Category: Safety

OSHA & CDC Update Guidance on Mitigating and Preventing the Spread of COVID-19 in the Workplace

OSHA recently updated their guidelines on mitigating and preventing the spread of COVID-19 in the workplace, which reflects the July 27, 2021 Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) mask and testing recommendations for fully vaccinated people.

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:

  • OSHA & CDC recommend that fully vaccinated workers in areas of substantial or high community transmission wear masks in order to protect unvaccinated workers.
  • OSHA & CDC recommend that fully vaccinated workers who experience close contact with someone who tests positive for coronavirus, wear a mask for up to 14 days unless they have a negative coronavirus test at least 3-5 days after such contact.

OSHA UPDATE

CDC MASK & TESTING UPDATE

Resource Highlight: MCAA’s New Hand & Power Tool Safety Video With Accompanying Materials

Each week, MCAA will highlight one or more of the educational resources that are free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership. This week, we focus on MCAA’s new safety training video, Master the Mechanics: Hand & Power Tool Safety for the Mechanical Trades. The video provides trainees with information on the most common hand and power tool injuries in the mechanical construction and service trades. It highlights the tools most likely to be involved in an injury incident, and teaches proper use of the tools to help prevent injuries.

The video comes with a pocket guide that highlights key training points, a training documentation sheet, a 20-question multiple choice test, and a test answer key.

VIDEO

POCKET GUIDE

TRAINING DOCUMENTATION SHEET

TEST

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.

Have Questions or Need Personal Assistance?

Contact MCAA’s Pete Chaney.

Raffi Elchemmas Will Join the MCAA Staff

MCAA extends a warm welcome to Raffi Elchemmas, who will be joining the staff starting August 2, 2021. He will be MCAA’s new Executive Director of Safety, Health and Risk Management, learning the ropes before Pete’s upcoming retirement. Raffi comes to us from Milwaukee Tool, where he was the National Manager, Health & Safety. He is a board-certified ergonomist with an MBA in Sales Leadership & Health Sector Management from DePaul University. He has been a member of MCAA’s Safety and Health Committee since 2019. MCAA is pleased to welcome Raffi to the staff, and his wife Martha, daughter Nina, and son Vartan to the MCAA staff family.

STIHL Cut-Off Machines Safety Recall

STIHL is recalling to repair certain TS 410 and TS 420 cut-off machines manufactured between January 2021 and April 2021. In some of these machines the flywheel can break apart while the engine is running, posing a projectile hazard to the users or bystanders. If you have any of these machines, immediately discontinue use and take them to an authorized STIHL dealer for free repair.

New Hand & Power Tool Safety Video Provides Training to Help Prevent Worker Injuries

MCAA’s new safety training video, Master the Mechanics: Hand & Power Tool Safety for the Mechanical Trades, provides trainees with information on the most common hand and power tool injuries in the mechanical construction and service trades. It highlights the tools most likely to be involved in an injury incident, and teaches proper use of the tools to help prevent injuries.

The video comes with a pocket guide that highlights key training points, a training documentation sheet, a 20-question multiple choice test, and a test answer key.

VIDEO

POCKET GUIDE

TRAINING DOCUMENTATION SHEET

TEST

TEST ANSWER KEY

OSHA Releases COVID-19 ETS Inspection Procedures & Enforcement Policies

OSHA recently released a compliance directive titled Inspection Procedures for the COVID-19 Emergency Temporary Standard. The directive is a guide for compliance officers implementing inspections and issuing citations involving:

  • Employer COVID-19 Plans;
  • Screening and Management;
  • Standard and Transmission Based Precautions;
  • Personal Protective Equipment;
  • Aerosol-Generating Procedures;
  • Physical Distancing;
  • Cleaning and Disinfecting;
  • Ventilation;
  • Employee Health Screening and Medical Management;
  • Vaccinations;
  • Training;
  • Anti-Retaliation;
  • Requirements at No Cost;
  • Recordkeeping; and
  • Reporting to OSHA.

If OSHA’s new Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) on COVID-19 applies to your company, it may be helpful to understand what the agency’s compliance officers are looking for when they are inspecting affected workplaces, and how they are directed to issue citations for violations of the standard.

LEARN MORE

The Next Qualified Level Arc Flash Safety Training Webinars Scheduled for July 29, 2021

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 two webinars will be presented on July 29, 2021. The first webinar will take place from 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. ET, and the second is from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. ET.

REGISTER TODAY

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

PRICING:

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

If you can’t make it in July, the webinar will be taught again twice on August 26, 2021. Questions? Contact Pete Chaney.

