Join OSHA, NIOSH, CPWR, and many other safety & health organizations for Safe + Sound Week, August 9-15, 2021! 

Safe + Sound Week is a nationwide event held each August that recognizes the successes of workplace health and safety programs and offers information and ideas on how to keep America’s workers safe.

Why Participate?
Successful safety and health programs can proactively identify and manage workplace hazards before they cause injury or illness, improving sustainability and the bottom line. Participating in Safe + Sound Week can help get your program started, energize an existing one, or provide a chance to recognize your safety successes.

Who Participates?
All organizations looking for an opportunity to recognize their commitment to safety are welcome to participate. Last year, more than 3,400 businesses helped to raise awareness about workers’ health and safety!

For more information and ways to participate, visit OSHA’s Safe + Sound website.

• Reaching high-risk populations: small employers, vulnerable workers, residential and light commercial construction firms
• Developing applicable, practical interventions
• Engaging stakeholders, through partnerships and other means, to better understand the barriers to and motivators for adoption of best practices
• Addressing emerging issues and exploring new technologies
• Evaluating promising research translation products and dissemination strategies
• Disseminating good practices to small employers

Tuesday, June 15th at 2:00 pm EDT
Occupational exposures to epoxy resins among construction painters: methods to monitor exposures and urinary biomarkers

This webinar will present researchers’ findings on occupational exposures to epoxy resins among construction painters working in anti-corrosion metal structure coating – a multibillion dollar market. Epoxy resins used on steel structure coatings derive almost exclusively from Bisphenol A Diglycidyl Ether (BADGE). Epoxy exposures are associated with irritant and allergic contact dermatitis, respiratory disorders, and potential endocrine disruption effects. This presentation will focus on findings related to inhalation and dermal exposures to BADGE as well as biomonitoring of pre- and post-shift urine samples collected at various metal structure coating sites in Massachusetts. In addition, Dr. Bello will discuss the adequacy of current exposure controls and provide recommendations to further reduce epoxy exposures among painters during steel structure coating in construction. We will follow the presentation with Q&A.

Welcome: Bernard Mizula, MS, CIH, CIT, CHS-V, RPIH, Director of Environmental Health and Safety, IUPAT/Finishing Trades Institute
Presenter: Dhimiter Bello, ScD, MSc, Professor, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Click here to register and submit questions in advance

Tuesday, June 29th at 2:00 pm EDT
Heat-related Illness & Death in Construction

Construction workers, who often work outdoors in direct sunlight or in hot, enclosed spaces, are at risk for heat-related illnesses and, in severe cases, death. In fact, construction workers make up about 6% of the total U.S. workforce, but from 1992 to 2016, they accounted for 36% of all occupational heat-related deaths. Learn more about research findings on heat-related deaths among construction workers as well as CPWR resources and solutions to help prevent them in this 30-minute presentation followed by Q&A.

Moderator: Rick Rinehart, ScD, Deputy Director, CPWR
CPWR Panelists:
Gavin West, MPH, Director, Nanomaterials Research
Chris Le, MPH, Program Manager, Construction Solutions Database
Rosa Greenberg, MPH, Research Assistant, Research to Practice (r2p)

Click here to register and submit questions in advance

The recipients of the second Liberty Mutual Safety Innovation Award in Construction were announced June 3rd at CPWR’s annual Research to Practice Seminar and Workshop. The award — sponsored by Liberty Mutual Insurance and administered by CPWR — recognizes innovative evidence-based technologies, work practices, and programs (interventions) designed to reduce or eliminate construction hazards that lead to injuries and pain in the construction industry.

The winner will receive a $15,000 cash prize and a plaque, and honorable mention will receive a $5,000 cash prize and a plaque.

GRAND PRIZE WINNER
The Anchor Thread by Ajuscto

HONORABLE MENTION
LivNSense Technologies Artificial Intelligence Vision Based Intelligent Collision Avoidance System (ViCAS)

FINALIST
Hilmerson Safety Rail System™

To learn more about the honorees, click HERE. You can also read about the award process, including judging criteria and eligibility. Applications for the 2022 Liberty Mutual Safety Innovation Awards in Construction will open this fall.

In collaboration with several universities and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR) has developed several resources to help the construction industry understand the science and benefits of the COVID-19 vaccine. These resources will be updated as new research and information becomes available. Please visit CPWR’s COVID-19 Vaccine Resources page or the CPWR COVID-19 Construction Clearinghouse for the most up-to-date information on vaccines.

• NEW: Why Is It Important For Construction Workers to Get Vaccinated?
• NEW: Promoting Vaccination Among Small Construction Firms
• COVID-19 Vaccine FAQs for the Construction Industry (Version 4: 4/29/21)
  • Also available in Spanish: Preguntas frecuentes sobre la vacuna contra la COVID-19 para la industria de la construcción (Versión 4: 29/4/21)
• Infographics on COVID-19 vaccine