NIOSH Efforts to Address Hazards in Construction
G. Scott Earnest, Ph.D., P.E., C.S.P. Deputy Director, Office of Construction Safety and Health NORA Construction Coordinator National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health NIOSH
National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health Part of CDC Conduct research and make recommendations for the prevention of work-related injury and illness. Construction Program since 1990 In-house researchers External “National Construction Center” Academic research support congress.nsc.org Occupational Safety & Health Framework
Research and Regulation/Enforcement Prevention Recommendations
Department of Labor Department of (DOL) Health and Human Services (HHS)
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Mine Safety Occupational (CDC) and Health Safety and Health Administration Administration (MSHA) (OSHA) National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) congress.nsc.org NIOSH Facilities
congress.nsc.org Education and Research Centers
congress.nsc.org NIOSH Construction Program Mission
To eliminate construction fatalities, injuries, and illnesses through a focused program of research and prevention Program Addresses All Types of Construction
Buildings-Skyscrapers Specialty Trades
Buildings-Homes Heavy and Civil Construction Program Structure and Focus
NIOSH Construction Safety and Health Program
Intramural National Extramural Research Construction Investigator- Center Basic Research initiated Grants Surveillance Innovative Ideas Methods Research Industry Characterization Opportunities Exposure Assessment Applied Research State Initiatives Controls Development Industry Liaison Applied Research Intervention Research to Practice Research to Practice
CPWR
The Center for Construction Research and Training congress.nsc.org NORA Construction Research Agenda
Objective 1: Falls from heights – Eliminate falls in construction Objective 2: Falls from same level – Significantly reduce or eliminate slips, trips, and falls Objective 3: Struck by – Reduce fatal and serious injuries associated with struck-by incidents Objective 4: Electrical – Conduct research to address electrical safety issues on construction sites Objective 5: Respiratory and dermal – Reduce the frequency of occupational disease from respiratory and dermal hazards Objective 6: Hearing loss – Reduce occupational hearing loss in construction Objective 7: Musculoskeletal disorders – Reduce the risk and burden of MSDs in construction Objective 8: Workers at disproportionate risk – Conduct research to eliminate disproportionate risks Obj 9: Small business – Reduce the number of illnesses, injuries, and fatalities occurring in small construction firms Objective 10: Emerging issues Objective 11: Extreme temperatures – Reduce the likelihood of temperature extreme incidents Objective 12: Prevention through Design (PtD) – Increase the use of PtD approaches in construction Obj 13: Research to Practice (r2p) – Build capacity for effective translation research and r2p strategies Obj 14: Work organization – Improve conditions in construction by studying safety culture & safety climate Objective 15: Surveillance – Reduce occupational safety and health hazards through proactive surveillance Objective 16: Training – Research to increase the reach, scope, and effectiveness of training in construction
congress.nsc.org 2019 Construction Falls Prevention Campaign and Stand-Down: May 6-10
congress.nsc.org Contractor Electrocutions
congress.nsc.org Elevator Safety
congress.nsc.org Work-related Fatalities
Source: CPWR Quarterly Data Report: Fatal and Nonfatal Injuries among Construction Trades, 2015 congress.nsc.org Construction Fatalities by Events & Rates
Source: CPWR Quarterly Data Report: Fatal and Nonfatal Injuries among Construction Trades, 2015 congress.nsc.org Nonfatal Injuries in Construction
Source: CPWR Quarterly Data Report: Fatal and Nonfatal Injuries among Construction Trades, 2015 congress.nsc.org 2010 2014 2018 congress.nsc.org 2015 ……. (“Round 2”) ……. 2020 Practice: Industry Redesign
15 NIOSH tech reports & Partnership field studies.
congress.nsc.org Practice: Industry Redesign
Before and after photos of asphalt fume emissions from highway-class pavers congress.nsc.org Source: Cervarich MB [2008] Prevention through Partnerships. PtD in Motion, Issue 2. Practice: Parapet Walls
New NIOSH Guidance on Preventing falls using roof parapets
congress.nsc.org Practice: Embedded Safety Features
• Recommendations for building owners and designers • For retrofits, renovations, new construction • Connecting point for fall protection systems.