Resource Highlight: MCAA’s New Refrigerant Safety Video for Mechanical Service Technicians & Accompanying Materials

Each week, MCAA will highlight one or more of the educational resources that are free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership. This week, we focus on MCAA’s new safety training video Master the Hazards: Refrigerant Safety for Mechanical Service Technicians and its accompanying materials. This video provides essential information on the potential hazards associated with refrigerants, the ASHRAE refrigerant safety group classification system, proper use of refrigerant safety data sheets to identify the hazards and appropriate protective measures, and how to prepare for unexpected refrigerant releases.

The video comes with a pocket guide that highlights key training points, a training documentation sheet, a 20-question multiple choice test, and a test answer key.

VIDEO

POCKET GUIDE

TRAINING DOCUMENTATION SHEET

TEST

TEST ANSWER KEY

For additional, in-depth coverage of many of the topics in the manual, including training videos and materials, visit the Direct Links to MCAA & MSCA Safety Resources page.

Have Questions or Need Personal Assistance?

Contact MCAA’s Pete Chaney.

Resource Highlight: MCAA’s Safety Manual for Mechanical Fabrication Shop Workers

Each week, MCAA will highlight one or more of the educational resources that are free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership. This week, we focus on MCAA’s newly revised Safety Manual for Mechanical Fabrication Shop Workers. This quick reference tool provides critical information on 61 safety and health topics that are specific to work performed by mechanical fabrication shop workers. The topics include everything from bloodborne pathogens through welding-cutting-heating, and zinc exposures. The manual also includes updated information on how to properly administer CPR.

Download the Manual

For additional, in-depth coverage of many of the topics in the manual, including training videos and materials, visit the Direct Links to MCAA & MSCA Safety Resources page.

Have Questions or Need Personal Assistance?

Contact MCAA’s Pete Chaney.

Resource Highlight: MCAA’s Safety Manual for Mechanical Service Technicians

Each week, MCAA will highlight one or more of the educational resources that are free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership. This week, we focus on MCAA’s newly revised Safety Manual for Mechanical Service Technicians. This quick reference tool provides critical information on 84 safety and health topics that are specific to work performed by mechanical service technicians, including information on the newest and most frequently used refrigerants, substantive changes to NFPA 70E, and new information on how to properly administer CPR.

Download the Manual

For additional, in-depth coverage of many of the topics in the manual, including training videos and materials, visit the Direct Links to MCAA & MSCA Safety Resources page.

Have Questions or Need Personal Assistance?

Contact MCAA’s Pete Chaney.

OSHA COVID-19 ETS & New Guidance for Employers Not Covered by the Standard

OSHA recently released an Emergency Temporary Standard (ETS) on COVID-19 covering settings where employees provide healthcare services or healthcare support services. Contractors providing healthcare support services, such as equipment and facility maintenance, may have to comply with several provisions in the ETS, such as establishing a COVID-19 plan, implementing precautions, requiring use of personal protective equipment, practicing physical distancing, using physical barriers, cleaning and disinfecting surfaces, implementing health screening and medical management, supporting COVID-19 vaccinations, and providing appropriate training.

However, the standard does not apply to “well-defined hospital ambulatory care settings” where all employees are fully vaccinated, all non-employees are screened prior to entry, and people with suspected or confirmed COVID-19 are not permitted to enter those settings. Ambulatory care means healthcare services performed on an outpatient basis, such as physician’s offices, hospital outpatient departments, ambulatory surgical centers, and specialty clinics. Affected employers must comply with most provisions of the standard within 14 days, and with the remaining provisions within 30 days. OSHA will use enforcement discretion to avoid citing employers who are making a good faith effort to comply with the ETS.

LEARN MORE

Contractors whose employees are not providing healthcare support services are exempt from the ETS. However, OSHA has updated their guidelines for employers based on the most current guidance from the CDC. Employers are urged to comply with the updated guidelines, which direct employers to:

  • Grant paid time off for employees to get vaccinated;
  • Instruct workers who are infected, unvaccinated workers who have had close contact with someone who tested positive, and all workers with COVID-19 symptoms to stay home from work;
  • Implement physical distancing for unvaccinated and otherwise at-risk workers in all communal work areas;
  • Provide unvaccinated and otherwise at-risk workers with face coverings or surgical masks;
  • Educate and train workers on your company’s COVID-19 policies and procedures;
  • Suggest that unvaccinated customers, visitors, or guests wear face coverings;
  • Maintain ventilation systems;
  • Perform routine cleaning and disinfection;
  • Record and report COVID-19 infections and deaths;
  • Implement protections from retaliation;
  • Set up an anonymous process for workers to voice concerns about COVID-19-related hazards; and
  • Follow other applicable mandatory OSHA standards.

