Construction Safety

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Course Learning Outcomes for Unit I

Upon completion of this unit, students should be able to:

2. Apply Occupational Safety and Health Administration standards and related practices to construction. 2.1 Examine the impact and importance of the OSHA standards in the construction industry. 2.2 Identify employee and employer rights and responsibilities in the OSHA standards.

5. Discuss social demographic issues related to construction safety. 5.1 Recognize safe workplace challenges related to gender, age, and non-native English speakers.

7. Discuss workers' compensation programs as they apply to construction settings. 7.1 Explain the role of workers’ compensation programs in accident prevention on construction

sites.

Course/Unit Learning Outcomes

Learning Activity

2.1 Unit I Lesson Required Readings Unit I Assessment

2.2 Unit I Lesson Required Readings Unit I Assessment

5.1 Unit I Lesson Required Readings Unit I Assessment

7.1 Unit I Lesson Required Readings Unit I Assessment

Reading Assignment

Please read the following in the order they are listed below.

Read slides 1-28 in the presentation below.

Occupational Safety & Health Administration. (n.d.). Introduction to OSHA [PowerPoint presentation], Retrieved from https://www.osha.gov/dte/outreach/intro_osha/IntroToOSHA_ppt.pdf

Occupational Safety & Health Administration. (n.d.). Regulations (Standards – 29 CRF): State plans for the development and enforcement of state standards. Retrieved from https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9561

Occupational Safety & Health Administration. (n.d.). Regulations (Standards – 29 CRF): Construction work. Retrieved from https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=STANDARDS&p_id=9707

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health. (2011). Construction safety and health. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/construction/about.html

UNIT I STUDY GUIDE

Introduction to Construction Safety

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Title Occupational Safety & Health Administration. (n.d.). Women in construction: Personal protective equipment.

Retrieved from https://www.osha.gov/doc/topics/women/ppe.html

Occupational Safety & Health Administration. (n.d.). Protecting temporary workers. Retrieved from https://www.osha.gov/temp_workers/

Occupational Safety & Health Administration. (2007). OSHA fact sheet: Hispanic outreach. Retrieved from https://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/data_Hispanic/hispanic_outreach.html

Occupational Safety & Health Administration. (n.d.). Young workers: You have rights!. Retrieved from https://www.osha.gov/youngworkers/hazards.html

Read pages 1-24 in the primer below.

Centers for Disease Control & Prevention. National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health. (2014). Workers’ compensation insurance: A primer for public health [Brochure], Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2014-110/pdfs/2014-110.pdf

Unit Lesson

Workplace Safety and OSHA

“Two workers die in construction accident.” “Crane collapses at downtown construction site.” “Worker falls to his death on construction site.” Headlines like these seem to be almost a daily occurrence. It is not just sensational headline writing—of the more than 4,000 worker fatalities in the U.S. in 2013, one in five (20%) were in construction (Occupational Safety & Health Administration [OSHA], n.d.-b). What is it about construction that makes it so dangerous? What do safety professionals need to know in order to develop effective accident prevention programs in this industry? In this course, we will focus on the information and tools that are available to address these questions. In order to better understand the current challenges, we first need to look back into the history of occupational safety in the United States.

The safety movement began in the United States in the 1800s as the introduction of new machines and equipment brought new dangers into the workplace. In the aftermath of the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in New York City in 1910, safety became a focal point in most industries. Insurance companies wanting to cut the losses incurred by workplace accidents were the first to establish rules for safe work practices. Although the initial reason for improved safety was money, the efforts did greatly improve overall working conditions for

(Almeida, n.d.)

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employees. Labor unions began to use workplace safety as part of their collective bargaining agreements. Industry associations developed safety standards to be adopted on a voluntary basis. Individual states passed laws to regulate some aspects of worker safety. In 1971, the Williams-Steiger Occupational Safety and Health Act became law and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) was established. OSHA was given the authority to develop and enforce workplace safety standards. The initial workplace standards, known as General Industry Standards, were published in Title 29 of the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations Part 1910, commonly annotated as 29 CFR 1910 (Johnson, 2013).

The first OSHA standards applied to all industries, but OSHA quickly recognized that not all industries were created equal. The maritime and construction industries, in particular, were faced with hazards unique to their operations; many organizations had already developed and adopted their own voluntary standards. To address the unique operations of these and other specialty industries, OSHA created additional industry- specific standards based on the voluntary standards already in place. The Construction Safety standards were issued in 1972 and are published at 29 CFR 1926. It is important to note that although construction activities have their own set of standards, they are not exempt from the General Industry standards in 29 CFR 1910. The construction standards are applied first, but if a particular workplace hazard is not covered in 29 CFR 1926 and is addressed in 29 CFR 1910, then the 1910 standard is applied. Twice as many standards to sort through!

OSHA also recognized the constitutional rights of individual states to create their own laws and regulations. The office provided a mechanism for states to receive approval for their own occupational safety and health standards as long as they provide equal or better protection for workers than the Federal OSHA standards. Currently, 26 States and Puerto Rico have OSHA-approved plans (OSHA, n.d.-a). In this course, we will focus on the OSHA Construction Standards published at 29 CFR 1926, but it is important to not lose sight of the General Industry Standards as well as the OSHA-approved state standards.

