Improving Worker Safety and Health in the Building Industry

CPWR’s Exposure Control Database can help anticipate and control worker exposures to silica, welding fumes, lead and noise. This free online tool allows users to enter a construction task, proposed controls and other variables and obtain a predicted exposure level based on exposure data from trusted sources. A recorded webinar on the database will walk you through its features. January 2019 marks two years since CPWR’s Foundations for Safety Leadership training module was deemed worthy by OSHA to be used as an official elective for the OSHA 30-hour outreach training curriculum. FSL is a free, interactive training curriculum that instructors … Read more

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Webinar: Predicting Exposure to Hazards Using CPWR Exposure Control Database

Predicting worker exposure to jobsite hazards, such as silica, has historically been a challenge in construction. The construction industry lacks a system to help health and safety practitioners predict exposure to hazards and implement effective controls accordingly. To bridge this gap, CPWR – The Center for Construction Research and Training has developed an interactive, online Exposure Control Database that calculates exposure to four major hazards—silica, welding fumes, noise and lead—using prepopulated objective data. Join CPWR Exposure Control Technologies Research Director Babak Memarian and Industrial Hygienist Sara Brooks to learn more about CPWR’s Exposure Control Database and how to use it. … Read more

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W Hotel in Aspen Tops Out New Modern Chalet, Twist on Traditional Alpine Retreat

GLENWOOD SPRINGS, Colo. – Haselden Construction recently celebrated the topping out of the W Hotel in Aspen, Colorado. The new resort—which will include 88 guest rooms, 11 fractional residences, a rooftop pool and spa and speakeasy-style nightclub—will be a “modern chalet” for Aspen Mountain. Being built on the site of the former Sky Hotel, the W Aspen will offer guests and residents slope-side access to Aspen Mountain along with a state-of-the-art ski shop, outdoor patio and fire pits for après and a spacious 12,000-square-foot rooftop pool and bar with picturesque views of the ski resort. Rowland + Broughton designed the … Read more

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Contractors Identify Strong Safety Programs to Address Skilled Labor Scarcity, Substance Abuse

WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Q3 2018 USG Corporation + U.S. Chamber of Commerce Commercial Construction Index recently released indicates skilled labor shortages will have the greatest impact on commercial construction businesses over the next three years. The report revealed 88 percent of contractors expect to feel at least a moderate impact from the workforce shortages in the next three years with over half (57 percent) expecting the impact to be high/very high. The skilled labor shortage has been consistently identified as a major issue facing the industry, but it is now reported by 80 percent of contractors to be impacting worker and … Read more

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5S Makes Jobsites Safer, Cleaner and More Productive

By Mark Jagiello The 17-story Home2 Suites by Hilton hotel, under construction in downtown Chicago, Illinois, recently topped off six weeks ahead of schedule and with 293 days and 90,000 work hours without an injury. While Mortenson implemented an array of innovative techniques to reach this milestone safely and ahead of schedule, the Lean approach known as 5S played a critical role. We use 5S to maintain neat, clean, orderly project sites and work areas improving safety, quality and efficiency. 5S was originally based on five Japanese words: seiri, seiton, seiso, seiketsu, and shitsuke. It has been adapted in English … Read more

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