Carbon Monoxide Poisoning Hospitalizes 12 Construction Workers in Maryland

DANGER CARBON MONOXIDE

A dozen construction workers in Odenton, Maryland were transported to local hospitals on Tuesday, July 17 after apparent carbon monoxide (CO) poisoning, according to local fire officials.

Crews began working on a federal credit union building around 5am Tuesday morning and between 8am and 9am, several workers began feeling sick, prompting a call to 911.  According to CBS Baltimore, propane powered saws were being used indoors that morning and is the likely cause of the incident.

When firefighters arrived, they measured carbon monoxide levels of up to 850 parts per million (ppm) inside the credit union. According to the CSPC, ppm amounts as low as 70 can cause symptoms like headaches, fatigue, and nausea. At sustained levels of 150 to 200 ppm, more severe symptoms like disorientation, unconsciousness, and death are possible.

3 of the victims were treated for serious symptoms and the other 9 were treated for possibly serious symptoms. Fire officials stayed on the site after the workers were transported to ventilate the building and bring the inside air down to safe levels.

As a reminder, CO is a colorless and odorless gas that is otherwise undetectable until symptoms appear. Even small propane powered tools have the ability to quickly fill an indoor space with CO. The CDC has a few recommendations to reduce the hazards of carbon monoxide on the jobsite, including not allowing gas powered equipment to be used indoors unless the engines can be located outside and away from air intakes and educating employees to recognize the common signs of CO overexposure. Electric powered or compressed air equipment should be used indoors, when possible. If it is impossible to avoid using gas powered equipment, employees can be outfitted with personal CO monitors to alert them if unsafe levels have been reached.

 Full story: 12 Hospitalized After Carbon Monoxide Poisoning At Credit Union | CBS Baltimore

Featured
hilti+exo-01+exoskeleton.jpg
Hilti Officially Releases EXO-01 Exoskeleton, Names Price

Last summer, Hilti announced that they had developed their first exoskeleton designed for construction tradespeople in a partnership with Ottobuck, a prosthetics, orthotics, and exoskeleton provider. Earlier this month, Hilti officially released the exoskeleton, announced more details, and published its retail price on their website.

unsplash-image-sgYamIzhAhg.jpg
How to Minimize Risk on Your Construction Site

[guest post] It’s a morbid statistic, but the construction industry experiences more workplace deaths than any other. With so many potential hazards, heavy-duty machinery, and power tools, it’s perhaps not surprising that serious accidents are relatively commonplace.

balfour beatty covid-19 safety orientation video.PNG
[VIDEO] How Balfour Beatty is Handling COVID-19 Safety on the Jobsite

Even though we’re over a year into the COVID-19 pandemic, the virus is still threatening the health of construction’s workers and taking a toll on project timelines. It’s likely that your company has already determined the best course of action to help mitigate the risk of spreading the virus on your jobsites, but it’s never too late to learn from another contractor.

effects of pandemic on construction.png
1 Year Later: The Effects of Coronavirus on Construction

It’s been a little over a year since the coronavirus pandemic sent the entire world into a period of uncertainty, heartache, and panic. The construction industry itself has undertaken many different challenges, above and beyond keeping their people safe on the jobsite, many of which no one could have expected.

doosan transparent bucket.jpg
Doosan Announces Industry First “Transparent Bucket” to Wheel Loader to Eliminate Blind Spots

“You make a better door than a window!” is what I imagine loader operators constantly yell at the bucket in front of them (or maybe I’m just projecting based on my experience of having the habit of sitting right in front of the TV as a kid). Either way, operators may not be yelling that in the future, as equipment manufacturer, Doosan, has introduced what they claim is an industry first “transparent” bucket.

iq228 3.PNG
Cool Tools: World’s First Dry Cut 7-1/2” Portable Tile Saw

Reducing dust when cutting tile is important for many reasons (including safety and cleanliness), but wet tile saws can be a pain to use, with the slurry created spraying all around the work station and cold weather making the saw much more difficult to use outside. iQ Power Tools has a solution for that: the world’s first 7” portable dry table saw with integrated dust control.

Fall_Stand-Down_Tweets1.png
National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction Starts May 3

In the construction industry, falls from height are continuously the leading cause of jobsite injuries, fatalities, and, as a result, OSHA citations. From May 3-May 7, OSHA invites construction employers and stakeholders to take part in their 8th annual National Safety Stand Down to Prevent Falls in Construction.

syracuse+crane+collapse.jpg
Crane Collapses on Jobsite in Syracuse, NY, No Injuries Reported

On Tuesday morning, February 23, the Syracuse Fire Department responded to a call about a collapsed crane on a construction site near the university. Thankfully, no injuries were reported.

Feher ACHardhat.JPG
Finally, an Air-Conditioned Hard Hat is on the Horizon

It seems a little odd to be talking about air-conditioning when much of the United States hit some incredibly low temperatures in recent days, but a product that I learned about recently is just too exciting to ignore. Announced at CES 2021, a research company has unveiled an air-conditioned hard hat (ACHH) that can reduce the ambient temperature up to 22 degrees Fahrenheit!

7 Biggest Safety Stories 2020.png
The 7 Biggest Construction Safety Stories of 2020

2020 was a challenging year in many respects, but none greater than from a safety standpoint. The coronavirus pandemic placed the notion of “people over profits” under the microscope, while also balancing the needs of their employees to continue to make an income under difficult circumstances. While the pandemic was a large part of the construction safety conversation last year, there were several other developments to take note of for your projects in the future.