1. OSHE 382: Construction Safety Spring 2016
Dr. Lu Yuan, CSP

2. Construction The most dangerous industry
Nearly 200,000 serious injuries and 1,200 deaths each year
7% of workforce but 21% of fatalities: the largest number of fatalities reported for any industry sector (BLS, 2005)
Work-related injury and illness rate: 6.3 per 100 full-time workers (BLS, 2005), compared to the average rate of 4.6 per 100 among private industry employers

3. Construction Fatalities

4. How about Now?

5. How about Now?

6. How about Now?

7. Introduction
Construction industry is dynamic and complex: Constantly changing
Similar as “You can never step into the same river twice” (Heraclitus):
YOU CAN NEVER ENTER THE SAME CONSTRUCTION SITE TWICE

8. Construction Safety and Health
Safety hazards: Fall from heights, bodily reaction, stuck by an object, etc.
Industrial hygiene issues:
Chemical hazards: Silica dust, asbestos, lead paint, etc.
Physical hazards: Noise, vibration, radiation, etc.
Biological hazards: Poorly maintained sanitary facilities
Ergonomic hazards: Heavy manual material handling, awkward postures, repetitive motions
Mental stress: Project deadline, lack of support from supervisors and coworkers, etc.

9. Historical Perspective in Construction Safety
Historical background and progress in occupational medicine
Brooklyn Bridge in the late nineteenth century
First workers’ compensation law (1911)
National Safety Council (1913)
National Safety Code Program: ANSI (1920)
Golden Gate Bridge Story

11. Historical Perspective
Walsh-Healey Public Contracts Act (1936)
The Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act (1960s)
OSHAct (1971)
The A-3 Report on construction safety process (1982)
Today’s status: Human-centered

12. Roles of Construction Safety Professionals
Marketing: Make safety a core value of the business
Design: Recognize construction site safety as a design criterion
Environmental: Administer environmental compliance program
Insurance: Manage loss-control portfolio
Security: Become more and more important
Training: Understand diversities

15. Professional Status
Maintain a high level of MUTUAL respect and support with management
Demonstrate respect and interpersonal communication with workers
Make decisions that are fair, firm, and consistent
Understand the progressive discipline system

16. Construction Safety Culture
What is safety culture?
Why to promote safety culture in construction?
How to?
What makes it difficult to have a positive safety culture in construction?

17. Construction Safety Resources
OSHA
NIOSH
Construction Safety Council
Many others

18. Opportunities & Challenges
Education & Certification
Training & Research
Application to a highly practical and dynamic industry
Turnover
Diverse workforce
Constantly changing environment
Difficult to implement and evaluate intervention