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Electrical Safety: An Overview of Required Safe Work Practices and Signage for High-Voltage Overhead Lines
January 2012
Exposure to high-voltage hazards is not limited to employees of electrical utilities--workers in industries like construction and agriculture can also be exposed to them. . . . more »

Trainer's Handbook: Safe Work Procedures Can Prevent Deadly Nail Gun Injuries; Train Workers to Safely Handle This Powerful Equipment
December 2011
Nail guns are used every day on many construction jobs. Although they boost productivity, nail guns also cause tens of thousands of painful injuries each year. . . . more »

OSHA and NIOSH release nail gun safety guide
November 2011
Federal OSHA and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health have teamed up to publish a new guide designed to help employers and workers prevent work-related nail gun injuries. The guid . . . more »

Contractors: Who Is Responsible for Safety on Multi-Employer Worksites? A Primer for Controlling Employers
November 2011
Cal/OSHA's rules for multi-employer worksites define the roles for four different categories of employers, with the heaviest burden falling on the "controlling employer" at each worksite. These rules are found in Article 4.5 of Title 8 of the California Code of Regulations and apply to both general industry and construction industry employers. If you're involved in a multi-employer site, you need to know who the controlling employer is and what that means for your safety responsibilities. . . . more »

Appeals Board Decisions: Do General Industry Safety Orders Apply to Construction-Related Work? The Board Weighs In
August 2011
Stacy and Witbeck, an Alameda-based construction employer, kept a storage facility in San Francisco that was used to supply its construction projects throughout the city. Materials for the projects, which involved removing and replacing old water pipes within San Francisco, were stored at the facility along with the trucks that transported them. . . . more »

Trainer's Handbook: Keep Workers' Hands Clear; Safe Operating Procedures for Workers Using Miter Saws
May 2011
A crew from Petersen Brothers Construction in Brea was installing an adjustable paver pedestal system at a worksite in 2008 when a worker was injured using a miter saw. The worker was cutting plastic tubing, the tube "kicked," and the employee cut his thumb on the saw. A follow-up inspection by Cal/OSHA resulted in two citations against Petersen Brothers for not maintaining the miter saw in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions and not training the saw operator. . . . more »

Appeals Board Decisions: Employer Cited for Failing to Guard Sump Pit Edges; Rules for Guards Around Ditches, Pits, and Excavations Clarified
April 2011
At a dairy farm in the small Central Valley community of Pixley, a contractor was using a Caterpillar loader to transfer fertilizer from a pile on the ground into trucks. The fertilizer pile was located in an area 50 to 75 feet wide, between two sump pits containing a mixture of water and manure. . . . more »

Federal OSHA: New Rule on Cranes and Derricks in Construction Finalized; What It Means for California Employers
October 2010
On July 28, federal OSHA finalized an updated rule on cranes and derricks in construction, which is designed to prevent the leading causes of fatalities, including electrocution, crushed-by/struck-by hazards during assembly/disassembly, collapse, and overturn. . . . more »

Explosives: Cal/OSHA Clarifies Requirements for the Restricted Zone; Who Can Be Where, And When, During Blasting
October 2010
An alert Cal/OSHA inspector was driving along a public road in 2001 when he spotted an air drill lying near the roadway. The inspector recognized it as a tool used to drill blasting holes and wondered why it was so close to the road. When he stopped to check it out, he discovered that blasting holes were indeed drilled in the area--one of them was closer than 33 feet from the road. . . . more »

Bulletin: OSHA issues new rule on crane and derricks in construction
September 2010
Federal OSHA has published its final rule addressing the use of cranes and derricks in construction. The new rule is designed to prevent the leading causes of . . . more »

Bulletin: OSHSB schedules hearing on proposed revisions to Construction Safety Orders
August 2010
The Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board has scheduled a public hearing in Sacramento on Aug. 19 on a proposed change to Section 1709 of the Construction Safety Orders. Section 1709 addresses the maximum allowable loads that can be placed on a . . . more »

Featured Resource: Just Passing Through? Driver Tips for Work Zone Safety
June 2010
Highway construction zones can be deadly places. The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) reports that 835 people were killed in work zone crashes in the United States in 2007. According to the California Department of Motor Vehicles, most victims in such accidents are drivers and passengers--and some of those drivers and passengers are people who were "just doing their jobs," including salespeople, commercial drivers, police and emergency personnel, and others who drive as part of their employment. . . . more »

News Note: New Cal/OSHA Rules for Piling Material Now in Effect
April 2010
The revisions to California's Construction Safety Orders Section 1549, Piling Material, that were adopted by the Occupational Safety and Health Standards Board on Dec. 17, 2009, took effect on . . . more »

Bulletin: NIOSH offers Spanish-language guide for preventing musculoskeletal injuries in construction workers
March 2010
NIOSH recently published a Spanish-language translation of its guide Simple Solutions--Ergonomics for Construction Workers. The booklet is designed to help employers and workers adopt effective ways to . . . more »

News Note: Construction Safety Council Creates Multi-Lingual Training Materials
November 2009
The Construction Safety Council (CSC) has created a basic construction safety training and education system in English, Spanish, and Polish that addresses the recognition and prevention of fall hazard . . . more »

Construction: Not Just Joe the Plumber; Keep Barb the Bricklayer Safe, Too
May 2009
Who's your plumber? Joe…or Judy? When you send an electrician to a site, is it Michael...or Melissa? In most skilled trades, more than 90 percent of workers are male--but 10 years ago, that figure was 97 percent. The number of women seeking employment in construction and building trades is increasing, and is expected to continue to grow as women seek opportunities in nontraditional but high-paying careers. . . . more »

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