Construction

Washington — OSHA recently released a video highlighting the importance of soil classification when planning trenching and excavation work.

It has taken many years, but OSHA’s construction crane operator requirements are finalized and nearly in full effect.

Washington — Nearly 4 out of 5 Department of Defense manufacturing or construction contractors inspected by OSHA or state agencies over a recent five-year period were cited for at least one worker safety or health violation, according to a new report from the Government Accountability Office.

Washington — OSHA is seeking input to aid in a possible update of its powered industrial trucks standard (1910.178), which covers forklifts, fork trucks, tractors, platform lift trucks and motorized hand trucks, among others, according to a Request for Information published in the March 11 Federal Register.

Baton Rouge, LA — The OSHA Region 6 Training Institute Education Centers recently released a video on trenching and excavation safety.

Montreal — Canadian scientific research organization IRSST has published a guide that stresses the importance of using lockout/tagout and other methods to control hazardous energy when servicing and maintaining mobile equipment.

Washington — OSHA is reminding employers to take precautions to protect workers from the potentially fatal effects of carbon monoxide exposure during the operation of portable generators and other equipment in enclosed spaces.

Silver Spring, MD — A total of 145 construction workers were killed in elevator-related incidents from 2011 through 2016 – more than twice the combined total for all other industries, according to a recent report from the Center for Construction Research and Training, also known as CPWR.

Washington — Employers who make “good faith efforts” to document their evaluations of crane operators have an additional 60 days to comply with OSHA’s Cranes and Derricks in Construction: Operator Certification Extension, according to a Feb. 7 enforcement memorandum from the agency.

New York — Construction worker fatalities remain on the rise in New York state while continuing to decline in New York City, according to an annual report released by the advocacy group New York Committee for Occupational Safety and Health.