ConstructConnect Blog

Originally published on June 8, 2016. Last updated on June 12, 2020. Let ConstructConnect provide you a few construction site safety tips for workers and employers.

This article was originally published on August 10, 2016. Last updated on May 22, 2020. We all know that fall hazards are the leading cause of construction worker deaths, accounting for about 33.5% of all fatalities in construction each year. Of the 338 construction worker fatalities attributed to falls in 2018, close to 15% were from scaffolds. OSHA estimates that about 65% of all construction workers perform some work on scaffolds every year. That’s a lot of folks working on scaffolds potentially being exposed to a number of hazards such as falls, electrocutions, and falling objects.

Worker safety should always be the number one priority of every construction company. Safety meetings and toolbox talks should be conducted on a regular basis to educate workers on safe work practices and stay compliant with regulations regarding safety and training.

Businesses across the country and around the globe must close their doors to prevent the spread of the coronavirus. Anything not considered essential is closed, and that includes many construction sites and projects.

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic continues to wreak havoc on our normal, everyday lives in what is expected to be one of the worst weeks in the U.S., with over 400,000 confirmed cases and nearly 13,000 deaths. Forty-two states and the District of Columbia have now issued a “stay at home” or “shelter in place” order for all but essential activities and businesses. Essential activities typically include things like getting groceries or picking up medications or going to work.

The world is fixated on the coronavirus outbreak — but is it really that bad?  There is a life-threatening element to this new virus. It causes the disease COVID-19 and can affect important organ systems in both healthy and vulnerable patients. The many unknowns around the illness are leading to a stock market slump and less demand for new work.