Page 46 - PCCA Journal 2nd Quarter 2012

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PCCA Journal|2
nd
Quarter 2012
46
heat cramps but quickly can become heat exhaustion and then heat
stroke if simple prevention steps are not followed.
“It is essential for workers and employers to take proactive steps
to stay safe in extreme heat and become aware of symptoms of heat
exhaustion before they get worse,” said Dr. David Michaels, assis-
tant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health. “Drinking
plenty of water and taking frequent breaks in cool, shaded areas
are incredibly important in the hot summer months.”
In preparation for the summer season, OSHA has developed heat
illness educational materials in English and Spanish, as well as a
curriculum to be used for workplace training. Additionally, a web
page provides information and resources on heat illness, includ-
ing how to prevent it and what to do in case of an emergency. The
page is at www.osha.gov/sltc/heatillness/index.html.
OSHA is partnering with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric
Administration for the second year to incorporate worker safety
precautions when heat alerts are issued across the nation. NOAA
has pertinent worker safety information on its heat watch web page
at www.noaawatch.gov/themes/heat.php.
OSHA Announces
Fall Prevention Campaign
L
abor Secretary Solis on April 26 announced a new OSHA
campaign to prevent deadly falls in the construction indus-
try. The awareness campaign will provide employers and
workers with information and educational materials about working
safely from ladders, scaffolds, and roofs. In 2010, more than 10,000
construction workers were injured as a result of falling while work-
ing from heights, and another 255 workers were killed.
“Falls are the most fatal out of all hazards in the construction
industry, accounting for almost one in every three construction
worker deaths,” Solis said. “Our simple message is that safety pays,
and falls cost.”
OSHA’s fall prevention campaign was developed in partnership
with the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health and
NIOSH’s National Occupational Research Agenda program. OSHA
and NIOSH will work with trade associations, labor unions, em-
ployers, universities, community and faith-based organizations, and
consulates to provide employers and workers—especially vulnera-
ble, low-literacy workers—with education and training on common-
sense fall prevention equipment and strategies that save lives.
OSHA has created a new fall prevention web page with detailed
information in English and Spanish on fall protection standards at
www.osha.gov/stopfalls. NIOSH and NORA also have created a
page on the Centers for Disease Control website at www.cdc.gov/
niosh/construction/stopfalls.html, as well as a joint website on
fall prevention at www.stopconstructionfalls.com, which will be
maintained by the Center for Construction Research and Training,
that contains information from industry, nonprofit, and academic
sources.
Safety News
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