CPWR’s online resources for reducing injuries, illnesses and fatalities among construction workers extend beyond our two best-known websites, cpwr.com and eLCOSH. We manage more than a dozen other sites focused on specific hazards and topics, such as construction solutions, COVID-19, ergonomics, falls, and safety culture. Although the sites range widely, their resources are all free, and they share the same goal: keeping construction workers safe on the job.

The Building Trades National Medical Screening Program (BTMed) has just launched a redesigned and expanded website. The new website will enable BTMed to better serve former U.S. Department of Energy construction workers who may be at increased risk for occupational illnesses. Since 1996, BTMed has provided over 41,500 medical screening exams and 7,600 low-dose CT scans to these workers, offering these services through a network of more than 225 specially credentialed health clinics across the country. The new BTMed website provides information on program benefits, features testimonials from BTMed participants, and has a responsive design that works across all devices. You can also learn more by calling BTMed at 1-800-866-9663 or emailing [email protected].

The seventh CPWR Data Dashboard focuses on construction’s large and fast-growing population of Hispanic construction workers. This dashboard, which covers data from 2011 through 2019, offers a new feature that brings together three categories of data: 1) Employment Trends, 2) Demographics, and 3) Foreign-born Hispanics. Each of the dozen charts has one or more filters to allow users to select data items, and all data can be downloaded.

Also, the COVID-19 Vaccination Dashboard has just been updated with September’s information about trends and patterns of COVID-19 vaccination and hesitancy among construction workers.

The latest addition to CPWR’s Construction Safety and Health podcast series – number seven in the series -- features Andrew Levinson, acting director of OSHA Directorate of Standards and Guidance, talking with Linda Goldenhar, CPWR’s director of research and evaluation, about her work developing tools and resources to improve company safety climate.

CPWR has just posted Spanish-language versions of two Toolbox Talks designed to reduce struck-by incidents: Planning a Lift and Tower Crane Safety. In addition, Spray Painting and Cutting Concrete Block Coated with Nano-Enabled Silver Paint becomes the tenth Toolbox Talk offering guidance on using products containing nanomaterials safely. 

Last week, at an event featuring U.S. Secretary of Labor Marty Walsh, the Massachusetts Building Trades Recovery Council (MBTRC) launched a website to connect union members to their union’s opioids recovery resources and leaders. The MBTRC comprises building trades union recovery leaders who facilitate peer-to-peer recovery meetings and help their union’s members throughout the recovery process. The Massachusetts Building Trades Council has also posted a report on its recovery programs, particularly the role of peer support; more information on preventing opioid deaths among construction workers is available on the CPWR website.

Gavin H. West, Fatima I. Castaneda, Leonard G. Burrelli, Daniel Dresser, Michael R. Cooper, Sara B. Brooks, and Bruce E. Lippy. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, 2021. Read the Key Finding.

Safety Management in the Construction Industry: 2021 SmartMarket Report, published by Dodge Data & Analytics with support from CPWR and Newmetrix, examines how COVID-19 and new technologies are creating significant changes in how contractors manage safety. The report also shows stark variations in how companies of different sizes are responding, with small employers lagging their larger peers. 

Learn how to prevent strains and sprains on your job site from manual materials handling (MMH) and at the same time provide feedback to improve CPWR’s research-backed Best Built Plans program for MMH. To participate, contact Marco Barrera at Washington University in St. Louis, [email protected] or (314) 258-3146.

Researchers from the University of California San Francisco/Berkeley and Virginia Tech are conducting one-on-one, confidential interviews with current construction workers who have used exoskeletons or with other experts (e.g., managers, owners, union reps, health and safety officers) to learn their perspectives on exoskeleton technology, with a focus on safety, health, and productivity. Interested in participating or have a question? Email Aanu Ojelade and include in your email, your job title and your experience using an exoskeleton. Participants in a one-hour interview will receive a $30 gift card. 

The Exposure Control Database (ECD), a free online tool that estimates your workers’ exposure to common health hazards, is expanding. If you have data that you are willing to share, please submit it to CPWR to make the ECD more accurate and reliable. If you have any questions, contact Sara Brooks ([email protected], 301-495-8532) with any questions. The following sampling forms are available to submit measurements:

We are also interested in innovative approaches to reducing the spread of COVID-19 through ventilation, distancing, and respirators. A study may be proposed at any time and can receive funding of up to $30,000. For more information, including how to apply, visit the Small Study Program on CPWR’s website.

Our webinar series will resume next month. Until then, check out the archive of past webinars on topics such as COVID-19, ergonomics, falls, silica, safety climate and safety culture, and weather conditions. All are available for free on-demand. 

(Back to) The future of safety, Safety+Health, 9/26/2021

Prevent falls when working near rooftop hatches, Safety+Health, 9/26/2021

St. Louis marks the front line of construction’s opioid battle in U.S., Daily Commercial News, 9/10/2021

CPWR has an opening for a Training Specialist -- visit our Career Opportunities page for instructions on applying.

10/26/21 – American Public Health Association Annual Conference

The 2022 National Occupational Injury Research Symposium (NOIRS) is currently accepting abstracts and proposals for sessions. The deadline for submissions has been extended until October 15, 2021. Registration will open in mid-January 2022. There is no registration fee.

The organizers of the XXXIst International Symposium of the ISSA Construction Section are now calling for abstracts. The symposium --“How to Reach Vision Zero in Construction”— will take place this coming June in Berlin and focus on strategies to further reduce the number of accidents and occupational diseases in the industry. Abstracts for presentations and posters should describe experiences and successes in the application of Vision Zero’s 7 Golden Rules and innovative approaches that can help minimize health hazards in construction. Submissions are due November 15.