Equipment of any kind needs to be accompanied by training, evaluation, inspection, follow-up and, most importantly, an operator who understands the potential hazards and carries out their duties in a safe manner. Safety is everyone’s responsibility throughout the entire organization, and everyone needs to be fully and thoughtfully engaged. Proper training, culture and mindset is the key to success and lower incidence rates.

On July 27, President Joe Biden announced a series of actions aimed at protecting workers from the impact of extreme heat, including asking the U.S. Department of Labor to issue a first-ever hazard alert for heat.

On July 21, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued its Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses final rule, which will undo the ABC-supported provisions of the 2019 final rule promulgated under the Trump adm

On July 17, ABC submitted comments to the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration in response to OSHA’s request for comments on its efforts to develop a leading indicators resource for usage by employers to improve safety management systems.

On June 22, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced it will be holding Small Business Advocacy Review panel (also known as a SBREFA panel) meetings this summer to gather input on a possible Heat Injury and Illness Prevention in Outdoor and Indoor Work Settings rule.

The roadmap to building a strong health and safety culture begins with improving new hire safety orientations and intentional incident investigations. It seems simple, but the reality is that this journey does not happen by itself. We must be committed to safety as a core value every day and in every situation to achieve industry-leading results. Leaders and all team members must be committed to supporting each other to drive results.

Construction is highly labor-intensive, and nothing gets done without our highly skilled and dedicated workforce. While standards tend to treat everyone equally, construction workers are not equally affected by heat those with certain health conditions or circumstances are more susceptible to heat illness. Thus, requirements designed for the least affected workers might not be sufficient to protect those at higher risk. One size does not fit all.

Matt Abeles, ABC vice president of construction technology and innovation, sits down with Autodesk University host Eric Thomas to talk about the ABC Tech Alliance and how it is revolutionizing the construction industry, making everyone safer along the way.

Safety training equips supervisors to lead and manage projects, people, processes and policies. This training is enhanced through frequent, regularly scheduled safety meetings involving supervisory staff and the company safety director. These intentional, agenda-driven meetings go beyond training and education, helping to develop relationships as challenges and successes are shared.

On May 9, 2023, President Joe Biden signed an executive order, Moving Beyond COVID-19 Vaccination Requirements for Federal Workers, that revoked executive orders 14042 and 14043 effective 12:01 a.m. ET on May 12, 2023.