To reduce employee exposure to health hazards and encourage companies to make workplace safety and health a priority, the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) regional office in Kansas City has established a Regional Emphasis Program targeting OSHA's Top 50 High-Hazard Health Industries.
"The COVID-19 pandemic has already created and accelerated a host of challenges for the construction industry, including a skilled workforce shortage, rising material costs, supply chain disruptions, jobsite shut-downs, additional health and safety protocols and new government regulations. The forthcoming ETS only adds to this long list of concerns," the statement read.
In October 2021, OSHA will take a significant step toward a federal heat standard to ensure protections in workplaces across the country by issuing an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking on heat injury and illness prevention in outdoor and indoor work settings.
The updated guidance expands information on appropriate measures for protecting workers in higher-risk workplaces with mixed-vaccination status workers, particularly for industries where there is often prolonged close contact with other workers and/or non-workers.
It is important to not only look at efficacy of disinfectants, cleaners, and antimicrobials, but also to understand the application and usage process, the product's safety, its effect (if any) on occupants of the home or building you're cleaning, the safety of the product, and so on.
Patented device not only makes ladder use safer for residential and commercial roofers, building contractors and do-it-yourselfers, but it also protects the roof from damage commonly caused by ladder use.
In each edition of ANSI/IICRC’s S500 Standard and Reference Guide for Professional Water Damage Restoration, dating back to 1994, the mitigation contractor’s stated first priority on a loss site has remained clear: “Eliminate safety hazards”. I am certain that SARS-CoV-2 (the virus) or COVID-19 (the disease) are not what the authors of the standard had in mind.
Nothing prepares you for a career in the construction industry more than the real-world experiences you’ll gain on a job site or under a mentor's guidance.
If you are a safety-conscious worker, you will at some point in your career be faced with the task of presenting a safety concern to your employer. Here is how to approach the important conversation.