LEARN MORE

OSHA Releases ETS on COVID-19 and Healthcare Facility Ventilation Requirements

OSHA’s recently presented Emergency Temporary Standard on COVID-19 (ETS) describes specific requirements for healthcare facility ventilation systems. The requirements apply to employers who own or control buildings or structures with an existing heating, ventilation, and air conditioning system(s) where employees provide healthcare services or healthcare support services. If your company provides HVAC services for an affected employer, the ventilation provision in the ETS may be helpful. LEARN MORE

The Next Qualified Level Arc Flash Safety Training Webinars Scheduled for June 17, 2021

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 two webinars will be presented on June 17, 2021. The first webinar will take place from 7:00 a.m. – 9:00 a.m. ET, and the second is from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m. ET.

REGISTER TODAY

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

PRICING:

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

If you can’t make it in June, the webinar will be taught again twice on July 29, 2021. Questions? Contact Pete Chaney.

MCAA Partners with Dodge Data & Analytics To Study Jobsite Safety

MCAA, the Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR), and other organizations are partnering with Dodge Data & Analytics on a study of jobsite safety. The study will track trends in U.S. construction industry safety practices, and MCAA members are encouraged to participate. The survey will close on June 23, 2021.

The survey should take approximately 12 minutes to complete. MCAA members who submit completed surveys will have the option to receive a summary report of the survey findings emailed to them.

Your survey responses are strictly confidential and will not be associated with your name or the name of your company in any way. Your responses will be combined with others and only presented as averages or percentages, or by visual means that cannot be linked back to individual answers. Your responses will be stored in a password protected database that can only be accessed by analysts at Dodge Data & Analytics.

SURVEY

Resource Highlight: MCAA’s Fire Safety Training Video & Accompanying Materials

Each week, MCAA will highlight one or more of the educational resources that are free to MCAA members as a benefit of membership. This week, we focus on MCAA’s Fire Safety Training Video and its materials. This video will teach your workers to recognize common causes of jobsite fires and how to prevent them.

Your workers will learn about:

  • Health effects of smoke inhalation and burns
  • Common causes of jobsite fires
  • Proper fire prevention techniques
  • Safe fire response, including knowing when to fight the fire and when to get out and leave it to the professionals

The video comes with a pocket guide that highlights key training points, a training documentation sheet, a 20-question multiple choice test, and a test answer key.

Download the Video and Accompanying Materials

Video | Pocket Guide | Documentation Sheet | Test | Answer Key

Have Questions or Need Personal Assistance?

Contact MCAA’s Pete Chaney.

OSHA Suspends Recordkeeping Enforcement of Adverse Reactions to Employer Mandated COVID-19 Vaccinations

MCAA reported previously that if your company requires a worker to get vaccinated and that worker has an adverse reaction to the vaccine, and the results of the adverse reaction meet the criteria for an OSHA recordable injury (medical treatment beyond first aid, days away from work, etc.), OSHA considers the case to be “work-related,” and employers are required to treat the case as a “recordable illness.”

The DOL, OSHA, and other federal agencies, are working diligently to encourage COVID-19 vaccinations. OSHA does not wish to discourage workers from receiving the COVID-19 vaccination, or disincentivize employers’ vaccination efforts. As a result, OSHA will not enforce 29 CFR 1904’s recording requirements to require any employers to record worker side effects from COVID-19 vaccination through May 2022. The agency will reevaluate the agency’s position at that time to determine the best course of action moving forward.

Are Vaccinated Workers Exempt From COVID-19 Infection Control Measures?

OSHA is reviewing recent CDC guidance and will update their website accordingly. However, until those updates are completed, the agency is referring affected employers to the “CDC guidance for information on measures appropriate to protect fully vaccinated workers.” The highlights of the guidance published by the CDC follow.

If you’ve been fully vaccinated:

  • You can resume activities that you did prior to the pandemic.
  • You can resume activities without wearing a mask or staying 6 feet apart, except where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance.
  • If you travel in the United States, you do not need to get tested before or after travel, or self-quarantine after travel.
  • If you’ve been around someone who has COVID-19, you do not need to stay away from others or get tested unless you have symptoms.
  • You should still watch out for symptoms of COVID-19, especially if you’ve been around someone who is sick. If you have symptoms of COVID-19, you should get tested and stay home and away from others.
  • People who have a condition or are taking medications that weaken the immune system, should talk to their healthcare provider to discuss their activities. They may need to keep taking all precautions to prevent COVID-19.

