#construction Archives - McCraren Compliance

Stay safe when using portable light strings

Posted on September 29, 2023October 3, 2023 by McCraren Compliance

OSHA requires employers to ensure work areas have sufficient lighting. Sometimes that means extra help is needed. “When adequate illumination is not obtainable by permanent lighting sources,” OSHA states in standard 1915.82(a)(4), “temporary lighting may be used as supplementation.”

One solution is portable light strings. These are electric lights connected along a cable, wire or string. The Wyoming Department of Workforce Services has tips on how to use them safely:

Before stringing the lights, inspect the wiring and fixtures for damage.
Ensure the plug has a ground prong – the third prong on the plug – and test it frequently.
Don’t string lights near combustible items. The bulbs can get hot. Even if they’re not in direct contact with the combustible items, “heat can build up slowly until the ignition temperature is reached.”
All bulbs should have guards installed. “Not only will this help prevent the bulb from coming in direct contact with a combustible, it can also protect you (or someone else) from coming in contact with the bulb and getting burned.”
Need to replace a broken bulb on the string? Put on gloves to protect against cuts, and then disconnect the power from the light string before replacing the bulb.
Don’t use an ordinary light string in an area that may contain flammable vapors. “When used within an enclosed or confined space, the space must be certified as ‘Safe for Hot Work’ if a conventional string is used. If the atmosphere is not ‘Safe for Hot Work,’ then ‘explosion-proof’ lights must be used.”

McCraren Compliance offers a full range of safety and health training and consulting services. Plus we can help you incorporate well-being into your traditional systems in order to support the Total Worker Health of your workforce.

Call 888-758-4757, email info@mccrarencompliance.com or visit our website www.mccrarencompliance.com

Original article published by Safety+Health an NSC publication

Steel strapping safety

Posted on September 1, 2023September 5, 2023 by McCraren Compliance

Is steel strapping used at your worksite? The Wyoming Department of Workforce Services calls the straps “a useful way to keep rolls of sheet metal from unwinding while it is being transported, and for binding or reinforcing wooden crates and other boxes that contain heavy objects.”

Still, when transported items reach their destination, the straps “can become dangerous weapons that will lash out when the bands are cut.”

DWS has tips for staying safe:

Wear personal protective equipment, including safety glasses, a hard hat, safety shoes, long pants, long-sleeved shirts and gloves.
Make sure other workers are well clear of the area.
Duck-billed shears with long handles are usually the best tool for this job. Make cuts squarely to avoid forming sharp pointed ends. Don’t use crowbars or claw hammers to break the straps.
Before cutting the straps, take a moment to decide the safest way to do it. If several straps have been used, cut the one farthest away from you first. Stay out of the danger zone created when the strap springs back after being cut.
Before you cut the strapping and open the box, consider what may be inside. For example, some manufacturers of springs and mattresses compress them in the shipping container and then band it to save space. These products could produce a violent recoil action when the straps are cut. Special training is required before opening containers of this nature.

Call 888-758-4757, email info@mccrarencompliance.com or visit our website www.mccrarencompliance.com

Original article published by Safety+Health an NSC publication

OSHA announces heat hazard alert

Posted on July 31, 2023August 3, 2023 by McCraren Compliance

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced that its Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued a heat hazard alert to remind employers of their obligation to protect workers against heat illness or injury in outdoor and indoor workplaces.

Federal law requires employers to provide safe, healthy working conditions

heat hazard

Photo: OSHA

The department also announced that OSHA will intensify its enforcement where workers are exposed to heat hazards, with increased inspections in high-risk industries like construction and agriculture. These actions will fully implement the agency’s National Emphasis Program on heat, announced in April 2022, to focus enforcement efforts in geographic areas and industries with the most vulnerable workers.

The action comes as President Biden announced new actions today to protect workers from extreme heat and new investments to protect communities, as historically high temperatures break records and expose millions of people to the serious dangers of heat in the workplace.

“Historically high temperatures impact everyone and put our nation’s workers at high risk,” said Acting Secretary of Labor Julie Su. “A workplace heat standard has long been a top priority for the Department of Labor, but rulemaking takes time and working people need help now. Today, at the President’s request, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued a heat hazard alert to make sure employers follow current standards and that workers across the country know their rights. This action, combined with OSHA’s increased heat-safety enforcement efforts, shows that we are determined to protect the safety and health of millions of people whose jobs become more hazardous in harsh weather.”

Since 2011, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports 436 people have died due to workplace heat exposure, with an annual average of 38 deaths between 2011 to 2019. In addition, an average of 2,700 cases involving heat illnesses lead to days lost at work, putting an additional economic burden on workers and employers. Statistics show that people who work in conditions without adequate climate-control face higher risks of hazardous heat exposure and that these situations disproportionately expose people of color to hazardous heat.

