Philadelphia Construction Law Blog

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently published new educational materials designed to help construction employers control exposure to airborne crystalline silica at construction sites. The 7 new fact sheets provide information on how to control the risks associated with silica exposure while working with grinders, angle grinders, jackhammers, rotary hammers, stationary and handheld masonry saws, and vehicle mounted drilling rigs.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration extended its temporary enforcement measures in residential construction until December 15, 2012. By offering, and now extending, priority free on-site compliance assistance, penalty reductions, extended abatement periods, and other measures to increase outreach and ensure consistency, OSHA is trying to decrease the number of fatal falls on residential sites. Falls are the number one cause of fatalities on residential construction projects.

The Construction Research and Policy Center recently reported that falls on construction sites remain an issue. They are still the single leading cause of construction site fatalities, causing 1/3 of all deaths. The annual fall fatality rate is 3 per 100,000 among construction workers, a number six times that of deaths caused by texting while driving accidents.