Month: July 2016

According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics 2014 Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries, there were 874 fatal work injuries in construction in 2014, the highest total since 2008. Research by CPWR, the center for construction research and training, has found that construction workers are 18 percent more likely to experience a workplace injury than workers in other fields. CPWR researchers also found that the risk of injury doubled for construction workers who held five or more construction jobs each year when compared to those who only worked one or two jobs. This data suggests that worksite inexperience increases the risk factor for work-related injuries, perhaps because new construction workers may not understand their safety rights and responsibilities. They may also be uncomfortable reporting jobsite hazards or underestimating their risks.

To reduce safety risks and keep your worker’s compensation claims and insurance costs low, it’s important to consider new workers when creating or reviewing your jobsite safety program. Experts suggest that one of the best things you can do is provide safety orientation for every new worker on your jobsite. Each orientation should include:

• The hazards they can expect to encounter and how to identify them
• How to assess and report hazards
• The personal protective equipment available on the jobsite
• When personal protective equipment is required
• Worker OSHA rights and employer responsibilities
• Review of the jobsite safety program and their responsibilities
• How to handle emergency situations
• How to report jobsite accidents and injuries

You can also reduce new worker safety risks on the jobsite by assigning low-risk duties during the first month. Initial tasks should not require complicated training or require solo work. Instituting a mentoring program or buddy system through which you pair new construction workers with those who are more experienced can be a very helpful addition to a thorough orientation.

Reinforce safety with new workers on a weekly basis. After the first month, assess their knowledge of your jobsite’s safety policies and procedures. If you determine a new worker has a firm grasp of the information he/she needs to help maintain the safety of the jobsite, you can then advance him/her to higher-risk duties.

Research by the Institute for Work and Health has found that the risk of work injury is particularly elevated during a worker’s first month on the job and remains higher than average for the first year on the job. Those in their first month on the job are over three times more likely to experience a lost-time injury as those with more than 12 month’s tenure.  If you’d like assistance reviewing your current jobsite safety program to ensure it properly addresses new worker risks, we’re here to help.

Outdoor work and lightning danger often go hand in hand. According to the National Weather Service, 34 percent of the work-related lightning fatalities that occurred between 2006 and 2015 were in farming and ranching. Roofing and construction accounted for 15 percent and 11 percent respectively, while lawn care (9 percent), barge workers (4 percent) and the military (4 percent) also had fatalities caused by lightning. Every year, cloud to ground lightning occurs 20 to 30 million times—striking an average of 300 people in the process. While lightning only kills about 50 people every year, many more of the victims suffer permanent disabilities.

As a construction employer, it’s important that you recognize lightning as a very real workplace hazard. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) suggests all employers with outdoor workers include a lightning safety protocol within their written emergency action plan. This safety protocol should include when specific lightning safety actions should take place, how to notify workers of immediate lightning danger, appropriate safety actions, and necessary response times. Employers should also post lightning safety information at all their outdoor jobsites and review the emergency action plan with affected employees.

Recognizing Lightning Danger

OSHA recommends that construction employers monitor weather reports from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) whenever they have workers on outdoor jobsites. They suggest that employers consider rescheduling jobs when hazardous weather conditions are in the forecast. Employers should also require their supervisors and outdoor workers to watch for the darkening clouds and increasing wind speeds that usually indicate developing thunderstorms.

Responding to Lightning Danger

Put simply, “When thunder roars, go indoors.” According to the NOAA, no outdoor location can offer adequate safety when a thunderstorm is in the area. Whenever possible, your workers should be instructed to retreat to a fully enclosed building if they hear thunder or see lightning. They should remain with in this shelter for at least 30 minutes after the last rumble of thunder.

If a fully enclosed building is not available, your workers should be instructed to retreat to their vehicles and roll up the windows. Again, they should not resume work until at least 30 minutes after the last thunderclap.

If workers do not have access to a fully enclosed building or their vehicles, they should be instructed to avoid utility poles, cell phone towers, cranes, ladders, scaffolding, large equipment, wiring, plumbing, fencing and rooftops. They should also avoid open areas and water. Retreating to a dense area of small trees that are surrounded by large trees or a low-lying area such as a ditch may be their best option.

Lightning Detection Services

Monitoring NOAA weather reports and weather conditions at the jobsite are usually the most efficient ways to identify lightning danger. However, commercial lightning detection and notification services are also an option. These services send an alert when lightning activity moves to within a certain range of the jobsite but they cannot predict the first lightning strike. Portable, hand-held lightning detectors detect the electromagnetic signal from lightning strikes and can estimate distance. But again, they cannot predict where lightning will strike.

Outdoor work and lightning danger often go hand in hand. According to the National Weather Service, 34 percent of the work-related lightning fatalities that occurred between 2006 and 2015 were in farming and ranching. Roofing and construction accounted for 15 percent and 11 percent respectively, while lawn care (9 percent), barge workers (4 percent) and the military (4 percent) also had fatalities caused by lightning. Every year, cloud to ground lightning occurs 20 to 30 million times—striking an average of 300 people in the process. While lightning only kills about 50 people every year, many more of the victims suffer permanent disabilities.

As a construction employer, it’s important that you recognize lightning as a very real workplace hazard. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) suggests all employers with outdoor workers include a lightning safety protocol within their written emergency action plan. This safety protocol should include when specific lightning safety actions should take place, how to notify workers of immediate lightning danger, appropriate safety actions, and necessary response times. Employers should also post lightning safety information at all their outdoor jobsites and review the emergency action plan with affected employees.

Recognizing Lightning Danger

OSHA recommends that construction employers monitor weather reports from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) whenever they have workers on outdoor jobsites. They suggest that employers consider rescheduling jobs when hazardous weather conditions are in the forecast. Employers should also require their supervisors and outdoor workers to watch for the darkening clouds and increasing wind speeds that usually indicate developing thunderstorms.

Responding to Lightning Danger

Put simply, “When thunder roars, go indoors.” According to the NOAA, no outdoor location can offer adequate safety when a thunderstorm is in the area. Whenever possible, your workers should be instructed to retreat to a fully enclosed building if they hear thunder or see lightning. They should remain with in this shelter for at least 30 minutes after the last rumble of thunder.

If a fully enclosed building is not available, your workers should be instructed to retreat to their vehicles and roll up the windows. Again, they should not resume work until at least 30 minutes after the last thunderclap.

If workers do not have access to a fully enclosed building or their vehicles, they should be instructed to avoid utility poles, cell phone towers, cranes, ladders, scaffolding, large equipment, wiring, plumbing, fencing and rooftops. They should also avoid open areas and water. Retreating to a dense area of small trees that are surrounded by large trees or a low-lying area such as a ditch may be their best option.

Lightning Detection Services

Monitoring NOAA weather reports and weather conditions at the jobsite are usually the most efficient ways to identify lightning danger. However, commercial lightning detection and notification services are also an option. These services send an alert when lightning activity moves to within a certain range of the jobsite but they cannot predict the first lightning strike. Portable, hand-held lightning detectors detect the electromagnetic signal from lightning strikes and can estimate distance. But again, they cannot predict where lightning will strike.