Source: National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health is helping kick off Work Zone Awareness Week (April 15-19) with National Stand-Down to Prevent Struck-by Incidents, including a YouTube livestream from a Mobile, Ala. construction site. The event is coordinated by the National Occupational Research Agenda (NORA) Construction Sector Council with Alabama Road Builders, Alabama Associated General Contractors, Alabama Department of Transportation, and American Road and Transportation Builders Association support. Organizers underscore the significance of their target: Struck-by incidents are the second leading cause of workplace deaths and the leading cause of nonfatal injuries among construction workers. In 2020, there were 168 construction worker deaths and approximately 14,000 nonfatal construction injuries from struck-by incidents, according to NIOSH, part of the Centers for Disease Control.
“Stand-downs provide the opportunity to inform workers and management about these hazards and provide training on how to prevent injuries,” says NIOSH Office of Construction Health and Safety Director Scot Earnest. His office will follow the Alabama site production with “Developing and Enforcing Internal Traffic Control Plans,” an April 18 webinar to show how planning ahead to coordinate work zone flow of construction vehicles, equipment and crews can prevent crashes, injuries, and deaths. Hosted on the Zoom platform, with free registration here the webinar will feature a panel of experts discussing real-world issues related to use of internal traffic control plans to help protect workers in roadway work zones.