Construction

Washington – OSHA has released interim enforcement guidance for its Respirable Crystalline Silica in Construction Standard (1926.1153), which is set to be enforced in full on Oct. 23.

Washington – The Transportation Research Board recently published a series of videos highlighting a National Cooperative Highway Research Program analysis of highway worker safety.

Philadelphia – Staffing agencies that hire temporary workers need to be regulated more vigorously, and employers that use those agencies should carry a heavier load of responsibility for workers’ safety, a trio of Temple University law students concluded in a recent report examining how staffing agencies and host employers may “pass the buck” to get around proper safety training and other requirements.

New York – The New York City Council, after eight months of bill editing, on Sept. 27 unanimously approved legislation establishing construction safety training requirements and programming.

Washington – NIOSH is seeking input on a draft of its National Occupational Research Agenda for Construction, a document intended to identify the research, information and actions “most urgently needed” to prevent injuries and illness in the construction industry from 2016 to 2026.

Indianapolis – The preliminary list of OSHA’s Top 10 violations for Fiscal Year 2017 remained largely unchanged from FY 2016, except for one new addition: Fall Protection – Training Requirements (1926.503) entered the list at No. 9 with 1,523 violations, just ahead of Electrical – Wiring Methods (1,405 violations).

Washington – Employers who are found to be acting in “good faith” will have an additional 30 days to comply with OSHA’s Respirable Crystalline Silica in Construction Standard, according to a Sept. 20 memorandum from the agency.

Silver Spring, MD – Workers who frequently drill concrete can reduce their exposure to noise, silica and vibration by regularly replacing dull drill bits with new, sharp ones, according to a recent study from the Center for Construction Research and Training, also known as CPWR.

Washington – OSHA is seeking a one-year delay on crane operator certification requirements scheduled to go into effect in November.

Santa Monica, CA – Nearly 55 percent of American workers claim they encounter “unpleasant and potentially hazardous” conditions on the job, according to a study from nonprofit research institute RAND Corp., Harvard Medical School and the University of California, Los Angeles.