The Associated General Contractors of America is conducting a new study to make job sites safer and search for ways to lower the number of injuries and deaths in the construction industry.
The study will attempt to identify reasons for the 806 fatalities reported nationwide in 2012. The objective is to find common threads in these incidents that can lead to better safety standards.
The study comes on the heels of the release of new federal safety data showing that construction industry and fatalities rates have declined in several states. For example, Texas had a construction injury rate of 4.4 incidents per 100 workers in 2003, a statistic that decreased to 2.3 incidents per 100 workers in 2012. Fatality rates in Texas have also declined — going from 13.1 fatalities per 100,000 workers in 2008, to 12.8 fatalities per 100,000 workers in 2012.
AGC intends to share the study's results with its members, the Occupational Health & Safety Administration, and others.
Related Stories
| Jan 15, 2014
First quarter 2014 LEED rating system addenda now available
There are 71 new LEED Interpretations, including 65 for Homes and Multifamily Midrise.
| Jan 10, 2014
What the states should do to prevent more school shootings
To tell the truth, I didn’t want to write about the terrible events of December 14, 2012, when 20 children and six adults were gunned down at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. I figured other media would provide ample coverage, and anything we did would look cheap or inappropriate. But two things turned me around.
| Jan 8, 2014
Strengthened sprinkler rules could aid push for mid-rise wood structures in Canada
Strengthened sprinkler regulations proposed for the 2015 National Building Code of Canada (NBCC) could help a movement to allow midrise wood structures.
| Jan 8, 2014
New materials should help boost sustainability in cities by 2020
Newer developments include windows made with nano-crystals that control intense heat penetration while lighting living areas from the outside.
| Jan 8, 2014
Architect sentenced to a year in jail for firefighter's death
Architect Gerhard Becker was sentenced to a year in LA county jail after pleading no contest to the manslaughter of a firefighter who died while trying to contain a fire in a home the architect had designed for himself.
| Jan 8, 2014
United Association, NRDC seek major plumbing code changes
Proposed changes include mandating the insulation of hot water piping in new buildings.
| Jan 2, 2014
EPA move to assert oversight on small bodies of water among top regulatory battles for 2014
The EPA has started the process of declaring that it has the power to regulate streams, brooks, and small ponds.
| Jan 2, 2014
Paseo Verde in Philadelphia is nation’s first LEED Platinum neighborhood development
Paseo Verde, a mixed-use, mixed-income community hosted a ribbon cutting ceremony last month.
| Jan 2, 2014
Green infrastructure prominent in Akron, Ohio's sewer plans
City officials in Akron, Ohio want to prevent stormwater from entering its combined sewer system through the use of green infrastructure.
| Jan 2, 2014
OSHA to hold public meeting on proposed rule to improve tracking of workplace injuries
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has scheduled a public meeting to allow interested parties to comment on the proposed rule to improve tracking of workplace injuries and illnesses.