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Safety and Health
SAFETY & HEALTH
Improving COVID-19 Vaccine Readiness in the Construction Industry
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Together, in just over four months, we’ve seen incredible progress being made in fighting against COVID-19 through nationwide efforts to get Americans vaccinated quickly, efficiently, and equitably. Across the country, COVID-19 cases are down over 90 percent and deaths are down over 85% since January 20, 2021. Nearly 170 million Americans have gotten at least one shot, including 65 percent of all adult Americans. Today, more than 52 percent of adult Americans are now fully vaccinated, including nearly 75 percent of seniors.
The CDC recommends getting vaccinated as soon as possible due to the level of protection it provides, and with BAC members
Local 13 Nevada members receive COVID-19 vaccines at the Local Union Hall.
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How to get vaccinated
Everyone age 12 and older in the United States can now get a free COVID-19 vaccine, regardless of your immigration or health insurance status. You have three easy ways to find vaccines near you:
Go to vaccines.gov
Text your ZIP code to 438829
Call 1-800-232-0233
Get vaccinated to protect yourself and the people around you.
Why you should get a COVID-19 vaccine
• Getting vaccinated is the best way to defeat this virus and get back to normal— safely gathering with family and friends, indoor dining, weddings, concerts, sporting events, and travel. • The vaccines are effective. They prevent nearly 100% of hospitalizations and deaths due to COVID-19.
Encourage others to get vaccinated and learn more at cdc.gov/coronavirus
being busier than ever, it is critical to keep everyone safe at work. Not only do things like working close to others or poor ventilation put our members at risk on the job, but in a study examining the construction workforce, roughly 60% were found to have at least one underlying condition or risk factor, such as heart or lung disease, diabetes,
SAFETY & HEALTH
or being over 65, which increased their risk for severe illness from COVID-19. (https://blogs.cdc.gov/ niosh-science-blog/2021/03/09/ construction_covid/).
“Together, we are protecting ourselves and our communities against the virus,” says BAC Executive Vice President Jerry Sullivan Jr. “Thanks to our members and Local leaders who have taken the vaccines and support on the ground to organize and educate others in their communities, we can see that the light at the end of the tunnel gets brighter each day.”
CPWR — The Center for Construction Research & Training, The National Institute for Occupational Safety & Health (NIOSH), and university researchers have developed several resources to answer your questions about vaccines (in English and Spanish). Visit https://www.cpwr.com/ covid-19-resources/covid-19- vaccine-resources/ for details. //
Industry Data & Trends: New CPWR Data Reports and Interactive Dashboards
The Data Center at CPWR — The Center for Construction Research & Training works to share timely, relevant, and data-driven information with the construction industry. This data helps improve safety and health efforts by identifying priority hazards to address, tracking workplace injuries and illnesses over time, isolating risk factors, and recognizing high-risk populations. Approximately six times a year, the Center publishes a Data Bulletin focused on different hazards, types of injuries, workforce segments, or time periods.
Recent Data Bulletins (https:// www.cpwr.com/research/data-center/data-reports/) include:
FATAL AND NONFATAL STRUCK-BY INJURIES IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY, 2011–2019
Key findings include:
+In 2019, struck-by injuries caused 170 deaths in construction, of which 47% involved transport vehicles. +Between 2011 and 2019, the rate of fatal struck-by injuries in construction from objects/ equipment and transport vehicles declined by 15% and 23%, respectively.
+During that same time period, the rate of nonfatal struck-by and struck against injuries in construction declined by 20% and 47%, respectively.
FATAL INJURY TRENDS IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY
Key findings include:
+The number of fatal injuries in construction reached 1,102 in 2019, the highest level since before 2011.
+Falls to a lower level caused 401 fatal injuries in 2019, a 25% growth from 2018. +Nearly two-thirds of fatal construction injuries in 2019 were caused by the Construction
Focus Four hazards.
+Hispanic employment in construction rose 55% from 2011 to 2019. But during that same time period, Hispanic construction fatalities have surged nearly 90%
Key findings include:
+The injury rate in construction has declined steadily since 2003 but was still 29% higher than all industries combined in 2019.
+In 2019, 79,660 lost workday injuries were reported in construction, of which nearly one-third were due to contact with objects or equipment.
+In 2019, the injury rate among construction companies with 11-49 employees was five times the rate for companies with 1,000+ employees. +The injury rate in construction was highest among workers under age 25.
The Data Center also released a new, interactive version of CPWR’s fatality mapping project — an effort to categorize and track fatal injuries in construction geographically and over time. Learn more at https://www.cpwr.com/research/ data-center/construction-fatality- map-dashboard/. //
