Archinect - News

Healthcare construction workers need better training, researchers say

2020-04-30T14:21:00-04:00

After previous studies showed that patients in healthcare facilities were becoming ill due to dust generated by construction activity researchers from Washington State University and Clemson University asked 129 construction managers and field supervisors from the top healthcare contractors in the US for details on their training programs. According to Construction Dive's Kim Slowey, "only 52% of those surveyed said that owners of healthcare projects always or often required construction teams to receive training about how to perform work safely in or near occupied healthcare facilities, but 77% said that such training was typically required at the start of projects."

Previously on Archinect: Researchers urge additional construction safety measures during COVID-19

But, most of these training programs are geared toward upper management and often exclude or minimize the training time offered to workers and subcontractors who have closer contact with patients.

Dust and debris created by...

High rise fire in LA could prompt city to close a fire sprinkler loophole

2020-01-30T13:27:00-05:00

Officials in Los Angeles are reconsidering closing a legal loophole that exempts tall buildings built between 1943 and 1974 from fire sprinkler requirements after an unsprinkled high rise apartment tower on the city's Westside caught fire yesterday for the second time in recent years, injuring a a 13 of people, including a three month old baby and one man who is listed as being in serious condition.

The Los Angeles Times reports that the fire took place in a 25-story tower located in the Barrington Plaza complex, which is made up of three similar towers of differing heights surrounding a landscaped superblock site. The fire engulfed the sixth and seventh floors of the tallest tower and caused smoke damage to several floors in the development. According to The Los Angeles Times tenants in the building report a variety of maintenance issues in the complex, including a constantly broken elevator. A fire took place in the same building back in 2013 that apparently led to few safety or ...

Workplace protections falter as climate change makes outdoor work more hazardous

2020-01-23T12:30:00-05:00

In 2018, 60 workers died due to temperature extremes, according to the most recent Bureau of Labor Statistics data on workplace fatalities. Though the climate crisis is creating conditions where workers are facing hotter temperatures on a more frequent basis, there are no federal safety protections for workers in extreme temperatures, and only three states, California, Washington and Minnesota, have heat stress workplace protection standards.

The Guardian's Michael Sainato takes a look at the increasingly dangerous nature of outdoor work as climate change makes extreme heat a greater danger for people who labor outside.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that 783 workers in the United States died and more than 69,000 workers were injured due to heat exposure while on the job between 1992 and 2016, though the actual figures are likely higher due under-reporting.

According to Sainato's report, federal oversight over workplace safety, especially for outdoor workers, has decreased sharply under the administration of President Donald Trump despite the fact that global temperatures are going up and the number of "dangerous heat days" is expected to double over the next 30 years.

Why are so many construction workers dying in Texas?

2019-07-28T13:36:00-04:00

In 2017, the last year for which data are available, 183 people died in Texas in occupations relating to construction, installation, repair, maintenance and extraction, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. That’s one every two days. This rate may underestimate the scale of the problem, as the deaths of workers without papers may not be reported to authorities.

A report from Global Construction Review delves into troubling data coming out of Texas, where official construction-related deaths number in the triple digits.

One potential reason for rising deaths in construction and related industries could lie in lax inspections.

According to Global Construction Review, the Occupational Heath and Safety Administration (OSHA) conducted only 40 crane inspections across all of Texas, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Arkansas, and Louisiana over a nine month period starting in October 2018.

That record comes as the number of crane-related fatalities Texas exceeds those in all other states. 50 people died between 2011 and 2017 while operating cranes, according to the report, more than three times the number of deaths that occurred in the state with the next highest toll.

Why cranes keep collapsing, despite "sophisticated equipment"

2016-03-07T14:20:00-05:00

As cranes have grown in height and girth, the controls to operate them have intensified in number and complexity...the crane units in use these days have libraries of intricate manuals, packed with details...some operators may not have time to fully understand or read completely. Same goes for the maintenance team. When something does go wrong with such large machines...the 'mess and carnage' gets magnified.

Crane safety experts give their thoughts on the leading causes of crane collapses, and why safety regulation is more complex than it seems.

Previous news about collapses:

Crane collapses in Manhattan, one dead and two seriously injured

More than 50 dead after crane collapses on Mecca's Grand Mosque

13 lawsuits emerge after deadly balcony collapse in Berkeley

Three killed after partial stadium collapse at 2014 World Cup venue

Architect to plead "no contest" in Los Angeles firefighter's death

2014-01-03T14:39:00-05:00

A German architect accused of improperly installing a fireplace in his Hollywood Hills mansion, leading to a firefighter’s death in February 2011, is expected to plead guilty to involuntary manslaughter Friday.

Architect, Gerhard Becker, is accused of involuntary manslaughter in Los Angeles in the death of a firefighter in February 2011. He is expected to plead "no contest" and serve a 6 month long sentence.

Becker was accused of constructing fireplaces in a 12,000 square foot residence in the Hollywood Hills despite having filed drawing that showed otherwise. Prosecutors allege that he did so after final inspections in November 2010.

Investigators determined that the fire was a result of several gas exterior fire pits that were installed inside. A fire broke out and several responding firefighter were pinned when the ceiling collapsed, resulting in one death.