Backend Category: Safety Excellence Initiative

Learn to Lead with Mental Health in Mind from 2023 Safety Conference Speaker Josh Rizzo

Mental health awareness is a growing priority in the mechanical industry. At the 2023 MCAA Safety Conference, hear from Josh Rizzo, a Bronze Star Medal recipient and longtime construction industry expert, on how to take care of yourself and the teams you serve. Join us January 17-19, 2023, in San Diego, CA. Register today!

MCAA’s 2023 Safety Conference also includes 50+ hours of education and training from subject matter experts on safety, health, risk management, and legal issues. Join us for three days of presentations, discussions, and demonstrations with 300+ occupational safety and health professionals, principals, owners, local affiliated executives, UA instructors, NECA/TAUC/SMACNA partners, and anyone who has safety and health responsibilities.

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Biggest Safety Conference in MCAA History Will Provide Even More Opportunities to Learn from Peers

MCAA is on track to have the highest number of safety professionals in one place in over 20 years at MCAA’s 2023 Safety Conference, providing even more opportunities to learn from other professionals. The event will include 50+ hours of education and training, keynote speeches on safety leadership and a celebration of safety. We will once again be joined by our partners in safety, the United Association. Join us January 17-19, 2023, in San Diego, CA. Register today!

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Learn to Inspire Employees with Standout Leadership from 2023 Safety Conference Speaker Connie Podesta

MCAA’s 2023 Safety Conference includes 50+ hours of education from subject matter experts, plus inspiring keynote speakers like Connie Podesta. Connie will take you inside the minds of your most difficult employees and give you the tools to turn negative attitudes into positive, entitlement into accountability, complacency into productivity, complaining into solutions and “that’s not my job” into ownership. Join us January 17-19, 2023, in San Diego, CA. Register today!

Last Call to Recognize Your Company’s Safety Professional and Nominate Them for the 2022 MILWAUKEE TOOL Safety Professional of the Year Award Today

Nominations are open for 2022 MCAA/MILWAUKEE TOOL Safety Professional of the Year award, which is presented annually to a mechanical industry safety and health professional who helps their company achieve an exceptionally high degree of safety excellence.

The 2022 award winner will be announced during MCAA’s Safety Conference in San Diego, California, January 17-19, 2023. The recipient will also be invited to the MCAA23 Annual Convention in Phoenix, AZ, March 26-30, 2023, to receive the award onstage during the Wednesday Awards of Excellence Breakfast (airfare, lodging and registration to be provided). 

To nominate someone for the 2022 MCAA/MILWAUKEE TOOL Safety Professional of the Year, please complete the nomination form below and submit it by close of business on December 9, 2022. 

NOMINATION FORM
SAFETY CONFERENCE

Prepare for the Certified Safety Professional Exam with MCAA 2023 Safety Conference Add-On Courses Sponsored by ClickSafety

January 17-19, 2023 | San Diego, California

MCAA is celebrating 20 years of safety excellence with our 20th anniversary safety conference, January 17-19, 2023, in San Diego, CA. New this year, an extended learning (add-on) course will prepare safety professionals for the Board of Certified Safety Professionals’ Certified Safety Professional (CSP) exam. The course, which is limited to 20 students, is sponsored by MCAA’s newest Manufacturer/Supplier Council member, ClickSafety.

Led by SPAN, the course will review hundreds of problems addressing the complete examination blueprint in a question-and-answer format complete with fully developed explanations. It targets the principles and theories required to pass the examination. There is an additional fee to attend the course.

The conference itself will offer over 50 hours of safety training and education, including keynote speeches on safety leadership, mental health, and safety management. Conference registration is open to our partners, the members of the United Association, NECA, SMACNA, and TAUC.

Have questions or need assistance? Contact us at eventregistration@mcaa.org or 301-869-5800.

MORE INFORMATION
REGISTER NOW

MCAA Partners with OSHA for Safe + Sound Week

MCAA has partnered with the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) for Safe + Sound Week, August 15-21, 2022. This nationwide event, held each August, recognizes the successes of workplace health and safety programs and offers information and ideas on how to keep America’s workers safe.

