AGC of America Launches Effort to Cut Construction Accidents

On Monday, June 2, AGC released a new state-by-state analysis of construction safety and announced a new effort to cut worksite accidents during a visit to a Washington, D.C. construction site participating in a nationwide safety stand-down program. During the event, association and federal officials observed all construction activity come to a halt so that workers could participate in safety training programs. Stephen Sandherr, AGC CEO, released the new state-by-state construction safety analysis and outlined the steps the industry is taking to improve safety. Jim Maddux, director of the Construction Directorate for the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), spoke about the national safety stand-down the agency organized. "Every craft worker has a right to get home safely to his or her family every night," said Sandherr.  "We, our members and our industry are committed to taking every step possible to improve construction safety."

As part of the new safety effort, AGC will conduct an exhaustive analysis of the details of each of the 806 construction fatalities that took place across the country in 2012.  The objective, Sandherr noted, is to identify the common threads among the fatality incidents. Noting that "the best safety programs are based on a solid understanding of vulnerabilities," Sandherr said the association will share its findings with member firms, the federal Occupational Health & Safety Administration (OSHA) and every other construction firm and association that wants the data, free of charge.  He added that the new effort is designed to complement many steps AGC and member firms are already taking to address workplace safety. Click here to see the state construction fatality data and here to see the state construction injury data.