OSHA data indicates that one in five worker deaths were in construction. What is the leading cause of deaths in construction? Unfortunately, this is not a difficult question: falls are the cause in about 36% of all construction deaths (OSHA, n.d.-b). You might surmise that most efforts and resources are directed at preventing falls, but you may be surprised to learn about the number one OSHA citation.

The following were the top 10 most frequently cited standards by Federal OSHA in fiscal year 2013 (October 1, 2012 through September 30, 2013) (OSHA, n.d.-b):

1. Fall protection, construction (29 CFR 1926.501) 2. Hazard communication standard, general industry (29 CFR 1910.1200) 3. Scaffolding, general requirements, construction (29 CFR 1926.451) 4. Respiratory protection, general industry (29 CFR 1910.134) 5. Electrical, wiring methods, components and equipment, general industry (29 CFR 1910.305) 6. Powered industrial trucks, general industry (29 CFR 1910.178) 7. Ladders, construction (29 CFR 1926.1053) 8. Control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout), general industry (29 CFR 1910.147) 9. Electrical systems design, general requirements, general industry (29 CFR 1910.303)

10. Machinery and machine guarding, general requirements (29 CFR 1910.212)

Workers’ Compensation

Like most industries, the primary goal of the construction industry is profit. There are many areas of cost to be considered, such as labor, taxes, insurance, materials, and capital. Labor rates are established by local scales, and taxes are determined by existing statutory law, but insurance is a cost that can be managed. Several specific types of insurance coverage are needed for a construction project: builder’s risk, commercial/general liability, pollution, professional liability, and workers’ compensation.

Workers’ compensation gives employees the right to be compensated following a work-related injury without the need for litigation. Before workers’ compensation laws were developed, an employee’s only recourse in the case of an on-the-job injury was to go through the court system, which sometimes proved to be a lengthy process. Now, all workers’ compensation laws provide pay and benefits, and cover medical costs, while encouraging accident prevention (Johnson, 2013). Workers’ compensation generally provides replacement of income for injured employees, rehabilitation of injured employees, help toward the prevention of future accidents, and allocation of costs. Fundamentally, workers’ compensation helps employees return to work as

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Title soon as possible in order to maximize efficiency for the company (National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health [NIOSH], 2014).

Workers’ compensation insurance can be a major cost for a construction project. As workers’ compensation claims increase, so do the insurance premiums (remember that the insurance company is also in business to make a profit). The safety practitioner can make a significant contribution to cost reduction of a project through the application of sound accident prevention principles and a reduction in workers’ compensation claims. Compliance with the OSHA standards is just the beginning. Throughout the course, we will be discussing additional safe work practices that go beyond simple compliance and will help reach the goal of a construction project delivered on time and on budget.

References

Almeida, A. (n.d.). “I reckon everybody knows about this…” [Cartoon]. Retrieved from http://www.almeidacartoons.com/Safe_toons1.html

Johnson, D. (2013). DeWALT construction safety and OSHA handbook. Clifton Park, NY: Delmar.

National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health. (2014). Workers’ compensation insurance: A primer for public health [Brochure]. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2014-110/pdfs/2014-110.pdf

Occupational Safety & Health Administration. (n.d.-a). Regulations (Standards – 29 CRF) Subpart A - list of approved state plans for enforcement of state standards. Retrieved from https://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owasrch.search_form?p_doc_type=STANDARDS&p_toc_level=1 &p_keyvalue=1952

Occupational Safety & Health Administration. (n.d.-b). Commonly used statistics. Retrieved from https://www.osha.gov/oshstats/commonstats.html

Suggested Reading

Are you looking for more insight on the topics discussed in this unit? Access the items listed below to view videos and additional information to gain further insight and understanding.

Occupational Safety & Health Administration. (n.d.). 40 year history video [Video]. Retrieved from https://www.osha.gov/osha40/video/video.html

Occupational Safety & Health Administration. (2009). Reflections on OSHA’s history [Brochure]. Retrieved from https://www.osha.gov/history/OSHA_HISTORY_3360s.pdf

Occupational Safety & Health Administration. (n.d.). Links to state plans’ safety and health regulations. Retrieved from https://www.osha.gov/dcsp/osp/statestandards.html

Occupational Safety & Health Academy. (n.d.). All about calculating workers’ compensation premiums. Retrieved from http://www.oshatrain.org/notes/4anotes05.html

Occupational Safety & Health Administration. (n.d). Workers’ compensation costs of falls in construction. Retrieved from https://www.osha.gov/doc/topics/residentialprotection/2012_fall_costs/index.html

Learning Activities (Nongraded)

If your state has an OSHA-approved occupational safety and health plan, find some information about it on the Internet. Compare the state standards to OSHA. Are there areas where the state is more restrictive than OSHA? If your state does not have an approved plan, take a look at the state plans for California or Oregon and compare them to OSHA.

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Title Nongraded Learning Activities are provided to aid students in their course of study. You do not have to submit them. If you have questions contact your instructor for further guidance and information.