Our Data Center works to monitor industry trends, including paying particular attention to top hazards facing construction workers: falls, caught-in/between, electrocutions, and struck-by.. Labeled the Focus Four, these hazards accounted for 65% of fatal injuries in the industry from 2011 to 2021. The March 2023 issue of CPWR’s Data Bulletin examines fatal and nonfatal Focus Four injuries in construction by injury type and detailed event/exposure. It found that falls to a lower level accounted for a majority of fatal Focus Four injuries, while struck-by injuries comprised a majority of nonfatal Focus Four injuries.

Two Data Dashboards have been updated to provide 2021 fatal injury data. The first accompanies this month’s Data Bulletin, examining Fatal Focus Four injuries; the second details fatal and nonfatal injury trends in construction. 

April 17-21 marks the fourth annual National Stand-Down to Prevent Struck-by Incidents, when employers are urged to prevent struck-by hazards on the job by improving planning, conducting training and demonstrations, holding safety-related contests and equipment inspections, and gathering feedback on workplace policies from employees. Learn more and take advantage of free Stand-Down resources. 

Following the Struck-by Stand-Down, we will shift our focus to the 10^th annual National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction May 1-5. Don’t forget to order free hardhat stickers and hazard alert cards, and CPWR has also added to its collection of infographics with resources on three new topics: Planning a Multi-layered Approach to Fall Prevention and Protection; Rescue Planning Saves Lives; and Occupational Health Inequity: Hispanic Workers More Likely to Die from Falls.

Last Call for CPWR Small Study Funding 

Our Small Study Program supports promising new research initiatives on improving construction safety and health with funding up to $30,000. While we normally accept applications on a rolling basis, starting August 31 we will take a one-year pause from funding new studies. Because the review process can take a few months, new letters of intent must be submitted by May 31.

CPWR is seeking partners to join us in our application to continue as the National Center for Construction Safety and Health Research and Translation under a new five-year cooperative agreement with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. Consortium partners will develop and implement three- to five-year projects consistent with the research priorities described in this solicitation. The deadline to submit concept memos is May 1, 2023.

Improving the Assessment of Noise Exposure and Warning Signal Audibility Improving the Assessment of Noise Exposure and Warning Signal Audibility on Construction Sites. Nikolina Samardzic, Aslihan Karatas, Behzad Esmaeili. CPWR Small Study, 2023. Read the Key Finding and the full report.

CPWR is recruiting general and specialty contractors to participate in a pilot planning program to prevent struck-by incidents. Learn more about the free program and how to participate by watching last month’s webinar, Struck by Hazards, Barriers, and Opportunities in the Construction Industry, or by emailing Grace Barlet at CPWR. 

CPWR is hosting a mini-series on women in construction. You must register for each webinar individually. Live attendance is capped at 1,000 people; however, the webinars are recorded and posted to CPWR’s YouTube channel -- including last month’s “Why We Need More Women in Construction” -- for anyone who cannot attend.

Learn what inclusive, diverse, and equitable workplaces look like in the construction industry and how they can be achieved from representatives of Building Pathways, TradesFutures, the Iron Workers, the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftworkers, Alberici Construction, The Building Union Diversity (BUD) program, and the University of Washington. Strategies covered will include apprenticeship readiness programs, mentorship programs, and practices such as maternity leave, inclusive PPE, sanitation, and security.

Our final session will cover the basics of how to foster a jobsite safety climate that is welcoming to women and other minorities in the industry. Panelists from CPWR, NABTU, the Iron Workers, and others will review legal policies to ensure accountability, when and how to intervene, the benefits of anti-harassment and upstander training, and other ways to support women workers practically and directly.

This presentation will focus on struck-by injuries in the construction industry. Amber Trueblood, director of CPWR’s Data Center, will begin with a review of recent data trends from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) and Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII). Jessica Bunting, CPWR’s research to practice (r2p) director, will then share highlighted findings from the report, Struck-by Hazards, Barriers, and Opportunities in the Construction Industry -- 2022 Survey Results, along with free resources that can be used to educate both contractors and workers as part of the National Stand-Down to Prevent Struck-by Incidents (April 17-21) and the National Safety Stand down to Prevent Falls in Construction (May 1-5).

March 8 at 2:00 p.m. ET

This webinar will share information about beryllium and the beryllium lymphocyte proliferation test (BeLPT). The panelists will discuss the origin and use of beryllium, the BeLPT, who should have a BeLPT, and why it is important to schedule a BeLPT through Former Worker Medical Screening Programs like the Building Trades National Medical Screening Program, managed by CPWR.

Register for this webinar by noon on March 5.

Collapse that killed 3 underscores importance of scaffolding safety, Construction Dive, 2/8/23

CPWR report examines causes of death for current, retired and former construction workers, Safety+Health, 1/11/23

Proyecto de ley ordena traducir el Código de Construcción al español, Qué Pasa, 2/16/23

Podcast, On the Safe Side -- Ladder Safety

March 2, virtual – Georgia Tech Professional Master’s in Occupational Safety and Health Safety Speaker Series

March 14-18, Las Vegas -- CONEXPO-CON/AGG

March 14, 2:30 - 3:15 p.m. -- The Impact of the Infrastructure and Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) on Construction Safety

March 16, Laurel, Maryland -- 2023 Chesapeake AIHA / ASSP Educational Seminar

CPWR has openings for two positions:

Visit our Career Opportunities page for instructions on applying.