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Three recent Â鶹ÊÓƵ reports offer guidance for making construction workers safer on the job. Earlier this year our Research to Practice program surveyed nearly 500 people who experienced, witnessed, or investigated a fall incident. In , participants cited a lack of adequate planning as a key cause of falls, which continue to result in approximately 300 fatalities each year. , including barriers to preventing them, measures that can protect workers, and the motivators, resources, and support needed to reduce and eliminate them. Finally, because training remains crucial to keeping workers safe, Â鶹ÊÓƵ studied which factors affect the success of , including recommendations for continuous quality improvement. This research will be topic of a webinar later this month – see below for how to register.

Â鶹ÊÓƵ, in partnership with West Virginia University (WVU), has once again been awarded a non-financial cooperative agreement to continue to offer OSHA Training Institute Education Center courses under our . This selection recognizes the partnership's ability to support OSHA's training mission to provide safety and health training to workers and employers. Â鶹ÊÓƵ offers these courses through the Building Trades Unions and to the public in OSHA Region III in partnership with WVU. For a listing of public courses, visit the .

The tenth episode in Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s  focuses on suicide prevention. Men in construction are dying from suicide at roughly twice the rate of workers in all industries, and this podcast examines contributing factors, signs and symptoms, and actions that can be taken by individuals, companies, and communities to destigmatize the issue and help one another. Dr. John Gaal, worker wellness director for the Missouri Works Initiative (Missouri AFL-CIO), shares his experience and recommendations from the perspective of someone with many years in the industry and who also lost his son to suicide. 

Also, share your feedback on the podcast series through a . Your input will help us improve the format, content, and value of the series.

As temperatures start to fall, it’s important to remember that working outside in cold, wet, icy, or snowy conditions can lead to serious dangers such as hypothermia and frostbite. Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s website has collected material to , including our Toolbox Talk, Hazard Alert and infographics, as well as valuable information from other organizations like NIOSH and OSHA.  

Preventing construction deaths: The role of public policies. Wayne B. Gray, John Mendeloff. Regulation & Governance, July 2022. .

For more information, including how to apply, on Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s website.

Researchers from the University of Massachusetts Lowell are looking for construction painters to participate in a study about minimizing exposure to hazardous Part B ingredients of reactive chemicals systems used in metal structure coatings. The researchers will be visiting workplaces to conduct field surveys, monitor airborne exposures and skin exposures, and collect biological samples to measure the effects of exposure and evaluate the efficacy of personal protective equipment and engineering controls. Participants will receive a $50 gift card for donating urine before and after the shift and an additional $50 for a blood sample. Contact [email protected] or [email protected] to learn more.

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) and the Former Worker Programs are partnering to host a public webinar that will share information about the national and site specific programs, including the  administered by Â鶹ÊÓƵ. The panelists will discuss the history and functions of the Former Worker Medical Screening Program, introductions to national and site-specific programs, and share medical screening findings. Representing BTMed will be Medical Program Manager Kim Cranford, RN, who will discuss the program and the free medical exams it offers construction workers who worked on DOE facilities.

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Â鶹ÊÓƵ conducts construction safety and health training for members of its consortium partners and affiliates of the North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU). As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic’s impact on businesses and communities, Â鶹ÊÓƵ and its partners led a transition to distance learning for delivering occupational safety and health training to construction workers nationwide. Preliminary evaluations of this training format found support for the use of synchronous distance learning to enhance knowledge and skills, and Â鶹ÊÓƵ identified . In a , which will be the focus of this webinar, Â鶹ÊÓƵ presents findings from a longer, comprehensive evaluation process that included comparative analyses of OSHA 510 and OSHA 500 trainings to assess effectiveness and impact of the distance learning format on both subjective and objective measures. Join Gary F. Gustafson, director of Â鶹ÊÓƵ’s Environmental Hazards Training Program, and Sue Ann Sarpy of Sarpy and Associates for this webinar, which include Q and A at the end. 

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, Built – The Bluebeam Blog, 9/22/22

, The Ironworker, 9/29/22

, Modern Contractor Solutions, 9/27/22

 for instructions on applying.

October 31 – November 1, Hershey, PA&²Ô²ú²õ±è;–