Safety and Health

SAFETY & HEALTH

Masonry r2p Partnership Contractor Surveys Highlight Safety and Health Progress

The COVID-19 pandemic continues to be the number one safety and health concern across the country and a top priority for the masonry industry — especially as work moves inside during these colder months. But in addition to keeping ourselves and one another safe by limiting exposure to COVID19, we cannot forget about the regular jobsite hazards faced by our members every day. Through an ongoing e ort to survey both BAC members and contractors, the Masonry r2p Partnership (a collaborative e ort between BAC, ICE, and IMI) has identified the safety and health hazards of highest concern and consistently demonstrated that we are making progress in addressing them (see 2017 Issue 2, p.18 for background).

In our final issue of 2019, we reported on the results of the 2019 BAC member survey (2019 Issue 4, pp. 26–27), which showed, for example, increases in the availability of engineering controls for silica dust and use of PPE for hearing protection, indicating the positive impact the Partnership has had on members’ safety and health.

Since that issue was published, a 2020 contractor safety and health survey has also been completed. Due to the timing of the survey, which began in February 2020, many of the responses were collected after the pandemic began. Consequently, COVID-19 topped the list of concerns for 10% of contractors surveyed, but still fell behind the high-priority hazards of falling, dust and silica, and back injuries.

TOP CONCERNS

Responses to questions about the implementation of controls reflected a similar picture to the one portrayed in the 2019 membership survey. Contractors report doing a better job overall of protecting members than in past years, and resources promoted by the Masonry r2p Partnership seem to be having an impact.

DUST & SILICA

When it comes to controlling exposure to dust and silica, 99% of contractors indicated that they were somewhat or very familiar with OSHA’s silica standard — up from only 82% in 2017. Within that, three-quarters of those surveyed this year (77%) reported being very familiar — up from 39% in 2017. The percentage of contractors that

PREVENTING HEAD INJURIES

Each year, thousands of construction workers suffer head injuries on the job – often as a result of falling, the number one contractor concern identified above. To bring awareness to the risks and ways to prevent head injuries, CPWR – The Center for Construction Research & Training has developed a number of resources, all available at www.cpwr.com/ research/research-to-practice-r2p/r2p-library/ other-resources-for-stakeholders/head- injuries/, including:

+ A 15-minute Awareness Program, Head

Protection: Preventing Head Injuries

+ A Hazard Alert Card: Preventing Head Injuries (in English and Spanish) + A Toolbox Talk: Head Protection (in English and Spanish)

had used the Silica-Safe.org website and exposure control planning tool grew significantly, from 5% in 2017 to 41% in 2020.

STRAIN & SPRAIN INJURIES

The Partnership also saw an increase in contractors’ e orts to prevent injuries from manual materials handling. When asked if they have used any equipment or tools designed to reduce a worker’s risk for injuries due to sprains and strains, 86% of contractors said “Yes”. A majority — 91% — indicated that strategies to minimize manual materials handling are incorporated into site planning before the project even begins.

When exploring new ways such as robotics to address strains and sprains, only 14% of contractors surveyed had used bricklaying or demolition robots on a jobsite, but an additional 13% had seen them in use by others. Similarly, less than 3% of respondents had either used or seen an exoskeleton on the job, but only 8% were completely unfamiliar with this type of equipment. //

Online Safety Contest Helps Keep Members Safe During Pandemic

To encourage members to work safely during the pandemic, BAC Local 1 Oregon/Washington/Idaho/ Montana launched an online contest through Facebook. The contest enables members to share jobsite videos demonstrating how they work safely. After being reviewed independently by a third-party judge, Local members Simon Scoles, Scott Fromm and Rick Salchenberg won the best videos. Each Member received prizes, including levels, sweatshirts and gift cards.

Matt Eleazer, President of Local 1 OR/WA/ID/MT, says that the contest puts the emphasis on essential worker safety first. “Through these videos, we are showing how our union members work safely without sacrificing work quality. We thank our members who are not only working hard but working smart and following safety and health protocols. They are truly the best hands in the business.”

To view the videos, visit the Local’s Facebook page. //