Email from CPWR - The Center for Construction Research and Training

CPWR UPDATE

From the Desk of Chris Trahan Cain, Executive Director

December 2024

New Data Bulletin: Hispanics in Construction

Of occupations analyzed by the U.S. Department of Labor, construction and extraction will have third-highest percentage of Hispanic workers of any industry by 2030. The December 2024 issue of CPWR’s Data Bulletin -- “Hispanic Construction Workers: Employment, Business Ownership, and Injury Trends” -- examines key characteristics of this growing demographic group. From 2000 to 2023, for example, the percent of construction workers who were Hispanic doubled from 16.5% to 34.0%. Monitoring trends among this group is important for understanding the industry, including providing information for safety and health interventions that address the needs of Hispanic workers.

TOOLS FOR SAFETY AND HEALTH

Resources for Safer Winter Work

The arrival of winter weather is a reminder that working outside in cold, wet, icy, or snowy conditions can expose construction workers to serious hazards such as hypothermia, frostbite, and falls. CPWR’s website offers material to help keep them safe and healthy during the winter months, including our Toolbox Talk, Hazard Alert and infographics on the topic, as well as valuable information from organizations like NIOSH and OSHA.

New Issue of NABTU/CPWR Newsletter on Preventing Deaths from Suicide and Opioids

Last week NABTU and CPWR recently published the third issue of our newsletter to help the construction industry prevent suicides and deaths from opioids -- REASON (Resources and Effective programs Addressing Suicides and Opioids Now). Each issue of REASON provides comprehensive solutions, important research, and free resources that highlight these issues and positive steps being taken to address them. Read the third issue and subscribe now.

RESEARCH NEWS

Small Study Program Again Accepting Grant Funding Requests

Our Small Study Program advances construction safety and health by providing financial support for promising research and practical initiatives. It prioritizes funding for initiatives that aim to:

Reach high-risk groups, including small employers (those with 19 or fewer employees), vulnerable workers, and those in residential and light commercial construction.
Develop interventions that can be immediately applied on the job.
Engage stakeholders in partnerships that identify and overcome barriers to adopting good practices.
Tackle persistent or emerging issues with the use of new technologies to enhance worker safety, health, and wellbeing.
Translate research into practice and ensure widespread dissemination.
Promote proven safety practices to small employers for immediate impact.

You can propose a study at any time, and it may receive up to $30,000 in funding for a one-year period. For more information, including how to apply, visit the Small Study Program on CPWR’s website.

NEWS & EVENTS

Webinar

CPWR’s webinar series will resume next month -- see the next two webinars below. Until then, watch more than 100 previously recorded webinars free and on-demand. Included in the recordings are recent sessions recorded with simultaneous Spanish translation, which is now done with all webinars.

The construction painters’ exposure to chemical mixtures, health implications, and opportunities for disease prevention

Tuesday, January 28, 2025 at 2:00 p.m. ET (1 hour)

This webinar will cover the latest findings from researchers at the University of Massachusetts Lowell on the multiple hazardous chemical exposures of painters. They will share exposure data and outcomes as well as recommendations for exposure reduction based on the data. The researchers will also introduce their newly funded continuation project, Developing a National Roadmap to Reduce Chemical Exposures and Associated Health Risks among Construction Painters.

Presenters:

Dhimiter Bello, ScD, MSc, Professor, University of Massachusetts Lowell
Anila Bello, ScD, MSc, Research Associate Professor, University of Massachusetts Lowell

Click here to register and submit questions in advance

Work Should Not Hurt! A participative ergonomics program from New Zealand

Wednesday, February 26, 2025, 3:00 p.m. ET (1 hour)

Join Kiwi construction ergonomists Chris Polaczuk and Dr. Steve Kolose for a look at their Work Should Not Hurt program -- an innovative safety and health program from New Zealand that is centered on the worker. The program, focused on ergonomics, is unique in that it generates awareness, research and interventions from tradespeople themselves. Learn about the library of resources, participatory research guiding the project, and how the program has been used in New Zealand to take on soft tissue injuries in an industry with a macho culture.

Presenters:

Chris Polaczuk, Ergonomics Programme Manager, Construction Health and Safety NZ
Steve Kolose, PhD, Principal Ergonomist, Construction Health and Safety NZ

Click here to register and submit questions in advance

CPWR in the News

Stuff that can kill you: Contractors pivot to new ways of tracking jobsite safety, Construction Dive, 11/5/24

CPWR Study Reveals Insight into Falls in the Construction Industry, Lifelines Magazine, 11/24

Rules + Regs: CPWR offers tips on nanomaterial exposure control, Professional Roofing, 11/1/24