Opioids are often prescribed to help manage pain. CPWR’s Physicians’ Alert: Pain Management for Construction Workers was developed to help ensure that all construction workers who visit a doctor or other healthcare provider because of pain from an injury are aware of treatment options and understand the potential risks of addiction associated with using prescription opioids. The Alert includes information for the injured worker (“Tips for Talking with Your Doctor”) and information the worker can share with their doctor to aid in injury evaluation and pain management.

The Construction Financial Management Association (CFMA) recently published an article written by CPWR’s Eileen Betit that highlights the cost of overexertion injuries in the construction industry and describes the Best Built Plans program aimed at helping the industry engage in materials handling practices that are good for business and safer for employees.

Read more at http://www.cfmabponline.net/cfmabp/20180910?pg=17#pg17.

The number of trenching fatalities has greatly increased over the last few years, making it a priority area for those in construction safety and health to address.  The Oregon Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation program (OR-FACE) recently published a report on the investigation of a fatality resulting from a trench collapse, which contains 7 prevention recommendations based on the multiple causes and contributing factors.

The report, which also lists a number of relevant resources in the references, can be found in full on the OR-FACE website.

The 6th annual National Safety Stand-Down to prevent falls will take place the week of May 6-10, 2019. The Stand-Down was conceived by OSHA in 2014 as part of the National Falls Campaign to raise awareness surrounding the severity of fall hazards in construction and the importance of preventing them. It’s an opportunity for employers to pause work and have a conversation with workers about fall hazards, protective methods, and the company’s safety policies, goals and expectations.  This should also be an opportunity for workers to talk to management about any fall hazards they see.

For resources and information on how to participate as we get closer to May, check out stopconstructionfalls.com.

The National Campaign to Prevent Falls in Construction was started in 2012 by OSHA, NIOSH, and CPWR, with the addition of the annual Safety Stand-Down occurring in 2014.  Since that time, thousands of companies have instituted or improved their jobsite fall prevention programs, and millions of workers have paused work during a Stand-Down to learn more about protecting themselves and their coworkers from falls.  But what exactly has made the campaign so successful? How has word spread so that so many companies participate each and every year?  To find out, CPWR worked with the Center on Network Science (CNS) at the University of Colorado Denver to conduct a Social Network Analysis on the network of partners that has been developed through the Falls Campaign.  Social Network Analysis is a process of mapping and measuring the relationships and flows of information between people, groups, and organizations.

To learn more about which groups and organizations are participating in the Campaign, how they are engaging with one another, and what the benefits and challenges have been, check out this Executive Summary.