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From Aug. 9-16, ABC celebrated Safe + Sound Week to recognize the successes of workplace health and safety programs and offer information and ideas on how to keep America’s workers safe.

On July 29, President Biden announced during a press conference that every federal government employee and on-site contractor will be asked to attest to their vaccination status. According to a White House fact sheet, anyone who does not attest to being fully vaccinated will be required to wear a mask on the job no matter their geographic location, physically distance from all other employees and visitors, comply with a weekly or twice weekly screening testing requirement and be subject to restrictions on official travel.

On July 15, Occupational Safety and Health Administration released additional materials to educate the workforce on heat illness prevention.

According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration, more than 40% of heat-related worker deaths occur in the construction industry.  As with all incidents, heat illness is entirely preventable, provided you develop and implement simple preventive measures. 

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently added a frequently asked question related to best practices for protecting workers regardless of vaccination status to its non-ETS FAQs.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced the long-awaited COVID-19 Healthcare Emergency Temporary Standard on June 10. The Construction Industry Safety Coalition, which ABC is a steering committee member, said that it is pleased that the Biden administration and OSHA listened to the concerns and recommendations of the construction industry in formulating the ETS.

On May 27, ABC wrote to U.S. Department of Labor Secretary Martin Walsh to share the exceptional results of the 2021 Workforce Development Survey. ABC hopes this outreach will encourage Secretary Walsh to work with ABC to advance the interests of the entire construction industry. 

ABC is pleased the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission has issued long-awaited guidance on COVID-19 vaccinations as it relates to the workplace. On Feb. 1, ABC joined 41 trade associations in urging the EEOC to quickly issue guidance

ABC is pleased that the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has re-evaluated its frequently asked questions related to COVID-19 vaccinations, announcing it will not enforce the requirement for employers to record worker side effects from COVID-19 vaccination through May 2022. 

Applications are now being accepted for ABC's Accredited Quality Contractor credential, the only ABC program that recognizes companies based on quality, safety, education talent management and diversity and community relations.