Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Do you know the difference between what is considered construction or maintenance? The type of work performed dictates what standards you need to follow. Use this infographic to find out if your task is considered construction or maintenance.
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study that examined unintentional or undetermined overdose deaths in 26 occupation groups found that construction occupations had the highest proportional mortality rates (PMRs) of deaths from both heroin and prescription opioids.
OSHA recently provided guidance about several frequently asked questions about the respirable crystalline silica rule in construction, along with a new set of videos on controlling silica dust generated by several types of equipment.
OSHA’s illumination standards for construction (29 CFR 1926.56) and shipyard employment (29 CFR 1915.82) are intended to ensure that specific work areas or areas where workers are stationed or passing through are provided with lighting that is sufficient to enable the workers to see hazardous conditions and avoid injury. The standards set minimum lighting requirements […]
On Monday, three news releases from OSHA covered recent enforcement actions. Two of them were taken against construction companies that failed to protect employees from trenching hazards, and one of the enforcement actions was unfortunately taken only after two employees were killed.
Struck-by object is one of OSHA’s Construction Focus Four topics (along with falls, electrocution, and caught-in-between), collectively the four hazards that year-to-year result in more than half the fatalities in the construction industry.
OSHA’s proposed amendments to its Cranes and Derricks in Construction: Operator Qualification standard (May 21, 2018, Federal Register (FR)) contains what some employers seem to be interpreting as two contradictory positions. The proposal adds a requirement that employers must conduct evaluations to ensure that the equipment operator possesses “the skills, knowledge, and judgment necessary to […]
Whether to test or not to test for polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs)—that was the question (among others) raised in the panel discussion “Managing PCBs in Buildings: Renovations, Transactions, Demolition, and More” at the Connecticut Business & Industry Association (CBIA) Energy & Environment Conference on May 18, 2018, in Farmington, Connecticut.
Three years ago this month, OSHA issued a new standard for construction work in confined spaces; the standard became effective August 3, 2015. The rule was similar in many respects to the general industry confined spaces standard while also incorporating construction-specific hazards. One issue employers regularly confront under the construction standard is the difference between […]
OSHA has issued a proposed rule addressing crane operator certification in construction. Published May 21 in the Federal Register, the rule would permanently extend and clarify employers’ duties to ensure that crane operators are competent to operate equipment through training, certification or licensing, and evaluation.