Practical EHS Tips, News & Advice. Updated Daily.
Responding to petitions for review from the National Association of Home Builders and the Chesapeake Bay Foundation, the EPA is proposing modifications to its 2017 Construction General Permit (CGP). The CGP comprises National Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (NPDES) requirements for construction site operators disturbing 1 or more acres of land or less than 1 acre […]
The latest trend in safety for construction workers may have been established by a New York City (NYC) law signed by Mayor Bill de Blasio in October 2017. Local Law 196 established new training requirements for employees at certain construction jobsites. The requirement—a minimum number of hours of training on specific safety subjects for workers […]
A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) study that examined unintentional or undetermined overdose deaths in 26 occupation groups found that construction occupations had the highest proportional mortality rates (PMRs) of deaths from both heroin and prescription opioids.
OSHA’s illumination standards for construction (29 CFR 1926.56) and shipyard employment (29 CFR 1915.82) are intended to ensure that specific work areas or areas where workers are stationed or passing through are provided with lighting that is sufficient to enable the workers to see hazardous conditions and avoid injury. The standards set minimum lighting requirements […]
On Monday, three news releases from OSHA covered recent enforcement actions. Two of them were taken against construction companies that failed to protect employees from trenching hazards, and one of the enforcement actions was unfortunately taken only after two employees were killed.
Struck-by object is one of OSHA’s Construction Focus Four topics (along with falls, electrocution, and caught-in-between), collectively the four hazards that year-to-year result in more than half the fatalities in the construction industry.
Q. How do I know if my site has any post-construction stormwater regulations?
Citations against a contractor cited more than 40 times for scaffolding violations have been upheld by the commission that reviews contested OSHA cases. Despite years of enforcement activity, this employer has not shown encouraging signs of changing its ways. Get details here.
Q. Throughout our construction project, we have amended our SWPPP several times. What are our obligations now that we have altered our SWPPP?
Sure, in a global sense, you’re worried about climate change—for your kids and future generations. But, now, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety (NIOSH), it’s a new worry for you professionally. Now you have to consider the effects of climate change for your workers, i.e., your current workers. Today we will review findings […]