National Construction Appreciation Week is the third week in September and aims to inspire a national conversation about construction and how it vital to American infrastructure and the economy.

Safety on a construction site goes far beyond reducing injuries. It’s about coming together to protect one another, and making sure  everyone gets home safely every night.

Image Source: Shutterstock

Getting Involved

I Build America founded National Construction Appreciation Week to honor the dedicated men and women in the construction industry building America.

I Build America is a national movement focused on building pride in the construction industry, educating the public about the value of construction, and recruiting the next generation of construction professionals.

Here’s how you can get involved:

• Post your construction photos on social media using #ThanksForBuilding and #ConstructionAppreciationWeek
• Sharing official Construction Appreciation Week videos, stories and graphics on social media:
  • Instagram
  • Facebook
  • YouTube
  • LinkedIn
• Tell those you know in the industry you appreciate their work! It’s a tough job, and everyone deserves encouragement.
• Speak positively about the construction happening in your community. Remember, construction workers strive to make your life better!
• Share a positive construction story that affected your life.

Stickers, apparel, hats, and other products available at the I Build America Store.

Job Site Safety and Health Program

Establishing a safety and health program at your job site is one of the most effective ways of protecting your most valuable asset: your workers. Losing workers to injury or illness, even for a short time, can cause significant disruption and cost—to you as well as the workers and their families. It can also damage workplace morale, productivity, turnover,  and reputation.

Construction work is hazardous work and includes many hazardous task and conditions such as working with height, excavation, noise, dust, power tools and equipment. The most common fatalities are caused by the fatal four: falls, being struck by an object, electrocutions, and being caught in between two objects.

Safety and health programs foster a proactive approach to “finding and fixing” job site hazards before  they can cause injury or illness. Rather than reacting to an incident, management and workers collaborate to identify and solve issues before they occur. Employers will find that implementing recommended practices also brings other benefits. Safety and health programs help businesses:

• Prevent workplace injuries and illnesses
• Improve compliance with laws and regulations
• Reduce costs, including significant reductions in workers’ compensation premiums
• Engage workers
• Enhance their social responsibility goals
• Increase productivity and enhance overall business operations

Image Source: Shutterstock

National Construction Safety Week

Every year, many construction companies host Safety Week events as a way to refocus and re-energize our commitment to eliminating injuries on jobsites. Help bring Safety Week to life in your company! Download a Safety Week Planning Playbook and get started planning Safety Week Activities.

It is recommended that at least you should cover the most common mechanical industry incidents that often result in injury:

• Fall Prevention and Protection
• Ladder Safety
• Eye Injury Prevention
• Safe Handling of Materials
• Pressure Testing Safety

Construction Safety Education and Training

Construction safety education and training are important tools for informing workers and managers about hazards and controls so they can work more safely and be more productive. Another role of education and training, however, is to provide workers and managers with a greater understanding of the safety and health program itself, so that they can contribute to its development and implementation.

OSHA 10hr/30hr Outreach Training : 15% OFF SALE

More/Enroll

• Know Your Rights! Under federal law, you are entitled to a safe workplace.
• Training provides details on OSHA, workplace hazards, workers’ legal rights, employer responsibilities, and how to file a complaint. Required by some states and companies in order to start employment.
• DOL Plastic Card Shipped Within 2 Weeks
• Reg. Price: 10hr: $89 - 30hr: $189
• Enter Promo Code "osha15off" at Checkout

Education and training provides employers (owners  and executives), managers, supervisors, and workers with:

• Knowledge and skills needed to do their work safely and avoid creating hazards that could place themselves or others  at risk.
• Awareness and understanding of hazards and how to identify, report,  and control them.
• Specialized training, when their work involves unique hazards.

Additional training may be needed depending on the roles assigned to employers or individual managers, supervisors, and workers. For example, employers,  managers, and supervisors may need specific training to ensure  that they can fulfill their roles in providing leadership, direction, and resources for the safety and health program.  Workers assigned specific roles in the program (e.g., incident investigation team members) may need training to ensure  their full participation in those  functions.

Effective training and education can be provided outside a formal classroom setting. Peer-to-peer training, on-the-job training, daily toolbox talks, and worksite demonstrations can be effective in conveying safety concepts, ensuring understanding of hazards  and their controls, and promoting good  work practices.

