Construction

Washington – Beginning in 2017, employers with federal government contracts must provide their workers with up to seven days of paid sick leave per year, according to a Department of Labor final rule published Sept. 29.

Construction sites are busy and full of potential dangers. One of these dangers is struck-by incidents. In 2013, more than 17,100 construction workers were injured – and 84 workers died – in struck-by incidents, according to the 2016 edition of the chartbook “Injury Facts,” produced by the National Safety Council.

Olympia, WA – The Washington State Department of Labor and Industries has issued a hazard alert for workers who use thermal cutting tools to de-tension cables embedded in concrete structures such as bridges and freeway overpasses, warning them of the dangers of lead exposure.

Washington – Dean McKenzie has been appointed director of OSHA’s Directorate of Construction.

Washington – OSHA has published an amendment to correct typographical errors in the formulas in its final rule aimed at protecting workers from exposure to respirable crystalline silica.

Silver Spring, MD – Noting that partnerships between construction management and employees “are most effective when they exist within a positive safety climate,” the Center for Construction Research and Training, also known as CPWR, has updated its workbook, "Strengthening Jobsite Safety Climate by Using and Improving Leading Indicators."

Red Wing, MN – 3M has issued a voluntary recall of its original DBI-SALA Lad-Saf Sleeve.

Portland, OR – The forestry and logging industry in Oregon, together with the transportation industry, accounted for 30 of the 62 worker fatalities recorded by the Oregon Occupational Fatality and Assessment and Control Evaluation Program in 2014, according to OR-FACE’s recently published annual report.

Although the Zika virus has been in the news for much of 2016, many questions remain about the different ways it can be transmitted. On July 20, the National Safety Council, together with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and NIOSH, attempted to answer those questions.

Nashville, TN – Twenty-two worker deaths have occurred in Tennessee in the first seven months of 2016, indicating the state may surpass the number of on-the-job fatalities recorded in 2015, according to the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration.