Many New England states were just recovering from the devastation caused by Hurricane Sandy when a record-breaking winter storm hit the area. Over the February 9 weekend, Mother Nature dumped as much as a three feet of snow, coupled with high winds, causing power outages, flight cancellations, and more than a dozen deaths. To remind everyone that winter is far from over, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued advice to employers about the importance of keeping employees safe during winter storms. [Read more…]
Website Wins U.S. Department of Labor App Challenge
A website designed to offer young workers information on common workplace hazards has won the grand prize in the U.S. Department of Labor’s Worker Safety and Health App Challenge. The Labor Department sponsored the challenge to raise awareness among young, tech-savvy workers about the importance of workplace safety. It challenged workers to submit tools or apps that would “best demonstrate the importance of recognizing and preventing workplace safety and health hazards, and help young people understand their rights in the workplace.” [Read more…]
OSHA Issues Warning About Carbon Monoxide Exposure
Construction workers face difficult job conditions. Cold, rain, sleet, snow – nothing stops a construction site when a deadline is looming. Not surprisingly, New York and New Jersey construction workers usually work straight through the cold, snowy winter months when work is available. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration wants to make sure that all workers, including construction workers, take necessary precautions against carbon monoxide exposure during the winter months. [Read more…]
Falls a Frequent Cause of Construction Deaths
Falls, slips and trips consistently rank at the top of the list of causes of fatal construction accidents, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. In 2011, 666 workers lost their lives as a result of falls, slips or trips, accounting for 14 percent of all workplace fatalities. Most of the deaths involved workers falling to a lower level. [Read more…]
Worksite Injuries and Accidents Up In New York City
The number of jobsite accidents and injuries in New York City and the surrounding areas has increased significantly just as the city has reduced oversight of worksites, according to a report by the Daily News. Specifically, city records show that jobsite accidents in New York City jumped from 119 in fiscal 2011 to 157 in fiscal 2012, an increase of 31 percent, while the number of injuries rose from 128 to 187, an increase of 48 percent. [Read more…]
Construction Mobile Equipment Poses a Serious Threat to Workers
Construction workers often work under extremely hazardous conditions. Not surprisingly, the construction industry consistently has the second highest number of work-related accidents, behind only the transportation industry, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, or BLS. Along with the myriad of other hazards that can cause injuries on a construction site, mobile construction equipment stands out as a leading cause. [Read more…]
Snow Removal Is Safety Concern for Construction Workers
As winter settles in throughout the northeast, many workers in the construction industry in New York and New Jersey are at risk of injuries from snow removal. Because snow removal can be dangerous, the Occupational Health and Safety Administration has issued a hazard alert for anyone involved in snow removal. [Read more…]
OSHA Highlights Importance of Safety during Hurricane Sandy Cleanup
As the Hurricane Sandy cleanup continues throughout New England, the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has issued a fact sheet to educate employers and workers about the need for proper equipment and training in the face of possible hazards. [Read more…]
Electrocution Injuries among Most Dangerous on Worksites
Anyone who works in the construction industry knows how dangerous a construction site can be. In fact, construction-related injuries account for as much as 15 percent of workers’ compensation costs. And according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, electrocution is the second most common cause of death In the industry, behind only falls as a cause of death. [Read more…]
The OSHA Complaint Process
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration is an agency in the United States Department of Labor whose mission is to “assure safe and healthful working conditions for working men and women by setting and enforcing standards and by providing training, outreach, education and assistance.” OSHA has the authority to issue and enforce safety regulations to create a safer workplace. [Read more…]