Image Source: Shutterstock

How to Enhance a Safety Training Program

1. Provide program awareness training
   Managers, supervisors, and workers all need to understand the program’s structure, plans, and procedures. Having this knowledge ensures  that everyone can fully participate in developing and implementing the program.
2.  Train employers, managers, and supervisors on their roles in the program
   Employers, managers, and supervisors are responsible for workers’ safety, yet sometimes have little training on safety-related concepts and techniques. They need specific training that allows them to fulfill their leadership roles in the program.
3. Train workers on their specific roles in the safety and health program
   Additional training may be needed to ensure that workers can incorporate safety and health responsibilities into their daily routines and activities.
4. Train workers on hazard identification and controls
   Providing workers with an understanding of hazard  recognition and control, and actively involving them in the process,  can help to eliminate hazards  before  an incident occurs. Employers are required to instruct each employee in the recognition and avoidance of unsafe conditions and the regulations applicable to his or her work environment to control or eliminate any hazards  or other  exposure to illness or injury [29 C.F.R. 1926.21(b)(2)].  As a starting point, employers may consider providing the OSHA 10-hour course  for construction or a similar course  to be supplemented by orientation training and toolbox  talks to cover hazards  on each specific site.

More Information:

OSHA Publication – Recommended Practices for Safety & Health Programs in Construction (PDF)

National Construction Safety Week is an emphasis of safe work practices by national and global construction firms. This event takes place each spring to remind construction workers and supervisors how important workplace safety is every week of every year.

Safety on a construction site goes far beyond reducing injuries. It’s about coming together to protect one another, and making sure  everyone gets home safely every night.

Image Source: Shutterstock

Job Site Safety and Health Program

Establishing a safety and health program at your job site is one of the most effective ways of protecting your most valuable asset: your workers. Losing workers to injury or illness, even for a short time, can cause significant disruption and cost—to you as well as the workers and their families. It can also damage workplace morale, productivity, turnover,  and reputation.

Safety and health programs foster a proactive approach to “finding and fixing” job site hazards before  they can cause injury or illness. Rather than reacting to an incident, management and workers collaborate to identify and solve issues before they occur. Employers will find that implementing recommended practices also brings other benefits. Safety and health programs help businesses:

• Prevent workplace injuries and illnesses
• Improve compliance with laws and regulations
• Reduce costs, including significant reductions in workers’ compensation premiums
• Engage workers
• Enhance their social responsibility goals
• Increase productivity and enhance overall business operations

Image Source: Shutterstock

National Construction Safety Week

Every year, many construction companies host Safety Week events as a way to refocus and re-energize our commitment to eliminating injuries on jobsites. Help bring Safety Week to life in your company! Download a Safety Week Planning Playbook and get started planning Safety Week Activities.

It is recommended that at least you should cover the most common mechanical industry incidents that often result in injury:

• Fall Prevention and Protection
• Ladder Safety
• Eye Injury Prevention
• Safe Handling of Materials
• Pressure Testing Safety

Construction Safety Education and Training

Construction safety education and training are important tools for informing workers and managers about hazards and controls so they can work more safely and be more productive. Another role of education and training, however, is to provide workers and managers with a greater understanding of the safety and health program itself, so that they can contribute to its development and implementation.

OSHA 10hr/30hr Outreach Training : 15% OFF SALE

More/Enroll

• Know Your Rights! Under federal law, you are entitled to a safe workplace.
• Training provides details on OSHA, workplace hazards, workers’ legal rights, employer responsibilities, and how to file a complaint. Required by some states and companies in order to start employment.
• DOL Plastic Card Shipped Within 2 Weeks
• Reg. Price: 10hr: $89 - 30hr: $189
• Enter Promo Code "osha15off" at Checkout

Education and training provides employers (owners  and executives), managers, supervisors, and workers with:

• Knowledge and skills needed to do their work safely and avoid creating hazards that could place themselves or others  at risk.
• Awareness and understanding of hazards and how to identify, report,  and control them.
• Specialized training, when their work involves unique hazards.