congress.nsc.org Practice: Pre-Fab Building Components
Concrete Wall Panels
Concrete Segmented Bridge Steel Stairs
congress.nsc.org Practice: Automated Road Construction
congress.nsc.org Practice: Buy Quiet
• 22 million workers exposed to noise • Encourages design of quieter equipment • Phase 2 of Buy Quiet beginning • AIHCe Roundtable on Buy Quiet and Noise Control congress.nsc.org congress.nsc.org LEED Certification Levels
Image Source: Green Building Alliance. LEED Certification. http://www.go-gba.org/resources/leed/
congress.nsc.org Las Vegas CityCenter—The Wake Up Call Development wins 6 coveted design certifications (Las Vegas, NV) - More than three months before it opens, the $8.5 billion CityCenter development has received six Leadership in Energy and Environment Design (LEED) gold certifications from the U.S. Green Building Council….(Las Vegas Review Journal, September 14, 2009)
Six deaths during 2007-2008 construction phase (Las Vegas, NV) - MGM Mirage’s CityCenter congress.nsc.org Relevant Studies
congress.nsc.org What is “Life Cycle Safety”? “The need to comprehensively address building-related occupational safety and health risks for all affected worker groups across all life cycle stages.”
“A 46-year-old electrical worker died when he fell through a skylight on a roof while installing solar congress.nsc.org panels” Photo: California FACE Case 09CA003 Life Cycle Safety =
Life Cycle Assessment Job Hazard Analysis Prevention through Thinking Thinking Design Thinking
congress.nsc.org Job Hazard Analysis (JHA): Breaking down a job into key tasks, evaluating potential safety and health risks for the tasks, then describing precautions to sufficiently address those risks. Common Safety Practice Prevention through Design (PtD): Addressing occupational safety and health needs by eliminating hazards and minimizing risks to workers in the design and redesign processes. Emerging Safety Practice
congress.nsc.org It is common to assume that green building projects are inherently safer for workers… EXAMPLE: “Attention to environmental issues during construction leads to a safer and healthier work site” Los Alamos National Lab Sustainable Design Guide, p64 …and common to overlook safety and health
EXAMPLE: “There currently is a blind spot in sustainable design practice when it comes to worker safety and health… Tremendous focus is placed on materials, energy and the environment, but designers typically give little, if any, consideration to the safety and health of the people who install the green features or build the projects” John Gambatese, “Don’t Leave Safety Out of Sustainability” ENR Editorial, 11/18/2009 congress.nsc.org But What is Missing?
Type of OUTCOME HEALTH & WELL- SAFETY ERGONOMICS BEING MSD Illness Injury Type of Musculoskeletal Disorder WORKER Building Occupant Major focus via IEQ Not addressed Pilot Credits credits
Custodial Worker Minor focus Not addressed Minor focus
Operations, Minor focus Not addressed Not addressed Maintenance (O&M), and Construction Worker congress.nsc.org Why Construction Workers? Fatalities: 856 most of any industry Injury rate: 155/10,000 non-fatal injuries and illnesses with days away from work
Construction Injury at LEED Gold site Photo: Matt Gillen Why Maintenance Workers? Fatalities: 370 Injury rate: 192/10,000 non-fatal injuries and illnesses with days away from work
congress.nsc.org Atrium Maintenance work: fall hazards Photo: Mike Behm Prevention through Design (PtD) Mission: Design out hazards and minimize risks associated with:
Facilities Work Processes Equipment Products & new methods technologies
congress.nsc.org PROTECTIVE MEASURE Specific action taken to reduce risks and improve worker safety and health outcomes.
