How to Use Behavior-Based Safety to Change Attitudes on the Jobsite

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By Niall Harrington Safety should be everyone’s concern. Construction sites are hazardous and transient, known to have the highest rates of accidents with approximately 80% of these accidents caused by unsafe behaviors. As superintendents, it’s important to ensure workers feel safe and valued when onsite, but also that they feel empowered to be accountable for their own safety. Behavior-Based Safety programs emphasize this mindset by normalizing safe behaviors instead of focusing on measuring the length of time without an injury. Although it may sound like superintendents can take a step back from safety, with behavior-based programs, everyone has an important … Read more

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Alliance Renewed between OSHA, CPWR

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The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration and CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training continue to recognize the value of maintaining a collaborative relationship to foster safety and health practices and programs to improve American workplaces. To that end, OSHA and CPWR renewed the Alliance signed Jan. 11, 2017 with a continued emphasis on reducing construction-related injuries, illnesses and fatalities and supporting OSHA’s priority initiatives. Specifically, both organizations are committed to providing construction workers, employers and others, including members of other construction alliances and the public with information, guidance and access to safety and health research … Read more

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Safe + Sound Week Begins August 12

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CPWR is a partner in the Safe + Sound Campaign, a nationwide effort to raise awareness of the value of workplace safety and health programs. These programs can identify and manage workplace hazards before they cause injury or illness, improving sustainability and the bottom line. Participating in Safe + Sound Week—taking place August 12-18—can help start a new health and safety program, energize an existing one or recognize your safety successes. Last year, more than 2,700 businesses of all sizes made this commitment to improving worker safety and health. For construction-specific resources, including hardhat stickers, visit CPWR’s Safe + Sound … Read more

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Quarterly Data Report Analyzes Construction Falls  

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The new Quarterly Data Report focuses on falls, which remain the most common cause of fatal injuries in the construction industry. In 2017, 389 workers died from falls, 367 from falls to a lower level. Encouragingly, the rate of fatal falls showed signs of decreasing among roofers, the occupation with the highest risk of falls, and among construction laborers, the largest occupation in the industry. Small employers (those with fewer than 20 employees) accounted for 75% of fatal falls between 2015 and 2017, despite making up only 39% of construction payroll employment. The rate of nonfatal falls trended downward between … Read more

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Sheet Metal Workers Take Action to Lessen Suicide Rate among Ranks

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Last November, the CDC released a study showing that from 2012 to 2015, males in construction and extraction workers have the highest rate of suicide in the United States. Categorized in that group are the sheet metal workers which, as an organization, has been focusing on bucking the trend and educating membership through a program aimed at not only challenging trends but decades of stereotypes. The Sheet Metal Occupational Health Institute Trust, the safety arm of the unionized sheet metal, air conditioning and welding industry, and the International Association of Sheet Metal, Air, Rail and Transportation workers, took notice of … Read more

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