Nails on site

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# Injuries Are Not Accidents: Construction Will Be Safe When It's Designed to Be Safe (cont.) ## Musculoskeletal disorders (cont.) Personal protective equipment should not be the only solution for protecting construction workers' safety and health. IMDEN 2010 Earl Dotter postures. In addition, painters often worked with their arms overhead. 59 Overhead drilling into concrete or metal is one of the most physically de- manding tasks: the work is done with heavy, rotary impact hammer drills. 60 Workers who drill into concrete or metal ceilings suffer pain and MSDs at the wrist, forearm, shoulder, and back due to high forces and non-neutral shoulder and wrist postures. 60,61 ## How much do construction injuries cost? In 2009, the construction industry constituted about 4 percent of the total gross domestic prod- uct in the United States. The proportion declined steadily from 2006 to 2009 with the slowdown of residential and building construction.62 Various researchers have attempted to estimate how much construction injuries cost. 63.64-67 For example, the 2008 Chartbook from CPWR provides a useful summary of costs of work-related injuries and ill- nesses in the construction sector. 14 Calculating an accurate cost estimate for injuries and illnesses is difficult. While certain aspects can be calculated rather easily (e.g., wage replacement, workers' com- pensation costs, medical payments, or production losses), other aspects (e.g., the victim's and family's suffering) are very hard to capture in numbers. 14 Many costs are not compensated, partly because they are difficult to link to specific work exposures. Construction workers may serve several employers -even within a single year-and perhaps have dozens of employers over their careers.14 In addi- tion, occupational illnesses (e.g., noise-induced hearing loss, cancers, neurological disorders) are usually identified long after the start of the expo- sure and thus may not be successfully linked to a work-related …

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# Injuries Are Not Accidents: Construction Will Be Safe When It's Designed to Be Safe (cont.) ## NIOSH-FACE Program recommendations for employers to prevent collisions¹ (cont.) CASE STUDY 4: Injuries Are Not Accidents # CASE STUDY 4 — TIMELINE <table><tr><th>YEAR</th><th>EVENT</th></tr><tr><td>1971</td><td>The first OSHA standards are published in the Federal Register on May 29, 1971, including those for construction. Safety and health standards for the construction industry are found in "Part 1926" under Title 29 of the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR).98</td></tr><tr><td>1973</td><td>The Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health (ACCSH) is established to advise OSHA on setting construction standards and policy matters.99</td></tr><tr><td>1978</td><td>At the construction site for a power plant in Willow Island, West Virginia, scaffolding around the cooling tower collapses, killing 51 workers.98</td></tr><tr><td>1978</td><td>In Bridgeport, Connecticut, the collapse of the L'Ambiance Plaza building, under construction, kills 28 workers.98</td></tr><tr><td>1982</td><td>OSHA formally announces the Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) to recognize workplaces with exemplary safety and health management systems and designates the first VPP site.100</td></tr><tr><td>1986</td><td>The International Standardization Organization adopts its Quality Management 9000 Series.81</td></tr><tr><td>1988</td><td>The International Labour Organization (ILO) adopts its Safety and Health in Construction Convention (No. 167, 1988).82</td></tr><tr><td>1989</td><td>OSHA issues its voluntary guidelines for safety and health program management. 101</td></tr><tr><td>1990s</td><td>Several major construction safety and health standards are finalized.98</td></tr><tr><td>1994</td><td>OSHA begins its focused inspection initiative for contractors who have established and fully implemented a corporate safety and health program and site-specific plans. 11</td></tr><tr><td>1996</td><td>The I…

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This welder looks about as well protected as could be. But real safety requires more than personal protection equipment. Safety in con- struction means planning and managing every aspect of a site with safety in mind.

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# Injuries Are Not Accidents: Construction Will Be Safe When It's Designed to Be Safe (cont.) ## Construction industry tops the injury numbers (cont.) electric current, and being struck by objects dur- ing 1992-2005.14 In 2008, BLS reported that the construction industry experienced a total of 120,240 serious nonfatal injuries causing days away from work (II percent of such injuries across all industries); this is the fourth highest percentage among all US in- dustry sectors, behind trade, transportation and utilities (30 percent); education and health ser- vices (17 percent); and manufacturing (13 per- cent). 15 Construction sector injuries causing days away from work had the highest lost-time rate (174 injuries per 10,000 full-time workers) of any US industry sector.15 Studies of non-fatal construction-related con- tact injuries (that is, injuries in which a worker is struck by an object or a piece of equipment) treat- ed in emergency departments during the period 1998-2005 found that contact injuries accounted for over half of all construction injuries treated in emergency departments. 16.17 The most common injuries were due to contact with discharged nails from pneumatic nail guns, hand-held power saws, and fixed saws.16 Some injuries may involve mul- tiple workers (e.g., trench cave-ins, collapses of walls, roofs, or scaffolding of buildings under construction). Seven specific tools or pieces of equipment-ladders, nail guns, power saws, ham- mers, knives, power drills, and welding tools- were responsible for almost two-thirds of the injury burden in emergency departments." Construction workers suffer not only occupa- tional injuries, but also numerous occupational illnesses. Many of these illnesses are difficult to capture in statistics because of long latencies, as described below. Among the many trades and occupations in- volved in the construction industry roofers, along with structural iron and steel workers, were the trade groups suffering from both …

