OSHA Launches W.Va Campaign To Protect Construction Workers

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) launched a safety campaign in West Virginia to protect summer construction workers against on-the-job injury.

Year after year, construction remains at the top of the list in terms of work-related injuries and fatalities. The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reports that 4,628 construction workers were killed on the job in 2012 -- roughly 89 construction worker fatalities per week or 12 per day. Granted, this is the second lowest number since the BLS began taking census in 1992, but constructions remains a "high risk" injury for work-related injury.

OSHA notes that the construction industry is prone to the "Fatal Fours" -- a group of four types of incidents that are attributed to over half of all construction worker fatalities. The Fatal Fours include the following:

1. Falls (34.6%)
2. Struck by object (9.8%)
3. Electrocutions (8.1%)
4. Caught in/between (1.6%)

The single most common cause of fatalities among construction workers is falls. In 2012, 279 construction workers were killed in CY 2012 as a result of falling. Employers whom fail to implement proper safeguards against falls could be subject to fines and penalties imposed by OSHA.

"Construction is a high-hazard industry, and when employers do not employ an effective safety and health program, workers are left vulnerable to serious injury and possible death," said Mary Ann Garrahan, OSHA’s regional administrator in Philadelphia. "The increased presence of our compliance officers and the immediate inspections conducted in response to unsafe scaffolds, fall risks, trenches and other construction hazards should help to prevent work site fatalities," she added.

The Construction Incident Prevention Initiative aims to identify and eliminate potential worker hazards at construction sites. According to a press release published by OSHA, the initiative will focus on the Fatal Fours (see above) as well as health hazards such exposure to silica, lead and hexavalent chromium.

OSHA officials will provide on-site training,  education, support and assistant to construction crews in an effort to curb the rates of job-related injury and illness. The Construction Incident Prevention Initiative will last through the summer months in the Philadelphia region, covering Delaware, Pennsylvania, Maryland, the District of Columbia, Virginia and West Virginia.

Another topic covered by the Construction Incident Prevention Initiative is heat exposure. Heat exhaustion and heat stroke are all-too-common among construction workers during the months of July and August. Thankfully, these problems are easily prevented when workers and employers take appropriate preventive measures, including staying hydrated, taking breaks, watching for the signs of heat exhaustion/stroke, and cooling off indoors.