In October 2021, OSHA began the rulemaking process to consider a heat-specific workplace standard by publishing an Advance Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings in the Federal Register.

Continue reading “OSHA announces heat hazard alert”

Check self-retracting lifelines in cold or wet conditions

Posted on July 26, 2023August 17, 2023 by McCraren Compliance

Designed for working at height, self-retracting lifelines “extend and retract automatically, which keeps the lifeline in consistent tension while allowing the wearer to move around within a work area,” says the Ontario Ministry of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development.

“If functioning properly, when the SRL detects a sudden increase in speed (such as from a fall), a locking mechanism in the housing immediately activates and stops the fall.”

However, cold and wet environmental conditions may cause the locking mechanism to seize, resulting in the cable continuing to spool out. If this happens, the fall won’t be arrested. To prevent this, do the following:

Ensure the locking mechanism hasn’t seized by rapidly pulling the cable to verify the components of the locking mechanism are functioning properly. Perform this action before the SRL is used for any task and then throughout the day.
Briskly pull out the cable to make sure the locking mechanism inside the housing responds to a sudden jerk on the cable. It should lock up similarly to how a seat belt does when a car comes to a sudden halt.
If the SRL gets wet, store it vertically to dry.

If the locking mechanism isn’t working, don’t use the SRL! Tell a supervisor immediately.

McCraren Compliance offers many opportunities in safety training to help circumvent accidents. Please take a moment to visit our calendar of classes to see what we can do to help your safety measures from training to consulting.

Original article published by Safety+Health

Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health will meet Aug. 9-10

Posted on July 20, 2023July 20, 2023 by McCraren Compliance

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration will hold a meeting of the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health on Wednesday, Aug. 9, 2023, from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. EDT.

The Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act, also known as the Construction Safety Act, established the committee to advise the Secretary of Labor and Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health on policy matters arising under the CSA, and the setting of construction standards.

The meeting will include the following:

Remarks from Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Jim Frederick, who will also provide agency updates.
Updates on the construction industry from OSHA’s Directorate of Construction.
An opportunity for the public to address the committee.

ACCSH workgroups will meet on Thursday, Aug. 10. The times for workgroup meetings will be determined during the ACCSH full committee meeting on Aug. 9.

The ACCSH committee and workgroups will meet in Conference Room C-5320, Room 6, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave., NW, Washington, DC 20210. To attend the meeting in person, please register by emailing Gretta Jameson at jameson.grettah@dol.gov by August 3. In-person attendance by the public is limited to 25 people. Details on how to attend the meeting online are included in Docket Number OSHA-2023-0002 and on the ACCSH webpage.

Submit comments and requests to speak to the Federal eRulemaking Portal by Aug. 3. Be sure to include the docket number on all submissions. Read the Federal Register notice for submission details.

Committee, workgroup meetings will be held in person, online

Original article published by OSHA

OSHA announces proposed rule to clarify personal protective equipment standard, ensure safety of construction industry workers

Posted on July 20, 2023July 26, 2023 by McCraren Compliance

Photo: OSHA

Action seeks to align construction, general industry, maritime standards

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor today announced a notice of proposed rulemaking to clarify the personal protective equipment standard for the construction industry.

The current standard does not state clearly that PPE must fit each affected employee properly, which the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s general industry and maritime standards do. The proposed change would clarify that PPE must fit each employee properly to protect them from occupational hazards.

The failure of standard-sized PPE to protect physically smaller construction workers properly, as well as problems with access to properly fitting PPE, have long been safety and health concerns in the construction industry, especially for some women. The proposed rule clarifies the existing requirement, and OSHA does not expect the change will increase employers’ costs or compliance burdens. The proposed revision would align the language in OSHA’s PPE standard for construction with standards for general industry and maritime.

“If personal protective equipment does not fit properly, an employee may be unprotected or dangerously exposed to hazards and face tragic consequences,” explained Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health Doug Parker. “We look forward to hearing from stakeholders on this important issue as we work together to ensure that construction workers of all genders and sizes are fitted properly with safety gear.”

Submit comments and hearing requests online using the Federal eRulemaking Portal and reference Docket No. OSHA-2019-0003. Read the Federal Register notice for details. Comments and hearing requests must be submitted by Sept. 18, 2023.

PPE must fit properly to provide adequate protection to employees. Improperly fitting PPE may fail to provide any protection to an employee, present additional hazards, or discourage employees from using such equipment in the workplace.

Original article published by OSHA

New OSHA alliance targets hazards in trenching and excavation

Posted on July 10, 2023July 13, 2023 by McCraren Compliance

Washington — OSHA is teaming up with a coalition of trade organizations, industry stakeholders and labor unions in an effort to bolster trenching and excavation safety.

