OSHA Issues Guidance for Respiratory Protection during COVID-19 N95 Shortage

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The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued interim enforcement guidance to help combat supply shortages of disposable N95 filtering face piece respirators. The action marks the department’s latest step to ensure the availability of respirators and follows President Trump’s Memorandum on Making General Use Respirators Available. Due to the impact on workplace conditions caused by limited supplies of N95 FFRs, employers should reassess their engineering controls, work practices and administrative controls to identify any changes they can make to decrease the need for N95 respirators. If respiratory protection must be used, employers may consider use … Read more

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CPWR Hosts Webinar: Tools for Defending against Top Four Killers of Construction Workers

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Several hazards put construction workers in danger daily. In this webinar hosted by Occupational Health & Safety, CPWR staff will discuss “The Focus Four,” or the four hazards, according to OSHA, that cause the most fatalities among construction workers: falls, electrocutions, struck-by and caught-in/between. The webinar is at 2 p.m. Eastern Time on Thursday, March 26, and will start with an overview by Bruce Lippy, director of nanomaterials research, of the scope of these four hazards. CPWR has been a major participant with OSHA and NIOSH in the Stop Construction Falls campaign for years and is offering new materials for … Read more

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Construction Advisory Committee Workgroups to Meet, Discuss Industry Hazards

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The U.S. Department of Labor will hold a teleconference meeting of the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health Workgroups on Thursday, March 5. The Education, Training and Outreach workgroup will meet from 10 a.m. to noon EST to discuss trench safety and fall prevention. The Emerging and Current Issues workgroup will meet from 1 p.m. to 3 p.m. EST to discuss opioids and suicides in construction. WHAT:          Teleconference Meeting of Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health Workgroups WHEN:          Thursday, March 5 Education, Training and Outreach workgroup: 10 a.m. to noon EST Emerging and Current Issues workgroup: 1-3 p.m. … Read more

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ABC Highlights Value of Leading Safety Indicators during OSHA Public Meeting

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Associated Builders and Contractors Vice President of Health, Safety, Environment and Workforce Development Greg Sizemore spoke at a recent Occupational Health and Safety Administration public meeting on leading indicators for safety and health programs. In his remarks, Sizemore emphasized the importance of leading indicators as a proactive measure to prevent workplace hazards and reduce recordable incidents, resulting in improved safety and health performance. Citing ABC’s 2019 Safety Performance Report, an annual assessment of STEP safety management system data, Sizemore outlined the remarkable impact that leading indicators, such as toolbox talks or substance abuse programs, have on a construction company’s safety … Read more

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Autodesk, AGC to Address Custom-Fitting Safety Harnesses for Women

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According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, falls are the leading cause of private sector worker fatalities in the construction industry. Everyone who works at heights, whether it’s on a roof, scaffolding or the edge of a tall building, should have properly fitting safety harnesses, yet not all contractors have the supplies they need to better protect women in construction. To help address this, Autodesk is funding a grant program with the Associated General Contractors of America to supply select, in-need member contractors with fall protection harnesses sized for women who work at heights. The program comes at a … Read more

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