On May 21, 2018, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued a proposed rule to update its standard for cranes and derricks in construction to ensure crane operators are qualified to safely operate equipment. Entitled Cranes and Derricks in Construction: Operator Qualification, the rule proposes several changes to the existing standard.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration will begin enforcement of the final rule on occupational exposure to beryllium in the construction industry on May 11, 2018. According to its May 10 press release and interim enforcement memorandum, OSHA will begin enforcing on May 11 the new lower 8-hour permissible exposure limit (PEL) and short-term (15-minute) exposure limit (STEL) for construction. 

ABC chapters across the country are celebrating Construction Safety Week 2018, May 7-11. These chapters are raising awareness about the importance of safety by hosting events, sharing resources, hosting safety stand-downs and more.

On April 30, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration announced that it made an error regarding implementation of the 2016 Electronic Injury Reporting and Anti-Retaliation final rule and determined all affected employers are required to submit injury and illness data in the Injury Tracking Application online portal, even if the employer is covered by a State Plan that has not completed adoption of their own state rule. 

ABC will be celebrating Construction Safety Week 2018, May 7-11, with an awareness campaign highlighting member achievements in safety performance and ABC’s commitment to achieving zero-incident jobsites. Visit constructionsafetyweek.com for advice on engaging your team with an event guide, toolbox talks, messages to share and more ideas to promote safety as an industry priority.  

To celebrate the National Safety Stand-down, May 7-11, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration is providing several resources on preventing workplace hazards, including a webinar on fall prevention in the construction industry.

On March 2, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced that it will begin enforcement of the final rule on occupational exposure to beryllium in general, shipyard and construction industries on May 11, 2018. According to an OSHA news release, the enforcement date was previously set for March 12, 2018, but this new timeframe aims to ensure stakeholders are aware of their obligations and compliance to the final rule.

ABC announced the winners of the 2017 National Safety Awards at ABC Convention 2018 in Long Beach, Calif. A total of 54 ABC member companies were recognized for their safety performance on March 21 during the 28th annual Excellence in Construction® Awards.

ABC released its 2018 Safety Performance Report to further the construction industry’s understanding of how to make jobsites safer through its Safety Performance Evaluation Process (STEP). Packed with infographics and practical takeaways, the report documents the dramatic impact of using proactive safety practices to reduce recordable incidents by up to 85 percent, making the best-performing companies 670 percent safer than the industry average.

ABC and the Board of Certified Safety Professionals signed a memorandum of understanding to collaborate on improving occupational safety and health at construction workplaces throughout the United States. The partnership is centered on developing effective prevention strategies and technologies as well as encouraging students and other professionals to choose occupational safety and health as a career and advance their competency in that field.