Photo: Ron Chilton, National Trench Safety and North American Excavation Shoring Association

The two-year agreement between OSHA and the Partners for Safe Trenching and Excavation Operations Alliance unites seven organizations “to address some of the construction industry’s most hazardous work”:

Associated General Contractors
Association of Equipment Manufacturers
Common Ground Alliance
International Union of Operating Engineers
Laborers’ International Union of North America
National Utility Contractors Association
North American Excavation Shoring Association

OSHA data shows that 39 workers were killed in full/partial trench or excavation cave-ins last year – a sharp spike from the 15 recorded in 2021. That increase spurred the agency to launch enhanced enforcement initiatives last July.

“OSHA will partner with alliance members to develop guidance and other resources,” an agency press release states. “The alliance also will assist small and medium-sized organizations. In addition, the alliance will encourage industry stakeholders to incorporate equity and worker voice into its outreach and activities to help connect as many workers as possible with important worker safety and health information.”

The alliance will develop resources on the recognition and prevention of the construction “Focus Four” hazards: falls, caught-in or caught-between, struck-by objects, and electrocutions. Additionally, it will seek to reduce workers’ hazardous exposures to noise and silica.

New video spotlights harness inspection safety

Posted on July 7, 2023July 17, 2023 by McCraren Compliance

Toronto — A damaged harness can be the difference between a near-miss incident and a catastrophic fall when working at height, the Infrastructure Health and Safety Association says.

The association has published a video tutorial to help guide workers through properly inspecting their fall protection harness. It walks viewers through the inspection process, from reviewing the manufacturer’s instructions to inspecting the straps and stitching, checking the deployment indicators, and examining buckles and grommets.

“With the number of incidents occurring on jobsites that require working at height, it’s crucial for every worker to have a thorough understanding of how to inspect their safety harnesses,” IHSA says. “Follow these steps every time you don a harness to improve your ability to work safe for life.”

IHSA is one of four sector-focused safe workplace associations designated under Ontario’s Occupational Health and Safety Act. The video is the latest in its “Safety Talks” series.

New from NIOSH: Dump truck safety guidance

Posted on July 3, 2023July 7, 2023 by McCraren Compliance

Photo: Arizona Department of Transportation Flickr

Washington — Construction workers who operate dump trucks or work nearby are at risk from “multiple hazards, including struck-by, tip-over from loss of vehicle control, crushing, electrical and falls,” NIOSH says.

Newly released guidance from the agency states that more than 800 construction and extraction workers were killed in incidents involving dump trucks from 2011 to 2020.

When planning and preparing a construction project, employers should:

Develop a written safety program that addresses the safety hazards to drivers and those who work on the ground near dump trucks.
Require a competent person to inspect the work area for potential hazards before and during each shift to address changing conditions.
Provide staging areas to minimize backing up distances.
Create internal traffic control plans for areas involving dump truck travel.
Anticipate ground conditions through preplanning and provide a stable surface for all dumping operations.
Prepare and deploy signs and markers to show workers where to walk in high-traffic areas.
Follow applicable OSHA regulations and elements of consensus standards concerning work zone safety for roadway construction and high-visibility safety apparel.

The document includes additional guidance on the use of new technologies, training and personal protective equipment.

New video for tower workers: work zone safety

Posted on June 26, 2023June 26, 2023 by McCraren Compliance

Photo: NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association

Watertown, SD — A new video from NATE: The Communications Infrastructure Contractors Association explores traffic control concepts intended to protect workers in roadway work zones.

Work zone protection requirements vary at state and local levels, video host Sean Gilhooley says, but all are based on Department of Transportation requirements and enforced by OSHA and state/local police.

George Kerstetter – director of outside plant operations at Tooele, UT-based Beehive Broadband and member of multiple NATE committees – offers input throughout the video. Kerstetter begins by recommending supervisors consider aspects such as time of day, volume of traffic, roadway speed limit and work zone proximity to the roadway when determining proper traffic control methods. Other suggestions:

Equip workers with high-visibility vests, proper head and eye protection, and steel-toed footwear. Workers should wear Type 2 vests during daylight hours and Type 3 vests at night. The latter type includes more retroreflective material as well as sleeves “to help identify you a little bit better as a human,” Kerstetter says.
Check whether the jurisdiction where the work is being performed has written traffic control plans. Make sure signs or temporary traffic control devices are visible to drivers.
Use a flagger or spotter if the work zone encroaches on a lane of traffic.
Direct traffic safely around the work zone while also accounting for pedestrians. Use cones to mark off the area and caution tape to direct people away from open trenches or holes.

The video is the most recent installment in NATE’s Climber Connection series, which promotes safe work practices for communication tower workers. The association asks climbers and other industry stakeholders to use the hashtag #ClimberConnection when posting the video on social media platforms.

Tag: #construction