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CPWR UPDATE
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October 2019
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From the Desk of Chris Trahan Cain, Executive Director
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New QDR Shows Sharp Decrease in Employer-Reported Work-Related MSDs, but Self-Reported MSDs Remained Flat
The new Quarterly Data Report (QDR) examines trends in work and non-work related musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs), the soft-tissue injuries caused by exposure to repetitive or sudden motions, forces, and awkward positions. In 2017, the rate of employer-reported, work-related MSDs in construction was 31.2 cases per 10,000 FTEs, less than one-quarter of 1992's level. However, about 30% of construction workers self-reported they had low-back pain (work- or non-work-related), and that figure has not changed significantly. Moreover, nearly half of construction workers reported they had one or more MSD symptoms, such as neck pain, joint pain and back pain. Older workers were more likely to suffer work and non-work-related MSDs than younger ones. Among workers age 55 and older who had arthritis or joint pain, 27% said these conditions limited their usual activities.
Reminder: Deadline Tomorrow to Provide OSHA Silica Exposure Data
If you have silica exposure data for construction workers, please share it with OSHA by close of business tomorrow (October 15) as it works to expand the tool and task combinations in Table 1 of the Respirable Crystalline Silica Standard for Construction.
Safety Innovation Awards
Now Accepting Applications
Applications have just opened for the Liberty Mutual Safety Innovation Award in Construction, which will honor individuals and organizations with new, evidence-based interventions for improving safety. Sponsored by Liberty Mutual and administered by CPWR, the award includes a $15,000 cash prize to the winning individual or organization. Applications are due early next year.
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TOOLS FOR SAFETY AND HEALTH
New Foundations for Safety Leadership Resources
CPWR's 2.5-hour Foundations for Safety Leadership (FSL) training program, which teaches construction workers critical skills they can use to create a stronger jobsite safety climate, has added new skill sheets and videos to its rich collection of resources. A free-standing course as well as an official elective in the OSHA 30-hour, the FSL shows students both the costs of ineffective and the benefits of effective safety leadership. The new materials offer concise reminders of FSL practices, helping crew leaders set goals and be accountable.
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RESEARCH NEWS
Effect of hollow bit local exhaust ventilation on respirable quartz dust concentrations during concrete drilling
David Rempel, Alan Barr, and Michael R. Cooper. Journal of Occupational and Environmental Hygiene, 2019. Read the Key Findings.
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Wednesday, October 30th at 2:00 p.m.: Mortality of older construction and craft workers employed at U.S. Department of Energy nuclear sites
This 30-minute webinar (followed by Q&A) will present updated mortality analyses of a cohort of over 24,000 Building Trades National Medical Screening Program (BTMed) participants enrolled between 1998 and 2016. Dr. John Dement, professor emeritus in the Division of Occupational & Environmental Medicine, Department of Family Medicine & Community Health at the Duke University School of Medicine, will discuss overall mortality results, with particular attention to deaths due to respiratory diseases and cancers.
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CPWR Staff Presentations
Jessica Bunting, Assistant Director, Research-to-Practice (r2p) Program - Workshop: "Safety and Health Partnerships in Construction: Moving Research Into Practice"
- Chris Trahan Cain, Executive Director -- "Deaths due to Opioids and Other Drug Overdoses among Construction Workers and Call to Action"
- Gavin West, Research Analyst, Safety and Health Department -- "A Trend Analysis to Examine the Effects of Climate Change on Heat-related Illnesses and Deaths among United States Construction Workers
- Sue Dong, Director, Data Center -- "Fatal Injuries among Contracted Workers in the U.S. Construction Industry"
- Sue Dong -- "Changes in Nonstandard Employment in the U.S. Construction Industry, 2005-2017"
Poster Session: "OHS Posters: Safety in the Workplace (e.g., new hazards, effective interventions, safety culture)"
- Grace Barlet, Research Assistant, r2p Program -- "Analysis of an Educational Webinar Series in Construction Safety & Health
Roundtable: "Tackling Today's OHS Issues Head On"
- Grace Barlet -- "Addressing MSDs in the Construction Industry: A Social Marketing Approach"
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