WASHINGTON, D.C. – Common Ground Alliance, the stakeholder-run organization dedicated to protecting underground utility lines and the people who dig near them, shared findings from its comprehensive 2015 Damage Information Reporting Tool report. The report, which is the sum of all 2015 data submitted anonymously and voluntarily by facility operators, utility locating companies, one call centers, contractors and regulators, estimates that the total number of underground excavation damages in the U.S. last year dropped by 9 percent from the year prior, to approximately 317,000 damages. The 2015 damage ratio, which measures damages per 1,000 one-call transmissions, decreased by nearly 4 … Read more
OSHA Releases Updated Recommended Practices to Encourage Workplace Safety, Health Programs
WASHINGTON, D.C. – The Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently released a set of Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs to help employers establish a methodical approach to improving safety and health in their workplaces. The recommendations update OSHA’s 1989 guidelines to reflect changes in the economy, workplaces and evolving safety and health issues. The recommendations feature a new, easier-to-use format and should be particularly helpful to small- and medium-sized businesses. Also new is a section on multi-employer workplaces and a greater emphasis on continuous improvement. Supporting tools and resources are included. The programs are not prescriptive; they are … Read more
OSHA, Turner Forge Partnership to Train, Protect Construction Workers on CH2 Data Center
OSHA and Turner Construction Turner Company recently established a partnership to protect workers on the CH2 Data Center project in Northlake, Illinois. The partnership includes trade unions and 15 subcontractors, with a combined workforce of more than 500 employees. Construction of the $275-million, 22.8 megawatt data center is expected to be complete in 2018. The partnership will emphasize reducing injury and illness on the jobsite and will focus training on the top four construction industry hazards: falls, struck-by, caught-in/between and electrocutions. The partnership will require all employers, contractors and subcontractors to implement written safety and health programs conduct daily pre-task … Read more
Dual SRL Bracket Features Flexibility, Durable Construction
The Dual SRL Bracket from Guardian Fall Protection is designed to assemble two single-leg self-retracting lifelines into a dual-leg SRL, allowing the user to maintain 100 percent tie-off when transitioning between anchor points. Easy and quick to install underneath the D-Ring of any Guardian harness, the Dual SRL Bracket gives the user ultimate flexibility in selecting their fall protection system. The Dual SRL Bracket is durable and lightweight and is made of corrosion-resistant zinc-plated steel. It features tool-less installation and has a visual positive locking indicator to ensure proper attachment.
3M Personal Safety Division Launches 3M Center for Respiratory Protection
For construction superintendents tasked with running and overseeing the day-to-day operations on a construction site, finding tools and resources to make their project and safety managers more effective can be a great help. It’s important to feel secure in the knowledge that your team has resources and tools available to help them protect their crews, and ensure that everyone on site is compliant with current standards and regulations. Creating and implementing a respiratory protection program can be a complex and challenging task. From exposure assessments to respirator selection to fit testing, a written respiratory protection program has multiple requirements that … Read more