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Top News
All month, mental health advocates, prevention organizations, survivors, allies, and community members unite to promote suicide prevention awareness. National Suicide Prevention Week is the Monday through Sunday surrounding World Suicide Prevention Day. It’s a time to share resources and stories, as well as promote suicide prevention awareness. World Suicide Prevention Day is September 10. It’s a time to remember those affected by suicide, to raise awareness, and to focus efforts on directing treatment to those who need it most. For more information, visit https://suicidepreventionlifeline.org/.
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), construction occupations have the highest rate of suicide, as well as the highest number of suicides across all occupational groups. To combat these statistics, contractors, unions, associations, industry service providers and project owners must work together to STAND up for suicide prevention. We are excited to share the tools [zip file] that the Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention (CISAP) have created to help you join us in sharing the STAND up for Suicide Prevention message.
This short video from the Construction Center of Excellence is one way to get the conversation started about suicide in construction and share resources among your workforce.
Every year during Construction Safety Week, construction companies reinforce and celebrate our shared commitment to safety with safety meetings, equipment demonstrations, job tours and more. Join us next week and bring Safety Week 2020 to life at your company by planning events on your projects and in your offices. Click here to access and download all of the tools and resources you’ll need to get started on planning your activities, including tips, best practices and all of the Safety Week branded materials you’ll need to support your events and communication.
This year, OSHA’s National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction is happening during the same week, September 14 – 18. The National Safety Stand-Down raises fall hazard awareness across the country in an effort to stop fall fatalities and injuries. Click here to access OSHA’s set of tools and resources to help you prepare for this event. In addition, join AGC and OSHA on Monday, September 14 at 3 PM Eastern for the virtual kickoff of this event.
On this special episode, AGC’s Senior Director of Safety and Health Services, Kevin Cannon and Director of Safety and Health Services, Nazia Shah, showcase the events scheduled for September 14-18, 2020, (Construction Safety Week and OSHA’s Fall Safety Stand-down) and how contractors and their partners can take this opportunity to recommit to sending every worker home safe each day. Find out how to participate, access online materials and best practice resources, and be recognized for your efforts.
On this new episode of ConstructorCast, we feature three AGC member companies that are pioneering tech solutions to challenges faced daily by the construction industry. As a result, they were named the 2020 winners of the AGC Construction Innovation Award. Listen and be inspired by their creations: Anne Brown -- “CopperWorks” by Christman Constructors Inc; Eric Cylwik -- “Slab Former” by Sundt; and Susan Heinking -- “Net Zero Trailer” by Pepper Construction.
New survey by AGC of America and HCSS catalogs work zone risks for motorists and workers as construction activity increases amid growing number of road trip vacationers
Construction employment increased in 329 out of 358 metro areas between April and May as a new survey finds that two-thirds of highway construction firms had at least one crash in the past year at highway work zones they operate. Officials with AGC of America and HCSS, which conducted the survey, urged drivers to slow down and be aware while driving through highway work zones during their summer travels.
“As industry employment increases, it is safe to assume that more people are working in highway work zones that are typically close to moving traffic,” said Ken Simonson, the association’s chief economist. “And it is important to remember that any time your job site is just a few feet away from fast moving traffic, danger is never far away.”
Read more and/or view infographic of 2020 Work Zone Safety Survey results.
The coronavirus has harmed the construction industry, prompting project delays and cancellations, layoffs and furloughs, yet it remains difficult for a majority of firms to find craft workers to hire, according to the results of a workforce survey conducted by the AGC of America and Autodesk. The survey paints a picture of an industry in need of immediate recovery measures and longer-term workforce development support, association officials added.
Regulatory & Legislative Updates
On August 28, 2020, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) published a final rule revising the beryllium standards for construction and shipyards. The final rule includes changes designed to clarify the standards and simplify or improve compliance. These changes maintain protection for workers while ensuring that the standard is well understood and compliance is simple and straightforward.
Events
Monday, September 14, 2020 | 3 - 4 p.m. eastern
OSHA’s National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction is scheduled for September 14 – 18. Fatalities caused by falls from elevation continue to be a leading cause of death for construction employees, accounting for 320 of the 1,008 construction fatalities recorded in 2018 (BLS data). The National Safety Stand-Down raises fall hazard awareness across the country in an effort to stop fall fatalities and injuries. Join representatives from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and AGC of America to kick-off the 2020 National Safety Stand-Down (September 14-18) to prevent Falls in construction. During the session, you will hear remarks from the leaders of OSHA and AGC highlighting the importance of preventing falls in construction as well as contractor members who have taking an innovative approach to raising awareness about the dangers associated with falls in construction.
