The first webinar in NIOSH’s 2021 Expanding Research Partnerships Webinar Series: Exploring the Future of Worker Health and Safety in the Post-Pandemic World will take place on March 10, 2021 at 12:00 PM EST. This webinar will explore perspectives on worker health and safety of labor associations of major industry sectors in the U.S.

Featured Speakers: 

Amy Bahruth
American Federation of Teachers (AFT)

Lamont Byrd
International Brotherhood of Teamsters (IBT)

Chris Cain
North America’s Building Trades Union (NABTU)

Mark Catlin (Retired)
Service Employees International Union (SEIU)

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This issue of the CPWR Data Bulletin examines nonfatal injuries in construction between 2003 and 2019, identifying trends by injury cause, establishment size, subsector, and demographics.

• Data Bulletin
• Data Bulletin – Charts
• Data Bulletin – Chart Data

SAVE THE DATE!

Join CPWR, the NORA Construction Sector Council, and other partners on April 26th for the 2nd annual National Stand-Down to Prevent Struck-by Incidents, the first day of National Work Zone Awareness Week. The Stand-Down asks contractors to pause work to recognize that struck-by incidents are a leading cause of death among construction workers and to educate their crews about risks and solutions for mitigating them. To make the Stand-Down a success during COVID-19, we are encouraging contractors, workers, and other stakeholders to participate virtually.

The NORA Construction Sector Council will be holding two webinars as part of this virtual event, and more information on how to participate virtually or hold your own stand-down at a safe social distance will be posted on CPWR’s Struck-by Hazards webpage soon.

The following are new materials to use as handouts, in print publications, and for social media in support of this initiative:

• Stand-Down promotional flyers –
  • Flyer #1 (JPEG, PDF)
  • Flyer #2 (JPEG, PDF)
• Infographics –
  • Crane and Lift Zone Safety: Planning for a Safe Lift (JPEG, PDF)
  • In 1 Strike You Could Be Out (JPEG, PDF)

Despite ongoing efforts by safety & health professionals and industry stakeholders to improve awareness and use of fall prevention and protection solutions, falls continue to be the leading cause of death in the construction industry. According to recent occupational data from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, fatalities from falls, slips, and trips increased 11% overall in 2019, to 880 total deaths. In construction and extraction occupations alone, 408 workers died.

To better understand and prevent both fatal and non-fatal falls, more information is needed about their root causes.

So, we’re asking you to tell us about a fall incident or incidents that you experienced, witnessed, or investigated.

CPWR worked closely with the ANSI Z359 National Work at Heights Task Force and the NORA Construction Sector Council Falls Work Group to develop the survey, which aims to fill in some of the gaps in information available on common underlying causes of falls from heights. We hope to better understand the needs of the industry and the intricacies of how different organizational, human, and physical factors can interact to cause a fall. We will use the results to guide the development of new CPWR and NORA materials in support of the National Campaign & Annual Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction – such as planning resources for contractors, handouts for workers, and on-demand webinars – and to inform the voluntary standards put forward by the ANSI Z359 Committee. For more information about the survey and its goals, you can view our on-demand webinar, Identifying Common Root Causes of Falls from Heights.

The survey is completely voluntary and anonymous. No attempt will be made to connect a response back to the individual. If you are interested in participating in a more in-depth conversation with CPWR about your experience, you will have the option to provide your contact information at a separate and secure link, not connected with your survey responses. The results of the survey will only be reported in aggregate, and no identifying information will be shared.

Canada’s Institute for Work & Health recently published a report on their study of the effect of unionization on the incidence of workers’ compensation claims in companies from the Institutional, Commercial and Industrial (ICI) construction trade sector in Ontario. Using data from 2012-2018, this research updated an earlier IWH study (Amick et al., 2015), which used data from 2006-2012. The earlier study concluded that unionization lowered the likelihood of organizations reporting lost-time injury claims and increased the likelihood of them reporting no-lost-time injury claims. Both the present study and the Amick et al. (2015) study were consistent in finding a favorable union safety effect on injuries requiring time away from work, including both musculoskeletal and critical (more severe) injuries, among companies in Ontario’s ICI sector.

Read more at https://iciconstruction.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/IWH-OCS-Safety-Study-Report.pdf.