Construction

Employers may have an additional 3 years to come into compliance with OSHA’s new crane operator certification requirements. The agency is proposing changing the compliance deadline to Nov. 10, 2017. When OSHA issued its final standard on requirements for cranes and derricks in construction in 2010, the initial deadline to meet qualification/certification requirements for crane operators was Nov. 10, 2014. OSHA proposes to extend the compliance deadline by 3 years based on concerns raised about the new requirements....More

A new OSHA final rule published in the Federal Register extends the August 2010 cranes and derricks in construction standard to include demolition work and underground construction. The final rule goes into effect on May 23. According to OSHA, the rule will protect construction workers from hazards associated with hoisting equipment. It applies the same crane rules to underground construction and demolition that already are being used by other construction sectors....More

Attorney Howard Mavity, who co-chairs Fisher & Phillips’ Workplace Safety and Catastrophe Management Practice Group, said that a recent survey was distributed to the Associated General Contractors (AGC) – National Safety committee, AGC Chapters in Missouri, Texas, Georgia, the Carolinas and to a large percentage of the larger U.S. general contractors. Almost 100 contractors responded....More

A key component in preventing overexposure to silica and subsequent disease is to have at least one individual on the job site who is capable of recognizing and evaluating situations where overexposure may be occurring; who knows how to evaluate the exposure potential; and who can make an initial recommendation on how to control that exposure. This is the role of the “silica-competent person.”...More