October 5 - 7, 2020 | Cincinnati, OH
Standard Registration Rate: $995 December 1 – 3, 2020 | Madison, WI Early Bird Registration Rate: $895 before 10/07/2020
Standard Registration Rate: $995 after 10/07/2020
The AGC Safety Management Training Course (SMTC) provides attendees three days of training on the basic skills needed to manage a company safety program in the construction industry. Held just a few times per year at select locations around the country, the SMTC program builds on focus four training and prepares attendees to manage key safety issues on the job site and provides techniques for delivering basic safety training to field personnel. Participants will receive intensive instruction and training that will allow them to return to their firms with readily applicable new skills to positively impact their company’s safety and health program.
According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), from 2011 to 2015, the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) reported 220 total crane-related deaths, an average of 44 per year over this 5-year period with 42% of the fatal work injuries taking place in the private construction industry. The data also shows that specialty contractors and heavy and civil engineering construction accounted for the most fatalities involving cranes in private construction. AGC of America is pleased to offer this one-day training program based on OSHA standards and best practices to answer the need for quality training within the industry. October dates October 14, 2020 | 8: 00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. October 15, 2020 | 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. October 29 & 30, 2020 | 8:00 a.m. - 5:00 p.m. Member News
Faith Technologies has announced the launch of a new safety video series, “Charged!” As the winners of the AGC Construction Safety Excellence Grand Award for 2020, Faith Technologies has been charged with sharing their safety knowledge with the industry. These videos will share Faith’s overall health and wellness focus, which encompasses mind, body and soul. Information will also be shared on the effect that safety has on everything they do, including its relationship to productivity, and how others can apply the same tools to affect positive change within their organizations and the industry as a whole. Check out the first series on their website here. A new blog article will accompany each new video in our series, and be published on Faith Technologies Blog.
Falls are the leading cause of death in the construction industry, and to shed light on this danger, Rosendin created a video that simulates what would happen to the human body if a person were to fall from a height of 12 and 20 feet. Using ballistic dummies that are 95 percent direct recreations of the human body, the Rosendin team got real results, on camera, while in a controlled setting. A medical doctor provided an on-site analysis of the injuries sustained immediately after each fall, including the possible cause(s) of death. A mock autopsy was performed on each dummy to discover any internal damage to the body.
COVID-19 protocols include contactless drive-up service and pre-rental and last-touch disinfecting
United Rentals, Inc., a member of multiple AGC chapters, has shared nine key protocols at the core of its response to COVID-19. Following the onset of the pandemic, the company acted quickly to implement new measures for the safety of its employees and customers, both inside and outside its branches. The added protocols expand on the company’s industry-leading commitment to best safety practices, training and communications.
In September, Werner will offer national safety trainings, online courses and a new, downloadable climbing handbook in support of OSHA’s national initiative
Werner, a member of multiple AGC chapters, will train thousands of workers across the country in support of the Occupational Safety & Health Administration’s (OSHA) National Safety Stand-Down initiative. This year, with a different type of safety in mind, Werner will lead ladder safety and fall protection training sessions both virtually and in-person. Construction professionals will also be able to access free Fall Protection and Ladder Safety courses online, as well as download an all-new Climbing Handbook designed to help users with ladder selection and how to use ladders safely.
Safety Cabinet
AGC’s Professional Mobile Crane Operations Program is designed to assist the construction community as a whole to prepare for the certification requirement to reflect the provisions in the new standards. This student guide is designed to help participants become a better crane operator by learning sage and efficient practices. Upon completion of the program participants will understand various operational and safety principles and practices that can be used every day. This program covers rules and regulations, site review and set-up, operations, conditions affecting operations, basic rigging and wire rope, maintenance and inspection, load charts, and crane types.
Best Practices
BY JEFF STACHOWIAK, DIRECTOR OF SAFETY TRAINING
SUNBELT RENTALS, A MEMBER OF MULTIPLE AGC CHAPTERS
The importance of safety when working from heights cannot be emphasized enough. It is critical to take the proper precautions to protect employees, which includes conducting detailed jobsite checks to mitigate any hazards that are present and could lead to injury. It also involves thorough employee training that provides a clear understanding of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations and American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards.
Photo caption: As with any safety aspect on the jobsite, focusing on compliance and vigilance when working at heights is key to protecting employees.
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