Additional training may be needed depending on the roles assigned to employers or individual managers, supervisors, and workers. For example, employers,  managers, and supervisors may need specific training to ensure  that they can fulfill their roles in providing leadership, direction, and resources for the safety and health program.  Workers assigned specific roles in the program (e.g., incident investigation team members) may need training to ensure  their full participation in those  functions.

Effective training and education can be provided outside a formal classroom setting. Peer-to-peer training, on-the-job training, daily toolbox talks, and worksite demonstrations can be effective in conveying safety concepts, ensuring understanding of hazards  and their controls, and promoting good  work practices.

Image Source: Shutterstock

How to Enhance a Safety Training Program

1. Provide program awareness training
   Managers, supervisors, and workers all need to understand the program’s structure, plans, and procedures. Having this knowledge ensures  that everyone can fully participate in developing and implementing the program.
2.  Train employers, managers, and supervisors on their roles in the program
   Employers, managers, and supervisors are responsible for workers’ safety, yet sometimes have little training on safety-related concepts and techniques. They need specific training that allows them to fulfill their leadership roles in the program.
3. Train workers on their specific roles in the safety and health program
   Additional training may be needed to ensure that workers can incorporate safety and health responsibilities into their daily routines and activities.
4. Train workers on hazard identification and controls
   Providing workers with an understanding of hazard  recognition and control, and actively involving them in the process,  can help to eliminate hazards  before  an incident occurs. Employers are required to instruct each employee in the recognition and avoidance of unsafe conditions and the regulations applicable to his or her work environment to control or eliminate any hazards  or other  exposure to illness or injury [29 C.F.R. 1926.21(b)(2)].  As a starting point, employers may consider providing the OSHA 10-hour course  for construction or a similar course  to be supplemented by orientation training and toolbox  talks to cover hazards  on each specific site.

More Information:

OSHA Publication – Recommended Practices for Safety & Health Programs in Construction (PDF)

Image Source: Shutterstock

Employers may find that implementing recommended safety practices brings other benefits as well. The renewed or enhanced commitment to safety and health and the cooperative atmosphere between employers and workers have been linked to:

• Improvements in production and quality.
• Better employee morale.
• Improved employee recruiting and retention.
• A more favorable image and reputation (among customers, suppliers, and the community).

OSHA 10hr/30hr Outreach Training : 15% OFF SALE

More/Enroll

• Know Your Rights! Under federal law, you are entitled to a safe workplace.
• Training provides details on OSHA, workplace hazards, workers’ legal rights, employer responsibilities, and how to file a complaint. Required by some states and companies in order to start employment.
• DOL Plastic Card Shipped Within 2 Weeks
• Reg. Price: 10hr: $89 - 30hr: $189
• Enter Promo Code "osha15off" at Checkout

Case Study: Ohio Worker Compensation Fell with SHARP Program Adoption

A study of small employers in Ohio found that workers’ compensation claims fell dramatically after working with OSHA’s SHARP program to adopt programs similar to those described in these recommended practices.

Source: Ohio Bureau of Workers’ Compensation (2011), Ohio 21(d) SHARP Program Performance Assessment.

Nine Easy Things To Get An Employer Safety Program Started

For many small businesses, establishing an injury and illness prevention program may seem daunting. Any program based on formal structures can be difficult to establish in a small organization because of tight budgets. Yet simple, low-cost approaches have been shown to be effective in small businesses.

If these recommended practices appear challenging, here are some simple steps you can take to get started. Completing these steps will give you a solid base from which to take on some of the more structured actions presented in the recommended practices.

1. Always Set Safety And Health As The Top Priority
   Tell your workers that making sure they finish the day and go home safely is the way you do business. Assure them that you will work with them to find and fix any hazards that could injure them or make them sick.
2. Lead By Example
   Practice safe behaviors yourself and make safety part of your daily conversations with workers.
3. Implement A Reporting System
   Develop and communicate a simple procedure for workers to report any injuries, illnesses, incidents (including near misses/close calls), hazards, or safety and health concerns without fear of retaliation. Include an option for reporting hazards or concerns anonymously.
4. Provide Training
   Train workers on how to identify and control hazards with OSHA Outreach 10-hour or 30-hour Training.
5. Conduct Inspections
   Inspect the job site with workers and ask them to identify any activity, piece of equipment, or material that concerns them. Use checklists and other resources, such as OSHA’s Construction Industry Digest, to help identify problems.
6. Collect Hazard Control Ideas
   Talk with workers about ideas on safety improvements throughout the project.
7. Implement Hazard Controls
   Assign workers the task of choosing, implementing, and evaluating the solutions.
8. Address Emergencies
   Identify foreseeable emergency scenarios and develop instructions on what to do in each case. Meet to discuss these procedures and post them in a visiblelocation at the job site.
9. Make Improvements
   Set aside a regular time to discuss safety and health issues, with the goal of identifying ways to improve the program.

