The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) December 12 released the Spanish version of their ladder safety smartphone app which is designed to improve the safety of extension ladders by using visual and audio signals to make it easier for workers to check the angle of the ladder and offers useful tips for using extension ladders safely. When a user’s phone is set to Spanish language, the Spanish version of the app will install when downloaded.

According to OSHA’s latest semiannual regulatory agenda, released Nov. 27, the agency plans to issue a final rule on confined spaces and a notice of proposed rulemaking on injury and illness prevention programs (I2P2) in 2014. The regulatory agenda lists the priorities of the administration and the rulemakings they expect to release this year; however, OSHA is not required to adhere to the timeline.

The Department of Labor’s Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) released a report Nov. 7 showing a decrease in on-the-job injury and illness rates for the construction industry in 2012. The total number of recordable cases declined to 3.6 incidents for every 100 full time employees (FTEs), down from 3.8 in 2011. 

ABC congratulated its member companies that were awarded top honors for the Construction Users Roundtable’s (CURT) Construction Industry Safety Excellence (CISE) Awards and Workforce Development Awards at CURT’s Nov. 12 national conference in Tucson, Ariz. 

Employers have until Dec. 1 to train their employees on the changes made to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Global Harmonization Standard (GHS) including the new “Safety Data Sheets” (SDS).  

On Oct. 25, OSHA announced a 47-day extension of the public comment deadline for OSHA’s proposed crystalline silica rulemaking from Dec. 11 to Jan. 27. More than 25 business organizations, including ABC, the Construction Industry Safety Coalition and others in the industry, requested additional time for stakeholders to appropriately analyze OSHA’s proposal, develop useful data and provide meaningful feedback. Also requesting extensions were the House Education and the Workforce Committee, Small Business Committee and the U.S. Small Business Administration’s Office of Advocacy. Most requests, including ABC’s, asked for 90 days

ABC and the Construction Industry Safety Coalition sent letters Sept. 27 to Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA David Michaels requesting a 90-day extension for submitting written comments related to OSHA’s proposed crystalline silica rulemaking, whichdrastically lowers the existing permissible exposure limit for respirable silica in the construction industry. 

ABC will be hosting a two-day STEP Plus Safety Excellence Academy Nov. 6-7 at the Red Rock Resort in Las Vegas to coincide with the ABC Institute for Leadership and Professional Development. 

National Safety Excellence Award (NSEA) applications are due Oct. 25 and can be downloaded on ABC’s website. All 2013 Safety Training Evaluation Process (STEP) Diamond and Platinum recipients are eligible to apply; there is no fee to participate. New for 2013, STEP Gold recipients may also apply for the NSEA by submitting the NSEA Gold application and $450 application fee. ABC members who do not have STEP status can learn more about STEP on ABC’s website. 

ABC and members of the newly formed Construction Industry Safety Coalition, a group of national construction industry trade associations, expressed concern over a proposal from OSHA addressing crystalline silica exposure in the construction industry.