ESF and CPWR Partner to Raise Awareness of Construction Electrical Safety
2024年7月3日 - 2:00AM
The Electrical Safety Foundation (ESF) and CPWR – the
Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR) are partnering
on a campaign to raise awareness of construction electrical safety.
The campaign aims to educate the public about the electrical
hazards on construction job sites to prevent avoidable injuries and
fatalities.
Materials created for the campaign include:
- Construction Safety: OSHA Top 4
Construction Hazards
- Construction Safety: Construction
Laborer Safety
- Construction Safety: Tree Trimming
Safety
- Construction Safety: Heating, Air
Conditioning, and Refrigeration Mechanics
- Construction Safety: Truck Driver
Safety
- Construction Safety: Roofer
Safety
- Construction Safety: Painter
Safety
According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA), the construction industry has one of the highest rates of
workplace injuries and deaths in the United States. Included among
the many types of injuries are those caused by exposure to
electricity: in 2022, 62 out of 145 total work-related fatalities
due to electricity occurred in the construction industry.i
Construction laborers, tree trimmers, heating, air conditioning,
and refrigeration mechanics, heavy truck drivers, roofers, and
construction and maintenance painters experience some of the
highest risk.ii
“By identifying the leading causes of electrical fatalities on
construction sites, ESF and CPWR can target all construction trades
to educate on electrical hazards,” said ESF President Brett
Brenner. “This partnership will allow both organizations to make a
difference in reducing the number of electrical injuries and
fatalities happening yearly.”
According to an article published in the IEEE Industry
Applications Magazine that analyzed OSHA incident data on
electrical fatalities, the most common cause of workplace
electrical fatalities occurred from contact with overhead power
lines. This was the cause of the deaths for 84% of tree trimmers,
81% of roofers, 78% of painters in construction and maintenance,
76% of heavy truck drivers, and 60% of construction laborers. The
second most common cause was contact with or working near energized
conductors or parts. This was the cause of fatalities for 90% of
heating, air conditioning, and refrigeration mechanics and another
35% of construction laborers.ii
Included in the campaign materials is an infographic on OSHA’s
Focus Four construction hazards, which include electrocution, falls
from heights, struck-by, and caught-in/between. Simple tips to keep
workers safe on the job site include locating and identifying
utilities, such as overhead power lines and underground wires,
before starting work, as well as maintaining safe distances from
power lines. It’s also imperative not to operate portable electric
tools unless grounded or double insulated and to always use
ground-fault protection.
“CPWR is happy to partner with ESF to increase awareness of
electrical hazards impacting the construction industry as well as
ways to protect workers against them,” says CPWR’s Executive
Director, Chris Trahan Cain, CIH. “So many of the fatalities in our
industry – electrical and otherwise – can be prevented with better
engineering controls, work practices, and training in place.”
Learn about the steps that can be taken to prevent
construction-related workplace injuries to keep workers of all
construction trades safe on the job site. For ESF’s complete
collection of free electrical safety materials,
visit esfi.org. For more information on CPWR, visit
cpwr.com.
ABOUT ESFThe Electrical Safety Foundation (ESF) is the trusted
voice for electrical safety. The mission of ESF is to prevent
electrically-related injuries, deaths, and fires; saving lives and
property through public education and outreach. For free workplace
safety materials, you can share throughout your community,
visit esfi.org.
ABOUT CPWRCPWR – The Center for Construction
Research and Training is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit created by
North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU). Its mission is to
reduce occupational injuries, illnesses and fatalities in the
construction industry through research, training, and service
programs. CPWR is uniquely situated to serve U.S. construction
workers, contractors and the research community, having partnered
with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
(NIOSH) in NIOSH’s construction safety and health research
initiative for three decades.
___________________i U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), 2022
Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI).
https://www.bls.gov/iif/ii D. Majano and B. Brenner, "Why Do
Electrical Fatalities Occur on the Job?: Understanding the Human
Factor of a Fatality," in IEEE Industry Applications Magazine, vol.
30, no. 3, pp. 51-60, May-June 2024, doi:
10.1109/MIAS.2023.3328549.
Contact:Brianne DeerwesterElectrical Safety
Foundation703.841.3295Brianne.Deerwester@esfi.org
A photo accompanying this announcement is available at
https://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ecf4d05f-a032-48e4-825f-87b446fef949