Contractors Sought for Fall Protection Survey
The Center for Construction Research and Training, supported by the American Society of Safety Professionals, has released a safety and health survey for industry professionals with the goal to advance fall protection worldwide.
The “Fall Experience Survey” explores the root causes of fall from height. Results will assist the ANSI/ASSP Z359 Fall Protection and Fall Restraint Committee with enhancing voluntary national fall protection and restraint consensus standards.
The survey will be available through April 30. For more information, visit cpwr.com/research.
Top States Lead in LEED
The Top 10 States for LEED green building have been announced by the U.S. Green Building Council. For those in the top tier, more than 60% of certifications were in the office, health care, higher education and K-12 sectors.
The Top 10 rankings for 2020 (which are, in order, Massachusetts, Washington, Illinois, Colorado, New York, Maryland, California, Virginia, Texas and Nevada) represent 1,171 certified buildings and spaces, as well as more than 100,000 workers. Almost half of all projects were Gold-certified.
Infrastructure Priorities Enumerated in Expansive Report
The Kinder Institute, in collaboration with Henry G. Cisneros, former secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, evaluated current and future infrastructure priorities, in a survey including 100 metropolitan areas and 134 cities nationwide.
The conclusion amounts to approximately 1,800 high-priority projects in the areas of transportation, public facilities, water and wastewater, energy and communications. Based on information from respondents, the report suggests a bottom-up approach to address post-pandemic infrastructure such as emergency response and public transit; climate resilience measures such as renewable energy and clean water facilities; and urban-rural connections such as broadband.
The full report can be accessed at kinder.rice.edu.
Biden Administration Publishes COVID-19 Guidance
The U.S. Department of Labor has announced stronger worker safety guidance by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration regarding COVID-19 protection programs. The comprehensive document, “Protecting Workers: Guidance on Mitigating and Preventing the Spread of COVID-19 in the Workplace,” highlights new mitigation and prevention measures while also focusing on previous OSHA safety principles, including:
- creation of an employer-implemented COVID-19 prevention program in the workplace;
- improvement of ventilation;
- treatment of all workers—those who are vaccinated and those who are not—as the same; and
- provision of hygiene supplies.
While the guidance is not official regulation, it’s both advantageous to employers and indicative of how the Biden administration plans to treat such concerns moving forward.
West Virginia Tradesmen Gain Savings Avenue
The West Virginia Jumpstart Savings Act (HB 2001) is making its way through the state’s legislature, having been approved unanimously by the House of Delegates on Feb. 16.
The act will allow individuals who wish to pursue a vocation or trade to make tax-free contributions to a savings and investment account. The plan also allows for family members and employers to make contributions to the account. The beneficiary is then able to make tax-free withdrawals in order to cover business costs, such as equipment, tools or certifications. Further, taxpayers are able to rollover 529 savings plans into the Jumpstart account, then to convert the Jumpstart account into a WVAble plan, which assists those with disabilities.
If passed, the program must be up and running by July 2022.
Salt Lake City Council Adopts New Offsite Construction Standards
The Salt Lake City Council voted to adopt two new standards that are being developed to capture best practices for the effective use of off-site construction: International Code Council/Modular Building Institute Standard 1200: Standard for Off-Site Construction: Planning, Design, Fabrication, and Assembly; and ICC/MBI Standard 1205: Standard for Off-Site Construction: Inspection and Regulatory Compliance.
The new standards provide minimum requirements for offsite and modular construction to safeguard public health, safety and general welfare to assist with local inspections and regulatory compliance.
Offsite construction can help jurisdictions to address affordable housing needs while achieving sustainability and jobsite safety goals. ICC/MBI Standard 1200 and 1205 are set to be finalized in mid-2021.For more information, visit iccsafe.org/offsite.