LEARN MORE

Loosening of CDC’s Face Covering Recommendations Do Not Alter Employer Compliance Obligations

The CDC recently changed its COVID-19 recommendations regarding the use of face coverings for fully vaccinated individuals. Under the new guidance, fully vaccinated individuals, in most cases, no longer need to wear face coverings indoors or out, or practice social distancing. However, the loosening of the recommendations does not change affected employers’ compliance obligations. Masks and distancing are still mandatory “where required by federal, state, local, tribal, or territorial laws, rules, and regulations, including local business and workplace guidance.” Employers should be aware that OSHA recently implemented a special emphasis program to enforce worker COVID-19 protections.

LEARN MORE

What to Consider Before Requiring Workers to Get COVID-19 Vaccinations

In most states employers may legally require their workers to get COVID-19 vaccinations, provided that they make reasonable accommodations for medical or religious objections. However, doing so could result in negative consequences, so there are several items your company should consider before deciding whether to require their workers to get vaccinated.

  • If your company requires a worker to get vaccinated and that worker has an adverse reaction to the vaccine, and the results of the adverse reaction meet the criteria for an OSHA recordable injury (medical treatment beyond first aid, days away from work, etc.), OSHA considers the case to be “work-related.” Employers are required to treat the case as a “recordable illness;”
  • If your company requires a worker to get vaccinated and that worker has an adverse reaction to the vaccine, in some states the case could result in a worker’s compensation claim. Be sure to check with your worker’s compensation carrier before you proceed;
  • If your company requires a worker to get vaccinated and that worker has an adverse reaction to the vaccine, and the case is not covered by worker’s compensation the employer may be subject to a lawsuit;
  • Some states may prohibit employers from mandating the vaccines; and
  • Mandating vaccines may violate local collective bargaining agreements.

MCAA’s Construction Safety Week Celebration Highlights MCAA’s Fall Protection & Prevention Resources

MCAA’s Construction Safety Week celebration concludes with a look back at the fall prevention and protection resources we have been highlighting during the week.

MCAA’s Ladder Safety Training Video

This video will show your fitters, plumbers, and service technicians how to properly inspect, transport, set up and use ladders safely.

The video emphasizes:

  • Common reasons for falls
  • The safe use of ladders, including stepladders and portable straight ladders
  • How new ladder technology has substantially improved ladder safety

Accompanying materials assist you in highlighting key training points, documenting worker training and confirming that workers understand the training concepts.

Download MCAA’s Ladder Safety Training Video & Materials

Video | Pocket Guide | Documentation Sheet | Test | Answer Key

MCAA’s Fall Prevention and Protection Safety Training Video

This video helps the viewer understand the differences between fall prevention and fall protection with emphasis on the components of fall restraint and fall arrest systems and how to use them properly and safely.

The video also guides the viewer through the fall rescue planning process, including how to survive while suspended in a fall arrest harness after falling and until help arrives.

Accompanying materials assist you in highlighting key training points, documenting worker training and confirming that workers understand the training concepts.

Download MCAA’s Fall Prevention and Protection Safety Training Video & Materials

Video | Pocket Guide | Documentation Sheet | Test | Answer Key

MCAA’s Model Fall Protection Program

This model program describes the fall hazards that are anticipated in the mechanical construction and service industry and addresses safe fall prevention and protection measures involving mobile and fixes scaffolds, aerial lifts, floor holes, wall openings, and ladders. These safety measures, which are covered in detail, include  guardrail systems, personal fall arrest systems, fall restraint systems, and floor hole covers.

DOWNLOAD

MCAA’s Model Fall Rescue Safety Program and Plan

It becomes extremely dangerous for a worker to hang in a fall arrest harness for more than a couple of minutes, so companies are required to have an action plan in place to rescue workers immediately in the event of a fall and subsequent suspension from a fall arrest harness.

MCAA’s Model Fall Rescue Safety Program and Plan helps the user develop a fall rescue plan addressing management responsibility, methods of fall rescue, information on “Qualified Fall Rescuers,” and training requirements.

DOWNLOAD

Check Out All of MCAA’s Safety Resources

Learn more about safety and health in our industry and access safety-related resources in these locations:

If you have questions about any of these resources or MCAA’s Safety Excellence Initiative, contact Pete Chaney.

About Construction Safety Week

Construction Safety Week was started in 2014, when more than 40 national and global construction firms comprising the Construction Industry Safety Initiative (CISI) group and the Incident and Injury Free (IIF) CEO Forum joined forces with a single aim: to inspire everyone in the industry to be leaders in safety.