A crane being used to construct the new Tappan Zee Bridge in New York has collapsed across active lanes of traffic. The collapse happened on Tuesday and is blocking all lanes of traffic on the bridge that it was replacing. So far the news outlets report 5 people are injured due to the incident.
Read moreOSHA’s Controversial New Injury Reporting Rule Enforcement Has Been Delayed
In May of 2016, OSHA announced a new rule hoping to gain valuable data regarding workplace incidents would go into effect starting August 10, 2016. After the announcement, several construction industry groups spoke out about their apprehensions of the new rule and the effective date has recently been pushed back to November 1, 2016. The new rule will not only help OSHA gain data into workplace injuries, but it will also require construction companies to make their injury records public, much like restaurant health records are made public. Personal health data will still be kept private, but the injury numbers will be counted against employers. OSHA also requires employers to allow workers to report injury without fear of retaliation under the new rule.
Read moreThis 1980 Construction Safety Video is Throwback, But Contains Powerful Lessons
“Shake Hands With Danger,” as the below safety video from 1980 is called, will ignite your nostalgia for the decade and maybe even give you a few laughs. No matter how cheesy it can get at points, It will also remind you how important it is to conduct your business safely.
Read moreOSHA Fine Increase Rate and Effective Date Has Been Announced
Way back in 2015, a small provision in the newest Federal budget created the path for OSHA to raise their fines for offenders for the first time since 1990. In an effort to catch up to and keep current with inflation rates, the provision stated that OSHA can and should increase their fines a substantial amount in 2016 and also increase that penalty each year based upon inflation.
Read more[VIDEO] Wheeled Crane Flips Trying to Remove Water Tower Tank
Crane collapses can cause serious injuries and fatalities to construction workers and civilians. That’s why it’s so incredibly important to not only pay attention to the weather, especially high winds, as well as the total load that you’re able to lift. If either of those two things are ignored, disaster can strike.
Read moreSteel Construction Barriers Hoping to Keep Workers Safer, Replace Concrete Barriers
Road construction work is dangerous. It changes driving patterns, which is especially hazardous if drivers are impaired or distracted. There have been several teams of researchers and manufacturers that are attempting to make road construction safer for contractors, like this autonomous TMA truck from Royal Truck & Equipment and this smart safety vest designed by engineers at Virginia Tech, which gives workers a few seconds of warning is an object is approaching too quickly.
Read moreShock Prevention Hard Hats Have been Recalled Due to Shock Hazard
If you have purchased a hard hat from 3M that claimed to protect you against an electrical shock, you may be due a free replacement hard hat, the US Consumer Product Safety Commission announced recently. The company has recalled a specific hard hat that was marketed as providing electrical shock protection, but they later found out that it does not. About 7,500 units of the specific hard hat have been sold online between January 2008 and April 2016. Thankfully, no injuries have been reported due to use of the hard hat.
Read more[VIDEO] 60 Foot Wheeled Crane Crashes into Occupied University Building in Australia, Trapping Operator
It was a scary moment in Queensland, Australia’s Griffith University College of Art building last week as a wheeled crane suddenly tipped and crashed into the top levels. Firemen rushed to the scene to help pull the 35 year old crane operator out of the cabin, as he became stuck. According to the Daily Mail, the operator only suffered minor injuries and was later taken to the hospital in stable condition. Thankfully, no other injuries were reported inside or outside of the building.
Read moreVideo Shows the Effects of a 7.1 Magnitude Earthquake Has on a Building
Being inside a building during an earthquake is, at best, a little unsettling, but it’s extremely difficult to measure the movement of an entire building. Last year, researchers at MIT were able to use slow motion cameras to visualize how much a tower crane moved during normal conditions, which gave insight into the stress a crane undergoes. Measuring the effects of an earthquake is a little trickier, so the US Geological Survey (USGS) had to get a little creative to capture it.
Read moreDramatic Video Footage Shows Construction Worker Jumping from Burning Building to Save His Life
When a small fire inside a $50 million Houston high rise apartment complex suddenly turned the 5th floor into a fiery inferno, construction worker Curtis Reissig became trapped on the unfinished balcony as he waited for fire crews to save him. The fire happened in March of 2014, completely destroying the almost complete building shell, but new footage from one of the firemen’s body cam shows an up close view of rescue.
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