The week is part of the year-round Safe + Sound campaign to encourage every workplace to have a safety and health program. Successful safety and health programs can proactively identify and manage workplace hazards before they cause injury or illness, improving sustainability and the bottom line.

Participating in Safe + Sound Week can help get your program started, energize an existing program, or provide a chance to recognize your company’s safety successes.

MCAA contractors looking for an opportunity to recognize their company’s commitment to safety are welcome to participate. Last year, more than 5,300 businesses helped to raise awareness about workers’ health and safety.

If you have questions, please contact:

  • Raffi Elchemmas, MCAA’s Executive Director of Safety, Health, and Risk Management

Click the below links for more information and resources.

MCAA Safety & Health Resources
Safe + Sound Week

MCAA Launches Heavily Requested New Worker Safety Orientation Resources

New workers are often the most vulnerable to accidents and injuries. To help, MCAA produced a New Worker Safety Orientation video and several accompanying resources. This package of resources is meant to train new workers on how to identify common hazards in the mechanical industry, and how to protect themselves from those hazards. Topics covered include: stop work authority, pre-task planning, PPE, working at heights, fall protection, fall prevention, power tool safety, hazard communication, housekeeping, and emergency procedures.

New Worker Safety Orientation resources include:

VIDEO

POCKET GUIDE

DOCUMENTATION SHEET

TEST

ANSWER KEY

For coverage of other safety topics critical to our industry, including training videos and materials, visit the Direct Links to MCAA & MSCA Safety Resources page. If you have questions, please contact Raffi Elchemmas, MCAA’s Executive Director of Safety, Health, and Risk Management

The Next Qualified Level Arc Flash Safety Training Webinars Scheduled for August 25, 2022

Make sure your service techs have the up-to-date safety training they need to protect themselves from arc flash and electrical shock hazards while working on equipment pushing 480 volts or less. The session covers all applicable OSHA requirements, NFPA 70E provisions, best practices, and real-world accident information.

VIEW BROCHURE

The next three webinars will be presented on August 25, 2022. The first webinar will take place from 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. EST, the second is from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. EST and the last is from 1:00 p.m. – 3:00 p.m EST.

REGISTER TODAY

Take advantage of the MCAA/MSCA member discounted webinar prices below.

PRICING:

# of Trainees (per company)Cost (per person)
1-5$225/person
6-10$200/person
11-25$175/person
26-50$150/person
51-100$125/person
101+Email for Pricing

If you can’t make it in August, the webinar will be taught again in September 2022. Questions? Contact Raffi Elchemmas.

Heat Stress Resources from MCAA Partners in Safety, CNA & MILWAUKEE TOOL

MCAA and its partners in safety, CNA & MILWAUKEE TOOL, offer resources to help protect workers from heat stress.

CNA Resources

Many workers spend part of their working day in hot environments, both indoors and outdoors. Workers performing physical labor, including mechanical construction and service contractors, are often exposed to hazardous heat conditions that can have severe safety and health outcomes. Please review the below information on heat stress and sun exposure.

Protecting Against Heat Stress
Sun Exposures for Contractors

For questions or additional information, please contact:

MILWAUKEE TOOL Resources

MILWAUKEE TOOL has started a monthly safety emphasis program. Below you will find information for July’s Heat Illness Prevention campaign. The information comes from some of the industry’s most credible sources, including the Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR), the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).

Heat Illness Prevention
Additional Heat Illness Prevention Resources

For additional information on the safety emphasis program, please contact:

MCAA Resources

For more information on heat stress from MCAA, review our last post or check out these training talks:

If you have questions, please contact:

  • Raffi Elchemmas, MCAA’s Executive Director of Safety, Health, and Risk Management

MCAA Congratulates 90 Member Companies on Safety Excellence

MCAA’s Safety Statistics & Awards program recognized 90 MCAA members’ safety performance in 2021. All applicants received a valuable benchmarking report that will allow them to compare their own 2021 incidence rates with the aggregate rates of the other participating MCAA companies overall, those in the same size category, and with the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics incidence rates. Those who qualified also received a certificate of commendation. Congratulations to all!