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# Chart 2. Fatal Falls to a Lower Level in the Construction Industry by Height of Fall Massachusetts, 2007-2011 (N=39) (cont.) ## Preventing falls in construction. It is not surprising that construction workers are at high risk of falls given the nature of their work. But these falls should not be simply accepted as part of the job. We know how to prevent falls in construction: • Plan ahead to get the job done safely. • Provide the right equipment. • Train everyone to use the equipment safely. Contractors and construction workers and their unions, as well as builders, equipment designers, homeowners - even architects who design our buildings - have critical roles to play in reducing falls in construction. A nationwide campaign to reduce falls in construction is underway. Log on to the campaign website to learn what you can do to make sure that the workers building our homes get to go home. www.stopconstructionfalls.com ## Resources Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) Massachusetts Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (MA FACE) Project Fall Prevention Brochures in English, Spanish or Portuguese. • Ladder safety for residential contractors • Scaffold safety for residential contractors • Falls in construction: Myths and facts - Personal fall arrest systems for residential construction (soon to be available) Accessible online: www.mass.gov/dph/FACE Hard copies can be ordered from MDPH: (800) 338-5223; [redacted email] ## Massachusetts Department of Industrial Accidents (MDIA) Safety Training Grants. Grants are available for providing workplace health and safety training to employees and employers. Any company covered by the Massachusetts Workers' Compensation Insurance Law is eligible to apply for these grants. www.mass.gov/dia/safety Massachusetts Department of Labor Standards (DOL) Safety and Health On-site Consultation Program Provides free consultation services to help small employers improve their safety and health programs…

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# Injuries Are Not Accidents: Construction Will Be Safe When It's Designed to Be Safe (cont.) ## Need for an occupational safety and health management systems approach (cont.) construction safety and health management systems (see sidebar, A success story). ## Sustaining the Construction Hazard Prevention through Design (CHPTD) movement In 2007, NIOSH established a national initiative called Prevention through Design (PtD).85 In all business deci- sions, the PtD approach emphasizes the importance of designing out, or at least minimizing, occupational haz- ards early in the design stage to prevent occupational in- juries and illnesses. The first step for the PtD launch was the 2007 National Workshop, at which stakeholders from eight sectors including construction-convened to formulate the PtD strategy. 85 Construction Hazard Pre- vention through Design (CHPtD) is a procedure in which construction engineers and architects consider the safety of construction workers as they design a facility.86 CHPTD has been recognized and implemented inter- nationally as a feasible method to reduce occupational hazards in construction-in particular in the United Construction Hazard Prevention through Design (CHP+D) is a procedure in which construction engineers and architects consider the safety of construction workers as they design a facility. Kingdom (UK) and Australia. 87 In 1995, the UK passed a law requiring architects and construction engineers to incorporate CHPtD when designing facilities.86 In contrast, in the United States, many professional organizations were not aware of the NIOSH PtD initiative in 2007. In all countries, there seem to be similar challenges in implementing CHPtD, such as designers' lack of safety expertise and additional costs, 86 but in the United States. ## A success story: One corporation's construction safety and health management system84 s a result of a partnership between AMEC Construction Management, Inc., and OSHA-a partnership A that …

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# Injuries Are Not Accidents: Construction Will Be Safe When It's Designed to Be Safe (cont.) ## Final thoughts (cont.) CASE STUDY 4: Injuries Are Not Accidents LESSONS LEARNED safety in construction. Issuing a national OSH-MS frame- work for the construction sector should not be an im- possible task. In fact, models already exist, including OSHA's Draft Proposed Safety and Health Program Rule of 1998, ILO-OSH 2001, and ANSI ZIO. It is also vital to keep the momentum going on Con- struction Hazard Prevention through Design (CHPtD). The stakeholders who participated in the National PtD Workshop felt strongly that a government regulation on CHPTD is not a viable short-term strategy-but that it is important for governmental agencies to continue lead- ing the CHPtD movement. CHPtD is also an avenue to incorporate construction workers' safety and health in green building and other sustainability programs. ## NIOSH-FACE Program recommendations for employers to prevent collisions¹ • Develop, implement, and enforce a policy that requires workers on foot to maintain a safe clearance from mobile equipment and train all workers regarding this policy. • Develop, implement, and enforce a policy that requires mobile equipment operators to operate mobile equipment in accordance with safety guidance provided in the equipment operator's manual and provide additional training to all mobile equipment operators regarding this policy. - Consider conducting a pre-work safety meet- ing each day to discuss the work to be per- formed, potential safety hazards and safe work procedures, and means to be used for com- municating changes to the work plan. • Ensure that personal protective equipment, including high-visibility clothing, is provided and used in accordance with company policy. The media often portray construction injuries and fatalities as unpreventable tragedies. It is critical to identify ways to reduce the growing number of fatal and non-fatal injuries among immi- gr…

