assessing industrial safety cultures, using advanced predictive analytics to develop leading indicators and conducting organizational leadership workshops.

Chuck will guide our experts through a discussion about some of the technologies being used by world-class companies in the construction industry to protect workers and the business. Existing challenges like compliance and safety have been compounded by new challenges brought about by economic … Read more...

The Impact of COVID-19 on the Construction Industry in the United States

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COVID-19 and Construction

New research released by the Center for Construction Research and Training focuses on the economic impact of COVID-19 on the construction industry through September 2020, examining construction spending, new residential construction and the well-being of small businesses.

A recent report published by the Center for Construction Research and Training notes that COVID-19 has had a “stark impact” on the U.S. economy and many industries, including construction. “Impact of COVID-19 on Construction Businesses and Productions,” published by researchers Samantha Brown, MPH, Raina D. Brooks, MPH, Xiuwen Sue Dong, DrPH, found that while stay-at-home orders aided in “flattening the curve,” they had stark impacts on U.S. workers and businesses, including construction.

The pandemic hit some sectors of the construction industry harder than others, researchers reported. Overall construction spending dropped $68.4 billion from January to May and increased by $44.7 billion from May to September in 2020, remaining about $23.7 billion below January … Read more...

OSHA Guidance for the Construction Industry During Coronavirus Disease 2019

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OSHA recently published COVID-19 Guidance for the Construction Workforce.

(This Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) blog is reprinted with permission from the authors and from the law firm of Greenberg Traurig, LLP.)

We have issued several GT Alerts on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) response to Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). Our first Alert, published Jan. 31, 2020, provided general information on OSHA requirements and steps for employers to consider as COVID-19 began to appear in the United States, before work shutdown and shelter orders were in place.

The second alert, published March 25, 2020, provided guidance for essential workers. The third alert, published April 14, 2020, examined whether an employee’s COVID-19 case is work-related and recordable. This fourth alert covers recently published guidance provided by OSHA for the construction industry, “COVID-19 Guidance for the Construction Workforce.”

List of COVID-19 Recommendations

Although OSHA targeted the construction industry, this concise list … Read more...

Managing Temporary Worker Safety in the Construction Industry

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In recent months OSHA and NIOSH have begun cracking down on organizations for their historically lax treatment of temporary workers in regard to safety. The reasoning for this increased attention, along with subsequent stiff fines is twofold. According to Dave Michaels, OSHA’s Assistant Secretary of Labor, there are 23% more temporary workers in the job market than there were before the recession. This in combination with the fact that temporary workers are 3-4 times more likely to be injured or killed on the job has contributed to a rash of recent incidents.  OSHA’s Temporary Worker Initiative (TWI), officially announced in April 2013, affects all industries but in particular manufacturing and construction, which traditionally employ the most temporary workers and contractors.  This increased focus can have a significant impact both on brand and financial bottom lines.

Who is responsible?

With the majority of temporary workers coming from staffing agencies it is … Read more...

Webinar: 5 Essential Steps for Managing Safety to Win Contracts in Construction

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Demonstrating that you have comprehensive commitment to safety isn’t just a nice to have in the construction business, it’s imperative. More and more construction projects are actually requiring contractors to show that they have a safety management system in place to protect workers, ensure compliance and reduce risk. Without it, you just can’t win those contracts.

What’s important to know is that ensuring you have those systems in place isn’t as challenging as you might think! In this FREE 30-minute webinar, Intelex construction solution expert Tomas Kuras covers what it means to implement a safety management system for your business and how your company will benefit.

Watch this webinar and learn how to:

  • Identify the essential components of a safety system.
  • Assess the investment and timelines that are involved with implementing a safety system.
  • Calculate the potential savings to your business when utilizing a safety system that streamlines the management
… Read more...

5 Facts about Working Safe in Hot Weather

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The US Labor Department has launched their annual summer campaign to prevent heat-related illnesses and it’s the perfect opportunity for us to review the best practices for how to work safe when dealing with extreme weather. Here are some facts and tips that you should be aware of going into the summer months, particularly if you’re responsible for the health and safety of outdoor workers or if you’re an outdoor worker yourself.

1. The Risk is Real!
Thousands of employees become sick each year and many die from working in the heat. In the US in 2012, there were 31 heat-related worker deaths and 4,120 heat-related worker illnesses.

2. Know the Warning Signs
If you or a colleague experience some or most of the following symptoms, you may be suffering from heat exhaustion: dizziness, headache, sweaty skin, weakness, heat cramps, nausea, vomiting, and fast heartbeat. A heat stroke can be … Read more...