By Vern Orpin From physical to mental, distractions are everywhere, and how people handle them can mean life or death—construction jobsites are no different. It is estimated that 80% of industrial accidents and 90% of construction accidents are caused wholly or in part by distractions and human error (according to Heinrich’s Domino Model). Some are the same, some are unique to construction, but all distractions have the potential to change outcomes. That’s why it’s imperative to not only recognize jobsite distractions, but also to build resilience into our systems to have tolerance for all sorts of variables and overcome distractions … Read more
Haselden Wins National Safety Excellence Award
Haselden Construction recently won the Associated General Contractors of America Willis Towers Watson Construction Safety Excellence Award. The company, which at the time of application had more than 500 employees who worked more than one million man hours on jobsites in Colorado and Wyoming in 2018, competed against construction companies nationwide of similar or larger size. Finalists presented to a panel of industry and safety experts, and winners were announced at the AGC Annual Convention, held earlier this month. The AGC Construction Safety Excellence Award is considered the industry’s leading safety award for general and specialty contractors, service providers and … Read more
New Findings on Contractor Use of Safety Best Practices Released
A new report from CPWR and Dodge Data & Analytics, “Contractor Use of Best Safety Practices,” summarizes the results of two recent surveys that explored topics such as how frequently contractors engage in selected safety practices, differences between large-, small- and medium-sized contractors and use of Lean construction. In the case of Lean construction, the report found that familiarity with the concept has grown considerably. In 2013, when contractors were first surveyed about this concept, only 52% said they were familiar with Lean construction compared to 71% today. As shown in the accompanying chart, this report also found that contractors … Read more
Build with Strength Releases Wind Test Video after Tornado Crisis, Encourages Material Tests for More Secure Structures
In the wake of recent destructive spate of tornadoes across the American Southeast, Build with Strength, a coalition of the National Ready Mixed Concrete Association consisting of civic organizations, fire service professionals, architects, engineers and industry experts committed to enacting safer and more sustainable building standards, has released a video promoting the safety advantages of building with concrete. The three-minute video predominantly features the use of wind tunnels, or simulated high-velocity wind machines, designed to replicate the potential debris damage in a violent storm or tornado. Alabama experienced its deadliest storms in eight years with at least 18 tornadoes touching … Read more
Study Finds Upward Trend in Elevator-Related Construction Fatalities
Workers are at risk of serious injury or death when installing, repairing and maintaining escalators and elevators, as well as when cleaning elevator shafts, conducting emergency evacuations of stalled elevators or performing construction work near open shafts. A recent study by CPWR’s Data Center found that while fatalities fluctuate year-to-year, the general trend in elevator-related deaths has been upward. According to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, the number of deaths doubled from 14 in 2003 to 28 in 2016, with a peak of 37 deaths in 2015. Between 2011 and 2016, 145 construction workers died due to elevator-related … Read more