The OSHA Training Center at Chabot-Las Positas Community College District, responding to the alarming statistics related to accidents and citations at construction work sites, has issued a safety challenge to all construction industry employers to focus on raising employees’ awareness of potential hazards at their work sites. 775 construction worker fatalities were reported in 2012, accounting for almost 20% of total workplace deaths. In addition, three of OSHA’s 2013 Top Ten list of the most frequently cited standards were in the construction industry, including fall protection (8,241), scaffolding (5,423) and ladders (3,311), for a total of 16,975 construction violations.
Construction workers engage in many activities that can expose them to serious hazards, such as falling, being struck by objects and electrocution, making construction worksites among the most potentially hazardous. The alarmingly high number of fatalities and violations underscores the need for employers in the construction industry to renew their commitment to eliminate or significantly reduce the risk of accidents, injuries and fatalities. Providing hazard awareness training to employees has been shown to be an effective strategy in preventing or significantly reducing worksite accidents.
In order to help employers meet the challenge of raising hazard awareness among their employees, the OSHA Training Center offers OSHA #510 OSHA Standards for the Construction Industry multiple times throughout the year in both IN-PERSON and VILT (Zoom) formats. Course topics include Federal OSHA Standards that protect workers from common physical safety hazards as well as electrical, structural, mechanical and occupational health related hazards.
The OSHA Training Center also offers many other courses designed to address construction industry hazards, including:
- OSHA #500 Trainer Course for Construction
- OSHA #5109 Cal/OSHA Standards for the Construction Industry
- OSHA #3015 Excavation, Trenching and Soil Mechanics
- OSHA #3085 Principles of Scaffolding
Employers in the construction industry are invited to meet the challenge of raising hazard awareness by providing training to help protect workers and reduce the potential risk of accidents at construction sites.