Investigators are on the scene of a catastrophic explosion at a Texas construction project that killed 1 and has injured another 15 workers. The explosion occurred on Tuesday afternoon at Coryell Memorial Healthcare System in Gatesville, Texas, which is being expanded.
Read moreHow Can We Keep Construction Sites Safe From Fall Hazards?
[guest post] June is National Safety Month, and this week, the focus is on falls. As anyone who works in construction knows, this industry has some of the highest workplace accident and injury rates in the United States. The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) ranks falls as one of their Fatal Four most deadly type of construction accidents.
Read more[VIDEO] Watch A Window Fall 500 Feet to the Ground After Cable Snaps
Construction crews were preparing to replace window glazing on the 47-story tall Wellhouse na Leninskom tower in Moscow, Russia, when a cable snapped just as the window was about to reach the top of the structure
Read moreNTSB Releases Preliminary Report on Collapsed Pedestrian Bridge in Florida
On March 15, 2018, a devastating pedestrian bridge that was under construction collapsed onto an open roadway below, killing 1 bridge worker and five motorists, as well as injuring 8 others. As was expected, investigations have been underway since the accident, which are expected to take at least several more months to complete
Read moreAre You Ready for a Smart Safety Boot on the Jobsite?
via Intellinium
Now that nearly everyone has a cell phone, we’re entering a world where every single inanimate object has to be connected to the internet or Bluetooth. In the past, we’ve talked about Bluetooth enabled tools, a smart hard hat, and even a smart safety vest that can send alerts if objects are approaching to quickly, among many others. We recently came across another piece of construction related Internet of Things (IoT) objects, a safety boots, thanks to Conexpo-Con/Agg’s blog.
Intellinium, a French company, has developed a “smart & connected safety shoe,” which can be used to alert workers of hazardous conditions or allow the worker wearing the boot to send for help, all with the tap of a toe. Alerts and messages are sent by the boot wearer using a derivative of MORSE code or through the use of a smartphone app.
The boot itself features an internal sensor and an external sensor for acknowledging and sending alerts, so if the wearer’s leg or foot is injured, their hand is still able to reach down and activate the external sensor. Intellinium touts the fact that the user does not need to use hands to interact with the device as a difference maker amongst other smart PPE.
The boot is equipped with a system of vibration motors, a 90dB buzzer, and LED lights which allow the wearers to communicate with each other.
It appears that in order to benefit from all of the boot’s features you would have to purchase the boot from Intellinium, but they do also offer a “lateral flexible casing,” which can integrate some of the features into the boots the worker already owns. In that situation, the internal sensor, which would allow hands free use, would not be available.
What do you think? Can you see yourself or your company wanting or needing this on a job site? Tell us in the comments below!
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Federal Government Announces Plans to Rollback or Revise Several Regulations Affecting Construction
The Trump administration recently released its Spring 2018 Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions and, contained within it, is a series of regulations that federal agencies plan to either amend or eliminate.
Read moreOSHA Proposes Rule to Alter, Enforce Long Delayed Crane Operator Qualifications
Last November, OSHA issued a final rule that would finally allow them to enforce language, which has been in their standards since 2010, requiring construction crane operators to be formally qualified to operate the equipment. The first day of enforcement for that rule had been set for November 10, 2018, but the agency has recently proposed a new rule that would pull back some of the initial requirements.
Read moreReport: Using “Subs of Subs” Causing Rise in Construction Deaths
Finding enough labor to complete jobs has been a problem for many companies in the construction industry over the past few years. Amid a construction “boom” in many areas, general and subcontractors are accepting jobs without enough people to work them, so some have turned to hiring “subs of subs” to supplement their work, a report published by The Tennessean says.
Read moreOSHA Enforcement of New Beryllium Exposure Standard is Now in Effect for Construction Industry
In March, OSHA announced that they would be enforcing their previously delayed beryllium exposure limit for the construction industry on May 11, 2018. The agency has recently confirmed that enforcement date in a memorandum on May 9, 2018.
Read moreReport: First 6 Months OSHA Silica Regulations Yields 116 Violations
OSHA newer and more stringent regulations regarding employee’s exposure to respirable crystalline silica officially went into effect on September 23, 2017. The new reduced the permissible exposure limit of the substance, which is found mostly in products containing sand (like concrete, mortar, and brick), from 250 micrograms per cubic meter of air down to 50 micrograms per cubic meter of air averaged over an 8 hour shift.
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In the midst of fierce discourse over the bipartisan infrastructure bill lies a unique opportunity for the United States.