If not for having the lowest cost of living in the country, according to the MERIC data, MIssissippi would be in contention for the lowest ranking on our list. However, having a 14.5% lower than the national average boosted the state up 15 spots to #35 after adjustment.
Read more[VIDEO] Unfinished Bridge in Colombia Demolished after Partial Collapse Killed 10
In January of 2018, ten construction workers were killed and another eight were injured when a bridge spanning the Chirajara canyon in Columbia partially collapsed. That collapse has since been blamed on a poor design, reports have stated. Last week, the remaining sections of the bridge were demolished in dramatic fashion.
Read moreHow Construction Workers Can Better Protect Themselves from Skin Cancer
A large portion of construction work is completed outside, leaving hundreds of thousands of workers exposed to the sun for long periods of time. Along with that sun exposure comes an increased risk of skin cancer, which is the most common type of cancer.
The deadliest form of skin cancer is melanoma and it is expected that 90,000 people will be diagnosed with the disease and 9,000 of those will be killed by the disease in 2018. Not all of those cases will be from the construction industry, but it speaks to the real threat that skin cancer provides.
To help the construction industry reduce their risk of developing skin cancer, the Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR) has developed a document called Hazard Alert: Skin Cancer, which outlines how to protect your skin and how to detect early signs of the disease. You can find that document by clicking here, it’s a good hand out for your crew and a good topic for an upcoming toolbox talk.
Skin Cancer Detection
Like most cancers, early detection is the biggest key to recovery. With skin cancers, the development of new moles is the most common warning sign that skin cancer is developing on your body. CPWR states that you should look out for new or existing moles that:
Have an irregular border
Are not symmetrical or have color variation
Are bigger than a pencil eraser
Are itchy or painful
Another sign to look out for is if you have a bump, patch, or sore that bleeds, oozes, crusts, or doesn’t heal
How to Protect Your Skin
The first tip that the CPWR document is to wear sunscreen. The avoidance of getting sunburned is a huge part of reducing skin cancer risk and an SPF of 30 or more can reduce your sunburn risk.
Protective clothing is another great way to avoid sunburns. It may be counterintuitive for you to wear long sleeve shirts and pants in the summer, but they’re a very effective means of protecting the skin, because it doesn’t require you to re-apply sunscreen multiple times throughout the day. There are some good options for long sleeve shirts that wick away moisture, like Milwaukee’s Workskin shirts ($39.99 on Tool Barn). Be sure to cover your neck with a cloth flap attached to your hard hat, as well.
Staying in the shade is the 3rd effective means of avoiding sun exposure that CPWR notes. Adjusting schedules to earlier in the day or overnight can keep workers cooler and out of the sun for longer. When breaks are taken, find a shady spot or build a temporary shade structure.
In addition to skin cancer risks, there are plenty of other summer dangers on construction sites to be aware of, so make sure you and your crew is prepared to take on the heat.
Full story: Hazard Alert – Skin Cancer | CPWR
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Read more[VIDEO] Watch the Tallest Building to Ever Be Demolished by Implosion
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Read moreNew Green Building Construction Standard Set to Hit US Market in 2019
Since the dawn of green buildings, these projects have always been synonymous with LEED certification. The process of obtaining that LEED certification has not always been an easy one for contractors; there is a ton of paperwork and documentation that needs to take place in order to prove all LEED credits have been rightfully earned. A new construction standard, called BREEAM, is hoping to disrupt the United States’ green building certification world with its impending New Construction Standard Release in 2019.
Read moreHow Software Can Help Construction Companies Operate More Efficiently
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Read moreA Look at How the World’s Largest Underwater Restaurant is Being Built
Wind load is an important calculation to figure into the design and construction of most buildings, but a building under construction in Norway will have to pay close attention to something I’ve never even thought about before: wave load.
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Last summer, Hilti announced that they had developed their first exoskeleton designed for construction tradespeople in a partnership with Ottobuck, a prosthetics, orthotics, and exoskeleton provider. Earlier this month, Hilti officially released the exoskeleton, announced more details, and published its retail price on their website.