The program provides six awards categories including awards for zero recordable cases, zero lost workday cases, recordable cases incidence rates that are 25% or more below the industry average, lost workday cases incidence rates that are 25% or more below the industry average, and two that are a mix of these items.

MCAA is pleased to give the following contractors special recognition for their safety performance.

Zero Recordable Cases

  • Thermalair
  • James T. Kay Co
  • Coleman Spohn Corp
  • Advanced Mechanical Corp
  • ACSI Mechanical
  • ACME Industrial Piping
  • Plains Plumbing Co
  • All Temp Refrigeration
  • The YMI Group
  • Power Process Piping
  • A J Allen Mechanical Contractors
  • Gartner Refrigeration
  • Air Comfort Corp
  • The Smith & Oby Co
  • Sexson Mechanical
  • Rand Construction Co
  • Muir-Chase Plumbing Co
  • Nooter Construction Co

Zero Lost Workday Cases

  • Horton Mechanical Contractors
  • Northland Mechanical Contractors
  • Gunthorpe Plumbing and Heating
  • Air Temp Heating & Air Conditioning
  • Ruyle Mechanical Services
  • Aldag/Honold Mechanical
  • Denali Construction Services
  • PLS Mechanical
  • Suttles Plumbing and Mechanical Corp
  • Poole & Kent

Congratulations to all recipients, and thank you to everyone who applied. Your support of this and MCAA’s other safety programs underscores your company’s commitment to safety.

Immediate Stop Use/Recall – Select 3M Shock Absorbing Lanyards

3M has notified the industry of a potential manufacturing issue that could result in some lanyards not performing properly in the event of a fall. This could result in severe injury or death. Select 3M™ DBI-SALA® ShockWave™2 Arc Flash Shock Absorbing Lanyards are impacted and should be removed from service. See the recall notice for details and information about replacements.

MCAA & CNA Offer Resources to Educate Workers on the Importance of Trench Safety

More workers are killed or injured in and around excavations than in any other phase of construction work. MCAA and safety partner CNA offer resources that reinforce the importance of trench protective systems to keep your team safe during Trench Safety Stand-Down Week June 20 – 24, 2022 and every day.

Resources from CNA

Resources from MCAA

Excavation Safety for Mechanical Construction Training Materials:

MCAA also offers a Model Excavation Safety Program that guides you through establishing a program that minimizes risk to your employees and ensures your compliance with OSHA requirements. It makes development and implementation of such a program as easy and cost-effective as possible.

Have Questions or Need Personal Assistance?

Contact MCAA’s Raffi Elchemmas.

Prepare Now for the New ANSI Fall Protection Standard for Retractables

The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) fall protection standard Z359.14-2021, Safety Requirements for Self-Retracting Devices for Personal Fall Arrest and Rescue Systems, will go into effect on February 1, 2023. When it does, MCAA member companies will face several changes and additional testing requirements in an area that is among the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) most frequently cited violations. Prepare your company now by familiarizing yourself with the changes and purchasing equipment that meets the new standard.

ANSI Standard Highlights

  • The standard was approved in Summer 2021
  • It will go into effect in February 2023
  • Class A and Class B go away
  • They are replaced by Class 1 and Class 2
  • Class 1 retractables must be used at the D ring or above.
  • Class 2 retractables must be tested and must pass the Extreme Leading Edge Test
  • Class 2 testing is done on a sharpened structural steel edge
  • Class 2 must take a 5’ free fall
  • Both Class 1 and Class 2 have a 42” average arrest distance and a 1350 pound average arrest force.

For detailed information, please review the attached slide deck.

ANSI Standard Slide Deck

Have Questions?

If you have any questions, please contact MCAA’s Executive Director of Safety, Health, and Risk Management, Raffi Elchemmas.

