The health, safety, and well-being of every individual in our industry
is the cornerstone upon which our members build.
MBA Safety News - May 2019
Trench Safety

The 2019 Trench Safety Stand Down sponsored by the National Utility Contractors Association (NUCA) and the North American Excavation Shoring Association (NAXSA) is coming up June 17-21, 2019. The Trench Safety Stand Down Page includes information on how to conduct a stand down and resources from NUCA, NAXSA, and OSHA.  
 
OSHA has a number of compliance assistance materials on trench safety, including:
·     Working Safely in Trenches Quick Card 
·     Protect Workers in Trenches Poster  

The “Focus Four Hazards” Campaign  

Construction's "Fatal Four"
Out of 5147* worker fatalities in private industry in calendar year 2017, 971 or 21% were in construction―that is, one in five worker deaths last year were in construction.
 
The leading causes of worker deaths on construction sites were falls, followed by struck-by, electrocution, and caught-in/between. These "Fatal Four" hazards were responsible for well over half (60%) of the construction worker deaths in 201 7*, according to BLS reports.

Falls — 381 out of 971 total deaths in construction in CY 2017 (39%)
Struck by Object - 80 (8%)
Electrocutions - 71 (7%)
Caught-in/between* - 50 (5%)

* This category includes construction workers killed when caught-in or compressed by equipment or objects, and struck, caught, or crushed in collapsing structure, equipment, or material.

Eliminating these Four Hazards would save 582 workers' lives each year .


Bob McCall
Director of Safety
Master Builders' Association