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SIGILLUM MASSACHUSETTS DEPARTMENT OF MASSsafety Works! MASSAC LABOR STANDARDS Workplace Safety is No Accident Fall Prevention in Construction FALLS REMAIN THE LEADING CAUSE OF DEATH IN CONSTRUCTION In the U.S. during 2022, there were 1,056 fatalities in construction. Of these deaths, 423 were due to falls. ## All falls can be prevented Construction employees exposed to an unprotected side or edge which is 6 feet or more above a lower level shall be protected from falling by and trained in the use of: Guardrail System Safety Net System Personal Fall Arrest System Thinking about fall hazards before the work begins will help employers to manage fall hazards and focus attention on prevention efforts. If personal fall protection systems are used, particular attention should be given to identifying attachment points and to ensuring that employees know how to properly use and inspect the equipment. Training employees on the proper use of fall protection is critical. Training resources can be found by contacting the fall protection manufacturer and by visiting: osha.gov/SLTC/fallprotection/evaluation.html Safety Pays Falls Cost PLAN. PROVIDE. TRAIN. Three simple steps to preventing falls. The Department of Labor Standards offers free consultation services designed to help municipal and private employers recognize and control safety and health hazards at their worksites, improve safety and health programs, and assist in training employees. If you would like to learn more about our free consultation services please call us at (508) 616-0461

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# 454 CMR: DEPARTMENT OF LABOR STANDARDS 28.05: continued (f) Project Monitors. Asbestos Project Monitor course (initial) shall include a minimum of five days of training covering the topics outlined below. The course outlined in 454 CMR 28.05(4)(f)1. through 15. consists of lectures and demonstrations, at least six hours of hands-on training, course review, and a written examination. The hands-on training component might be satisfied by having the student simulate participation in or performance of any of the relevant job functions or activities (or by incorporation of the workshop component described in item "n" below of this unit). The project monitor training course shall adequately address the following topics: 1. Roles and Responsibilities of the Project Monitor. Definition and responsibilities of the project monitor, including regulatory/specification compliance monitoring, air monitoring, conducting visual inspections, and final clearance monitoring. 2. Characteristics of Asbestos and Asbestos-containing Materials. Typical uses of asbestos; physical appearance of asbestos; review of asbestos abatement and control techniques; presentation of the health effects of asbestos exposure, including routes of exposure, dose-response relationships, and latency periods for asbestos-related diseases. 3. Federal Asbestos Regulations. Overview of pertinent EPA regulations, including: NESHAP, 40 CFR Part 61, Subparts A and M; AHERA, 40 CFR Part 763, Subpart E; and the EPA Worker Protection Rule, 40 CFR Part 763, and Subpart G. Overview of pertinent OSHA regulations, including Construction Industry Standard for Asbestos, 29 CFR 1926.1101; Respirator Standard, 29 CFR 1910.134; and the Hazard Communication Standard, 29 CFR 1926.1200. Applicable State and local asbestos regulations; and regulatory interrelationships. 4. Understanding Building Construction and Building Systems. Building construction basics, building physical plan layout; understanding building systems…

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# 454 CMR: DEPARTMENT OF LABOR STANDARDS ## 28.03: General Requirements (1) Worker Protection. The requirements of the OSHA Asbestos Construction Standard, 29 CFR Part 1926.1101, including paragraphs (f), (h), (i) and (m), and other applicable OSHA standards shall apply to the personal protection and medical monitoring of employees, including employees of the Commonwealth or any of its political subdivisions, who perform work subject to these regulations. In addition, in accordance with 454 CMR 28.08(3)(d), Asbestos Contractors must maintain as records the results of all personal exposure monitoring, respirator fit testing and medical examinations required by 29 CFR Part 1926 and other applicable OSHA standards as a condition of licensure. Violations of OSHA regulations pertaining to worker protection may be referred to OSHA for enforcement action. The personal protection and medical monitoring of employees of the Commonwealth and its political subdivisions and other persons exempted from enforcement by federal OSHA must be in accordance with the provisions of 454 CMR 28.04, and M.G.L. c. 149, § 6½, which the Department enforces. Responsibility for compliance with such worker protection requirements rests with the employer and the Responsible Person(s) designated thereby. (2) Requirements for the Use of Personnel. (a) Persons engaged in Asbestos Work subject to 454 CMR 28.00 shall only perform or be assigned to perform those tasks authorized by 454 CMR 28.00. Performance of unauthorized tasks or functions shall be cause for administrative license action, civil penalty, or both. (b) Persons must be at least 18 years of age or older to perform any Asbestos Work subject to 454 CMR 28.00 or to receive licensure in any asbestos-related discipline pursuant to 454 CMR 28.00. (3) Requirement to Abate Asbestos Hazards. Asbestos-containing Materials that would be disturbed during the course of Asbestos-associated Work must be abated prior to the commencement of such w…