OSHA National Emphasis Program Aims to Protect Workers from Heat Hazards

Labor Secretary Marty Walsh joined Vice President Kamala Harris April 12, 2022 to announce a first-ever Occupational Safety and and Health Administration (OSHA) National Emphasis Program (NEP) to protect workers from indoor and outdoor heat hazards. The NEP lists construction among the industries expected to have high exposures to heat-related hazards resulting in illnesses. MCAA is representing our members’ interests with OSHA because we know there is nothing more important than the health and safety of our workers, and you’re invited to join us.

Representing Member Interests

MCAA will be participating in OSHA’s stakeholder meeting on May 3, 2022. You are invited to participate in the virtual meeting by registering here. 

MCAA has already submitted feedback to OSHA on the proposed rule and commented through the National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health (NACOSH) Heat Injury and Illness Prevention Work Group.

Tips for Preventing Heat Illnesses

As temperatures begin to rise and it starts to get hot in parts of the United States, now is a good time to remind your employees about how to prevent heat illnesses. In particular, they should be on the lookout for:

  • Heat Stroke: As the body loses its ability to sweat, it can’t control its temperature (HEAT STROKE IS A MEDICAL EMERGENCY)
  • Heat Exhaustion: The body sweats away too much water and salt
  • Heat Syncope: The body’s blood pressure becomes too low, resulting in dizziness or fainting and
  • Heat Cramps: The body experiences painful muscle spasms
NEP DETAILS
ADDITIONAL TOOLS FROM OSHA

Have Questions?

If you have any questions, please contact MCAA’s Executive Director of Safety, Health, and Risk Management, Raffi Elchemmas.

CNA Insurance Offers Solutions for Top Jobsite Claims

As construction-related claims become more frequent and expensive than ever before, new trends have emerged in the types and causes of losses. CNA offers tailored coverages to help construction companies mitigate these risks, along with resources to help keep projects and workers safe.

CNA SOLUTIONS INFOGRAPHIC

For more information on CNA’s resources and solutions, please contact Shawn Egan, CNA Risk Control Specialist at Shawn.Egan@cna.com.

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THE CROSBY GROUP Issues Remove from Service Notice for Select Screw Pin Anchor Shackles

THE CROSBY GROUP has issued a remove from service and arrange for return and replacement notice for a selection of screw pin anchor shackles. These shackles may have a condition that can reduce the ultimate load capacity from the published catalog values. The shackle bow may have a previously undetected indication, and continued use may result in loss of load, property damage, severe injury, or death.

This notice only applies to the following screw pin anchor shackles with Production Identification Codes (PIC) TXJ located on the shackle bow:

  • 1018534 1” 8.50t G-209 Shackle
  • 1018543 1” 8.50t S-209 Shackle
RECALL NOTICE

OSHA Officially Withdraws COVID-19 ETS

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has withdrawn the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard on vaccine mandates as an enforceable emergency temporary standard. OSHA remains committed to pursuing a proposed rule through the formal process. Both MCAA and the UA continue to strongly encourage the vaccination of workers against COVID-19.

MCAA’s In-Person Safety Directors’ Conference a Win for Safety & Health

Last week the MCAA presented one of the most exciting Safety Directors’ Conferences ever. The first in-person conference in two years brought together safety professionals from around the country for world-class education on best practices and safety and health issues specific to the mechanical industry. Participants also heard keynotes on safety leadership from Capt. Richard Phillips, Olympian Vince Poscente, and longtime safety advocate Regina McMichael during the January 18 – 20, 2022, event in sunny Florida.

The latest innovations from over 20 exhibitors were on display, including those from MCAA Manufacturer/Supplier Council members MILWAUKEE TOOL, Tyfoom, Emerson, DEWALT Industrial Tool Company, and Victaulic, which unveiled its new QuickVicTM System, a solution with exciting safety implications. Other exhibitors, like Little Giant Ladder, also showed off their latest solutions.

MCAA thanks CNA and MILWAUKEE TOOL for sponsoring the event, and all the safety professionals who attended.