Building-related safety and health should be a shared objective for both upstream designers and downstream users. Each group has specific protective measure options available to them.
Selection of protective measures follows a hierarchy of controls that recognizes that certain protective measures are more reliable and effective than others. congress.nsc.org HIERARCHY OF CONTROLS Protective Measure Options
More ELIMINATION Design it out
Control SUBSTITUTION Effectiveness Use something else and ENGINEERING CONTROLS Business Value Isolation and guarding
ADMINISTRATIVE CONTROLS Training and Procedures
PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT Less PPE - Masks, gloves, earplugs, other congress.nsc.org HIERARCHY OF CONTROLS : Protective Measure Domains ELIMINATION Design it out Designer domain SUBSTITUTION Use something else
ENGINEERING CONTROLS Isolation and guarding
ADMINISTRATIVE CONTROLS Training and Procedures
PERSONAL PROTECTIVE EQUIPMENT Masks, gloves, earplugs, other congress.nsc.org Design Matters Research Example: 42% of 224 construction fatalities included some link to design (US 1990-2003). [Behm, 2005]
Practice Example: Australian use of CHAIR Construction Hazard Assessment Implication Review Integrates 3 Safety Design reviews
CHAIR 1: General CHAIR 2: Construction congress.nsc.org CHAIR 3: Maintenance and Repair Behm, M. [2005] Linking Construction Fatalities to the Design for Construction Safety Concept Safety Science 43 (2005) 589–611 DESIGN MATTERS!
congress.nsc.org Example of the Need for PtD • Worker electrocuted when his drill rig got too close to overhead power lines. • Design engineer specified groundwater monitoring wells were to be dug directly under power lines. • Engineer could have specified wells be dug away from power lines, and/or better informed the employer of hazard posed by wells’ proximity to power lines through the plans, specifications, and bid documents. Source: OSHA Construction Alliance Roundtable congress.nsc.org Safety Payoff during Design
High Conceptual design
Detailed design
Ability to Procurement influence safety Construction Start-up
Low Project schedule
Adapted from Szymberski 1997
congress.nsc.org Operations & Maintenance
Servicing rooftop HVAC equipment
Fall exposures “Error trap” for workers Design issues?
No access No power
No equipment setback from edge HVAC= Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning No fall protection
congress.nsc.org Photo: Matt Gillen Strategies for Integrating Safety and Health into Green Building Green building is oriented towards “life cycle” thinking
Construction and Maintenance workers play key roles in congress.nsc.org the built environment “Life Cycle” Examples
Photo: Mike Behm
Example: Life Cycle Safety needs during green roof design congress.nsc.org 44 Singapore Green Roof with guardrails built in congress.nsc.org Photo: Mike Behm Front
Rear access
Guardrail
Photos: Mike Behm
Green Wall: rear access to eliminate fallcongress.nsc.org hazard - Good design is safe and efficient Realities and Barriers
Safety and health professionals are not designers
Architects and engineers do not always have safety in mind
There are costs
There are concerns about liabilities
A collaborative effort is needed to accomplish PtD a “safety design review” congress.nsc.org Photo by Frank Wenzel, Integrating OSH into Washington DOSH Green Construction
In February 2015, the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) posted a new pilot credit entitled: “Prevention through Design” to its LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) Pilot Credit Library! http://www.usgbc.org/credits/preventionthroughdesign (v4) http://www.usgbc.org/credits/preventionthroughdesign2009 (v2009) congress.nsc.org Thank you! Scott Earnest, Ph.D., P.E., C.S.P. Deputy Director, Office of Construction Safety and Health, NIOSH [email protected] | 513.841.4539
NIOSH Directory of Construction Resources www.cdc.gov/niosh/construction/ Twitter http://twitter.com/NIOSHConstruct
The findings and conclusions in this presentation have not been formally disseminated by the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and should not be construed to represent any agency determination or policy. congress.nsc.org