Under a proposed rule unveiled last month, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration would require employers to develop an injury and illness prevention plan to control heat hazards in workplaces affected by excessive indoor or outdoor temperatures. “Heat Injury and Illness Prevention” calls for employers to evaluate risks and—when increasing temperatures raise worker exposure—implement requirements for drinking water, rest breaks…
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OSHA proposes site-specific plans in heat protection standard
Sources: Occupational Safety and Health Administration; CP staff Under a proposed rule unveiled the second week of summer, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration would require employers to develop an injury and illness prevention plan to control heat hazards in workplaces affected by excessive indoor or outdoor temperatures. “Heat Injury and Illness Prevention” calls for employers to evaluate risks and—when…
Read MoreOSHA cites contractors in failure of precast soundwall-bearing crane
Sources: Occupational Safety and Health Administration; CP staff Occupational Safety and Health Administration investigators have cited Concrete Impressions of Florida Inc., Plant City precast sound barrier panel producer and installer, and Adcock Cranes Inc., Tampa lifting services provider, with one other-than serious and two serious violations tied to a 2023 Orlando highway ramp site fatality. Investigators determined that a boom crane…
Read MoreLabor observer sees continuing slide in unionized construction workforce
An Associated Builders and Contractors analysis of 2023 union membership data published by UnionStats.com finds at least 90 percent of workers in the private construction industry do not belong to a union in 29 states, up from 26 and 24 states in the prior two years. North Carolina, Mississippi, Maine, South Carolina and Texas lead the current list of states…
Read MoreOSHA inspectors’ PPE evolution: Helmets on, hard hats shelved
Sources: Occupational Safety and Health Administration; CP staff The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is replacing traditional hard hats with safety helmets, citing greater protection prospects for inspectors while noting, “OSHA wants employers to make safety and health a core value in their workplaces and is committed to doing the same by leading by example and embracing the evolution of…
Read MoreEarthCam artificial intelligence algorithm delves job site safety
EarthCam, a specialist in live camera technology, content and services for construction interests, has unveiled a breakthrough in its artificial intelligence platform, whose latest algorithms can detect when workers are operating at height with significant accuracy. An incremental improvement in safe practices due to better awareness created by objective AI camera analytics has real potential to prevent many injuries and…
Read MoreABC frowns on proposal to open OSHA inspections to third-party reps
Sources: Associated Builders and Contractors, Washington, D.C.; CP staff The Associated Builders and Contractors has outlined opposition to a Department of Labor-proposed rule, Worker Walkaround Representative Designation Process, that would allow an employee to choose a third-party individual, such as an outside union representative, to accompany an Occupational Safety and Health Administration inspector in nonunion facility visits.
Read MoreWorkplace heat-safety measures: Training vs. temperature triggers
Ahead of a month or more of vacation for some Washington, D.C. regulars, the White House instructed the Department of Labor to issue a first ever Hazard Alert in response to an unusually hot July. The agency will ramp up enforcement of heat-safety violations, increasing inspections in high-risk industries like construction, while its Occupational Safety and Health Administration belabors a…
Read MoreLabor Department expands Form 300 data submission requirements
Sources: U.S. Department of Labor; CP staff Under “Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses,” a final rule effective January 2024, the Labor Department is requiring certain employers in designated high-hazard industries to electronically submit injury and illness information to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Establishments with 100 or more employees in cement, concrete, construction and other industries deemed…
Read MoreFatal prestressed pile incident draws $59K OSHA penalty
Sources: U.S. Department of Labor; CP staff The Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Miami heavy/civil contractor de Moya Group Inc. for four serious violations tied to a December 2022 accident on an Interstate 95 site, where a 90-ft., 18-in. square prestressed concrete pile—hoisted by a crane encountering unstable soil—struck an aerial lift boom. The impact sent two carpenters…
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