Court Decision Says that GCs Can Receive OSHA Citations for Subcontractor Violations

Multi-employer worksites are extremely common in the construction industry, but they can still make work extremely complicated.  One of those complications results when a subcontractor receives a governmental violation, such as an OSHA violation.  As a controlling employer on the site, can a general contractor be held responsible for safety hazards of a subcontractor?  One court says yes.

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OSHA to Offer Temporary Compliance Assistance on Newly Effective Crane Operator Rule

After an abundance of delays on rule that would require crane operators to be formally qualified to operate, OSHA finally landed on an effective date of February 7, 2019. After receiving feedback from industry partners, OSHA has decided to delay enforcement for 60 days for contractors who make a “good faith effort” to comply.

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OSHA Releases 7 Videos To Help Prevent Falls in Construction

via OSHA, through YouTube

via OSHA, through YouTube

Falls have long been the leading cause of fatalities in the construction industry, accounting for nearly 40% on an annual basis. Unsurprisingly, OSHA also issues the most citations for falls, and 2 different fall protection standards were on their top 10 most frequently cited violations list of 2018. To help build awareness and in an effort to reduce the number of deaths caused by falls, OSHA has released 6 videos and several other resources for employers.

In addition to the videos, posted below, OSHA has also announced that the 6th annual National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction will be held from May 6 to May 10th in 2019.  That event encourages employers across the country to take some time out of their days to discuss the seriousness of fall protection.

A 24-page Fall Prevention Training Guide has also been released as part of their outreach program. It contains a roadmap for how and when to use fall prevention toolbox talks, as well as a variety of other useful information for training your employees.

Fact sheets for both ladders and scaffolding are available, as well.  In the ladders category, extension ladders, job-made wooden ladders, and stepladders all have their own individual fact sheets. In the scaffolding category, narrow frame scaffolds, ladder jack scaffolds, and tube and coupler scaffolds all have their own individual fact sheets.

Now on to the videos.  I’m a huge fan of videos, because I think providing visuals is hugely important for knowledge retention and many of us in the construction industry are visual learners.

Floor Openings

Skylights

Fixed Scaffolds

Bridge Decking

Reroofing

Leading Edge Work

5 Ways to Prevent Workplace Falls

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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.

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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.

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[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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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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.

Report: Construction Worker Deaths Dropped Slightly in 2017

After an uptick in construction industry fatalities in 2016, a recent Bureau of Labor Statistics report shows that both the amount of construction worker deaths and the rate of fatality dropped in 2017.

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The 10 Most Frequently Cited OSHA Violations in 2018

At the National Safety Council Congress & Expo on October 23, 2018, OSHA’s deputy director of Directorate of Enforcement Programs, Patrick Kapust, announced their 10 most frequesntly cited safety violations for their fiscal year 2018.

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NTSB Released 2nd Investigative Update on Collapsed Pedestrian Bridge in Florida

On March 15, 2018, 6 people were killed and 8 others were injured when an under construction pedestrian bridge collapsed in Florida.  Several months later, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) released their preliminary report while conducting an official investigation. The NTSB later issued an “Investigative Update” to their preliminary report in August. In Mid-November, the NTSB released a 2nd investigative update, narrowing their root cause theories.

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