Construction

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The National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction is an annual event. But employers should focus on fall prevention all year.

Contact with electricity is one of the leading causes of fatalities in construction, according to OSHA.

Outdoor workers are unique in that they regularly share their workspaces with wasps, bees, hornets and other stinging insects. It’s important for workers to know how to respond to and treat stings, especially because some people may be allergic.

Violations of OSHA’s scaffolding standard (1926.451) are a mainstay on the agency’s annual Top 10 list of most cited standards, ranking fourth in fiscal year 2020 and third in FY 2019.

“Ladders are tools,” the American Ladder Institute says. “Many of the basic safety rules that apply to most tools also apply to the safe use of a ladder.”

Demolition work involves the dismantling, razing, destroying or wrecking of any building or structure. Hazards of this dangerous work, according to OSHA, may include materials hidden within structural members (e.g., lead, asbestos, silica, and other chemicals or heavy metals requiring special material handling), as well as unknown strengths or weaknesses of construction materials, such as post-tensioned concrete.

Aerial lifts not only make working at height easier, they also can help keep employees safe.

Widely known as a preservative in morgues, formaldehyde – a colorless, strong-smelling gas – can be found in chemicals, plywood and various household items, including glue and paper product coatings, according to OSHA. It’s also used as an industrial fungicide, germicide and disinfectant.

Millions of tons of asphalt are produced and used in the paving and roofing industries every year, the Texas Department of Insurance Division of Workers’ Compensation notes, and more than 500,000 workers are exposed to fumes from asphalt.