Protecting construction workers from injury and disease is among the greatest challenges in occupational safety and health.
NIOSH Makes a Difference in the Health of Construction Workers
NIOSH and construction industry partners are collaborating to develop new strategies to reduce worker exposures to potentially hazardous substances. Examples of some successful collaborations include:
Controlling Lead Toxicity in Bridge Workers
Each year, 58,000 persons work in bridge, tunnel, and elevated highway construction and demolition jobs. About 90,000 bridges are coated with paint containing lead, creating the potential for dangerously high lead exposure to workers engaged in the maintenance, repainting, or demolition of bridges.
With funding from NIOSH, Connecticut state agencies and Yale University initiated the Connecticut Road Industry Surveillance Project (CRISP) to reduce lead toxicity in bridge workers. CRISP provides medical examinations and procedures to monitor and reduce occupational lead exposures at bridge sites; on-site technical assistance to overcome problems in reducing lead exposures; and a centralized, statewide surveillance system to monitor blood lead levels in workers.
CRISP saves Connecticut $2.5 million each year in workers' compensation costs. With CRISP, blood lead levels have decreased by 50%. Efforts are underway to implement this approach in other states.
NIOSH published an Alert, Preventing Lead Poisoning in Construction Workers (DHHS [NIOSH] Publication No. 91-116a), to publicize the hazards associated with lead-containing paint, and to provide recommendations to reduce lead exposure and prevent lead poisoning among workers involved in demolishing or maintaining bridges and other steel structures.
Controlling Asphalt Fume Exposures During Paving
500,000 workers are exposed to asphalt fumes while paving roads, roofing, and waterproofing. Molten asphalt generates fumes that can cause skin diseases and eye and respiratory tract irritation. NIOSH laboratory studies found that fumes from asphalt roofing materials have potential cancer-causing and mutagenic properties.
The Department of Transportation and NIOSH are evaluating industry-developed technology to control exposures to asphalt fumes in road paving. NIOSH's involvement was requested by the National Asphalt Pavement Association (NAPA), a trade organization of asphalt paving contractors, asphalt material manufacturers, and asphalt paving equipment manufacturers. Manufacturers developed and NIOSH evaluated prototype systems that reduce exposures by capturing fume emissions from paving equipment. NIOSH researchers are assisting the manufacturers in redesign efforts to reduce emissions. Preliminary results suggest these control systems will capture a significant amount of the asphalt fumes generated during the paving process. NIOSH has published the first of these results in a publication entitled Engineering Control Guidelines for Hot Mix Asphalt Pavers, Part 1 New Highway- Class Pavers (DHHS [NIOSH] Publication No. 97-105).
The results of this research will have immediate application. A voluntary agreement signed by NAPA, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Federal Highway Administration, six equipment manufacturers, the Laborers’ Health and Safety Fund of North America, and the International Union of Operating Engineers calls for all highway-class asphalt pavers manufactured after July 12, 1997 to incorporate the engineering controls and be certified using the NIOSH test procedure.
NIOSH Makes a Difference in the Safety of Construction Workers
Each day, construction workers face trench cave-ins, falls, machinery accidents, electrocutions, and motor vehicle incidents. NIOSH researchers identify causes of and develop programs to prevent injuries and fatalities in construction. Examples include:
Preventing Injuries and Deaths Caused by Falls
Falls are the leading cause of fatal injury in the construction industry--in fact, half of all work-related fatal falls in the United States occur in the construction industry. Buildings and structures, scaffolds, and ladders are the primary locations from which fatal falls occur in the construction industry. NIOSH researchers have investigated 88 fall incidents, 75 of which were in construction. Specific prevention recommendations have included site-specific evaluation of potential fall hazards; implementation of fall protection programs; proper erection, maintenance, and use of access equipment (e.g., scaffolds and ladders); installation and maintenance of appropriate barriers (e.g., guard rails and/or covers on floor openings); and proper selection and use of fall restraint and fall arrest systems in situations where exposure to falls cannot be eliminated.
To encourage proper elevated work practices and use of fall prevention and fall arrest systems, NIOSH disseminated Alerts on prevention of falls from suspended scaffolds (DHHS [NIOSH] Publication 92- 108) and prevention of falls through skylights (DHHS [NIOSH] Publication No. 90-100).
Preventing Electrocutions of Crane Operators and Crew Members
Each year, electrocutions represent 7% of injury-related fatalities. NIOSH onsite investigators found that 13% of work-related electrocutions involved crane contact with overhead power lines.
After evaluating the circumstances of these electrocutions, NIOSH disseminated two Alerts that describe procedures and precautions to assure safe crane operation around power lines (DHHS [NIOSH] Publication Nos. 85-111 and 95-108).
NIOSH disseminated similar Alerts describing electrocutions when erecting, moving, or working from scaffolds (DHHS [NIOSH] Publication No. 91-110) or ladders (DHHS [NIOSH] Publication No. 89-110).
NIOSH Research Solves Safety and Health Problems in Construction
From October 1993 through March 1996, NIOSH researchers conducted 43 health hazard evaluations for construction industries and responded to 171 construction-related calls on the NIOSH 800-number. Since 1985, NIOSH researchers have developed recommendations for preventing fatal injuries based on over 425 field evaluations of fatal events in the construction industries. These evaluations were conducted as part of the NIOSH Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Program. The recommendations are disseminated through NIOSH Alerts, such as those described above, and monographs, such as Worker Deaths in Confined Spaces (DHHS [NIOSH] Publication No. 94-103).
Additional Information
Copies of the publications described in this document are available free-of-charge from the NIOSH Publications Office while supplies last (telephone 1-800-356-4674; fax 513-533-8573; e-mail pubstaft@cdc.gov). NIOSH has also published a Construction Bibliography containing a list of NIOSH documents on construction. For a list of other available NIOSH publications on construction, request fax document # 705000 from the toll-free CDC Fax Information Service (1-888-232-3299).
For a complete listing of documents available on the CDC
Fax Information Service call 1-888-CDC-FAXX (1-888-232-3299) and
request document #000006. This information is also available on the Internet at
CDC's web site.
Document #705011
August, 1997
