Construction

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

OSHA initiated an investigation at Henkels & McCoy Inc.’s Bayonne, N.J., worksite under its national emphasis program on trenching and excavation and proposed $70,000 in penalties.

Workers in an 11-foot deep trench were working without the proper protection and exposed to struck-by and crushing injuries from a potential cave-in....More

Great Britain’s Health and Safety Executive (HSE) has launched a month-long national initiative to identify potentially unsafe practices on construction sites in order to prevent work-related injuries, illnesses and fatalities. The initiative will run through March 15....More