Hilti Addresses OSHA Respirable Crystalline Silica Standard for Construction

PLANO, Texas – Through education and product innovation, Hilti is supporting customers as they develop and implement compliancy plans for the new Occupational Safety and Health Administration standard §1926.1153 Respirable Crystalline Silica for construction. The company has scheduled a series of webinars and has a whitepaper about the OSHA RCS Standard. First introduced in March 2016, the OSHA RCS Standard introduced more stringent “permissible exposure limits,” moving from approximately 250 micrograms/m3 averaged over an 8-hour day to 50 micrograms/m3 averaged over an 8-hour day. All companies that engage in silica-generating applications, such as cutting, grinding, drilling or breaking concrete and/or masonry, have until June … Read more

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Safety First: A Look at the Latest Safety Measures and Equipment

New standards, safety gear help workers take a stand against injuries By Chris Maday Schmidt It goes without saying that the number one priority for superintendents is the safety of their crews and subcontractors. And that the number one goal is 100 percent zero incidents so that every worker goes home, unscathed, at the end of each day. Nearly 6.5 million people work at approximately 252,000 construction sites across the nation on any given day, according to OSHA. And, when compared to all industries, the fatal injury rate for the construction industry is higher than the national average in this … Read more

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National Campaign to Prevent Falls in Construction Presents Webinar

At 2 p.m. EST on Wednesday, March 1, the National Campaign to Prevent Falls in Construction presents Getting Ready for the 2017 Safety Stand-Down. The speakers for the webinar include: Chris Trahan Cain, executive director, CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training Christine Branche, Ph.D., principal associate director, NIOSH, and director, Office of Construction Safety and Health Dean McKenzie, Director, OSHA directorate of construction Falls are the top cause of construction fatalities and account for 1/3 of on-the-job injuries and deaths in the industry. In 2012, CPWR, NIOSH and OSHA together launched a national construction fall prevention campaign. … Read more

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OSHA Issues Recommended Practices to Promote Workplace Safety, Health Programs in Construction

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs in Construction to help industry employers develop proactive programs to keep their workplaces safe. The recommendations may be particularly helpful to small- and medium-sized contractors who lack safety and health specialists on staff. Safety and health programs encourage finding and fixing workplace hazards before they cause injuries, illnesses and deaths. Implementing these programs also helps reduce the financial difficulties these events can cause for workers, their families and their employers. Contractors can create a safety and health program using a number of simple … Read more

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Secretary of Labor Renews Charter of Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health

WASHINGTON, D.C. – Secretary of Labor Thomas E. Perez recently renewed the charter of the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health. The Federal Advisory Committee Act requires that all advisory committees renew their charters every two years. The renewed ACCSH charter, expiring Nov. 17, 2018, includes minor updates to better describe the management of the committee’s records. ACCSH, established under the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act and the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, advises the secretary of labor and assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health on construction standards and policy matters. ACCSH … Read more

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