Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and other city officials recently announced the launch of the new City of New York Construction Codes, the first modernization of the Building Code since 1968.
"We understand the governmental requirements and process that have to be followed, but this unending delay is totally unacceptable," wrote AEM President Dennis Slater in a letter to DOL Secretary Elaine Chao and OSHA head Edwin Foulke.
“We do not know why such a highly competent leader and administrator of an agency that has been, by any measure, a success in the eyes of our members across the country and the entire safety and health community should not be reappointed,” wrote ASSE President Michael W. Thompson, CSP, in May.
"The ideas shared by Dow and OSHA in the past have helped to identify and prevent occupational hazards, and we are eagerly anticipating more success ahead," said OSHA chief Edwin Foulke.
The U.S. Department of Labor is soliciting nominations to fill five three-year vacancies on the Advisory Council on Employee Welfare and Pension Benefit Plans, known as the ERISA Advisory Council. The deadline for receipt of nominations is Aug. 31, 2008.
Best practices keep demolition's dangers to a minimum.
Although the prevailing perception is that the demolition industry by its very nature is a dangerous business, the truth is that the industry’s continued commitment to safety education and best practices is creating a relatively safe industry in which to work.
Today's public hearing by the interagency group will include the state's lieutenant governor.
The presentation is made up of two 30-minute segments--one in English, the other in Spanish--demonstrating how to safely build, use, and dismantle the most common types of scaffolding found in residential construction.
An average of 22 construction workers died in crane-related incidents per year from 1992 to 2006, according to a report released June 17 by the Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR), which derived the number from BLS data. The "Crane-Related Deaths in Construction and Recommendations for Their Prevention" report, spurred by tower crane collapses in New York City and Miami that killed 10 workers and one bystander this spring, listed eight recommendations. Certification of operators, inspectors, riggers, and signalpersons are the top three.
"Few people understand that, on average, four workers are killed every day on U.S. construction sites," said BCTD President Mark H. Ayers.
"This agreement provides an opportunity for OSHA and SPS to work together to create a comprehensive safety and health training program emphasizing employer awareness of hazardous working conditions," said Richard Tapio, OSHA's area director in Lubbock, Texas.
Among the changes to existing policy, the department will now be mandating maintenance, testing, tracking, and more inspections, Acting Buildings Commissioner Robert D. LiMandri said Tuesday.
The charges filed last Friday include alleged false statements about the quality of work done in a tunnel in which a ceiling panel fell in 2006, killing a motorist.
With chief Edwin Foulke Jr. set to testify at a U.S. House of Representatives committee hearing today, the agency announced the new measures this morning.
The case began after a complaint last year alleged fall hazards were present.
Last week's staff report skewered Ed Foulke's agency for the problem everyone sees: reported injury and illness numbers aren't credible. Tomorrow comes a hearing questioning OSHA's construction safety enforcement.
The drills can continue to operate after the trigger has been released, posing a risk of injury to consumers.
OSHA and the Café Con Leche Health and Safety Outreach Committee have formed an alliance to focus on outreach and training for non-English speaking employees and youths.
If approved, CBCAG funds would be dedicated to training “First Preventers”--building and fire safety officials who prevent harm by ensuring compliance with safety codes before disasters occur.