More Information:

OSHA: Recommended Practices for Safety & Health Programs in Construction (PDF 40 pps)

Safety and health programs foster a proactive approach to “finding and fixing” job site hazards before  they can cause injury or illness. Rather than reacting to an incident, management and workers collaborate to identify and solve issues before  they occur.

Image Source: Shutterstock

Employers will find that implementing recommended practices also brings other benefits. Safety and health programs help businesses:

• Prevent workplace injuries and illnesses
• Improve compliance with laws and regulations
• Reduce costs, including significant reductions in workers’ compensation premiums
• Engage workers
• Enhance their social responsibility goals
• Increase productivity and enhance overall business operations

Importance of Education and Training

Construction safety education and training are important tools for informing workers and managers about hazards and controls so they can work more safely and be more productive. Another role of education and training, however, is to provide workers and managers with a greater understanding of the safety and health program itself, so that they can contribute to its development and implementation.

OSHA 10hr/30hr Outreach Training : 15% OFF SALE

More/Enroll

• Know Your Rights! Under federal law, you are entitled to a safe workplace.
• Training provides details on OSHA, workplace hazards, workers’ legal rights, employer responsibilities, and how to file a complaint. Required by some states and companies in order to start employment.
• DOL Plastic Card Shipped Within 2 Weeks
• Reg. Price: 10hr: $89 - 30hr: $189
• Enter Promo Code "osha15off" at Checkout

Education and training provides employers (owners  and executives), managers, supervisors, and workers with:

• Knowledge and skills needed to do their work safely and avoid creating hazards that could place themselves or others  at risk.
• Awareness and understanding of hazards and how to identify, report,  and control them.
• Specialized training, when their work involves unique hazards.

Additional training may be needed depending on the roles assigned to employers or individual managers, supervisors, and workers. For example, employers,  managers, and supervisors may need specific training to ensure  that they can fulfill their roles in providing leadership, direction, and resources for the safety and health program.  Workers assigned specific roles in the program (e.g., incident investigation team members) may need training to ensure  their full participation in those  functions.

Effective training and education can be provided outside a formal classroom setting. Peer-to-peer training, on-the-job training, daily toolbox talks, and worksite demonstrations can be effective in conveying safety concepts, ensuring understanding of hazards  and their controls, and promoting good  work practices.

Image Source: Shutterstock

Methods to Enhance Training Program

1. Provide program awareness training
   Managers, supervisors, and workers all need to understand the program’s structure, plans, and procedures. Having this knowledge ensures  that everyone can fully participate in developing and implementing the program.
2.  Train employers, managers, and supervisors on their roles in the program
   Employers, managers, and supervisors are responsible for workers’ safety, yet sometimes have little training on safety-related concepts and techniques. They need specific training that allows them to fulfill their leadership roles in the program.
3. Train workers on their specific roles in the safety and health program
   Additional training may be needed to ensure that workers can incorporate safety and health responsibilities into their daily routines and activities.
4. Train workers on hazard identification and controls
   Providing workers with an understanding of hazard  recognition and control, and actively involving them in the process,  can help to eliminate hazards  before  an incident occurs. Employers are required to instruct each employee in the recognition and avoidance of unsafe conditions and the regulations applicable to his or her work environment to control or eliminate any hazards  or other  exposure to illness or injury [29 C.F.R. 1926.21(b)(2)].  As a starting point, employers may consider providing the OSHA 10-hour course  for construction or a similar course  to be supplemented by orientation training and toolbox  talks to cover hazards  on each specific site.

More Information:

OSHA Publication – Recommended Practices for Safety & Health Programs in Construction (PDF)