The COVID-19 pandemic has shown the need for comprehensive guidelines to protect workers from infectious diseases has never been more apparent. OSHA’s General Duty Clause (29 USC 654) and protections laid out in the agency’s...
According to a report from the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), Arlington, Va., construction employment declined by 61,000 jobs in February, while the sector’s unemployment rate increased to 9.6% amid severe...
With the emergence of new approaches to office layouts combined with the changing demands on work settings during the pandemic, office environments have been a hotbed of re-evaluation and transformation, and so have the needs...
In a single year, electrical contractors have redefined job-site safety—minimizing the risk of disease transmission while maintaining efforts to protect workers from injury. Indoor work, tasks that can’t be done while social...
While utilities are working hard to make sure their employees receive their COVID-19 vaccinations, since their work is critical to the running of the nation, many of these utilities are going above and beyond by offering to...
Essential workers in blue-collar industries—including construction—are less likely to opt for a COVID-19 vaccine than those who work in more white-collar sectors, according to research by Morning Consult, New York. While...
According to a new report from the National Safety Council (NSC), Itasca, Ill., “State of the Response: The Future World of Work,” continued remote work, increased focus on flexible work arrangements and a renewed commitment...
The electrical construction industry hasn’t been spared the need for new safety protocols that minimize exposure to the coronavirus in light of the COVID-19 pandemic. The U.S. Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency...
On Jan. 29, OSHA announced that it is issuing stronger worker safety guidance to help employers and workers implement a coronavirus prevention program and to better identify risks that could lead to exposure and contraction...
According to a new white paper co-published by NECA, the Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA), Rockville, Md., and the Sheet Metal and Air Conditioning Contractors’ National Association (SMACNA), Chantilly, Va...
In my January 2020 fiber optic update, I wrote, “But later in the year [2019], it seemed that disruption was being disrupted.” Well, 2020 did not wait until later in the year; disruption began in full force by early March...
The COVID-19 Pandemic has changed our lives in many ways. Being under lockdown to avoid the spread of the virus has required that those of us who are able work from home instead of reporting to our office buildings. This has...
Atypical? That’s one way to describe 2020. There’s still uncertainty as we begin the new year, but the physical security industry is experiencing a dramatic, positive shift that looks destined to continue under any...
After realizing the success of the industry’s first COVID-19 safety stand down in April 2020, many industry-related associations and their member companies are doing the same again the week of Jan. 11–15, 2021. One such...
The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic has been sweeping and pervasive. It has reached beyond those who have fallen ill, lost a job or who have been impacted by local and state stay-at-home orders. Supply chains have been...
A research report from UCLA’s Fielding School of Public Health in Los Angeles, “High Frequency and Prevalence of Community-Based Asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 Infection,” tracked the results of more than 700,000 COVID-19 tests in...
On Dec. 27, President Donald Trump signed H.R. 133, the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021, into law. This massive year-end package includes a coronavirus stimulus bill amounting to $900 billion in emergency relief funds...
The COVID-19 pandemic is driving interest in broader applications of germicidal ultraviolet (GUV) lamps to disinfect building spaces. The challenge with GUV is that it is harmful to human health as well as viruses and...
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration requires most employers to prepare and maintain records of work-related injuries and illnesses. The information is an important resource for employees, employers and OSHA in...
As more OSHA inspections are turning up infractions related to employers’ failure to protect the safety of workers and others related to COVID-19 exposures and follow-up, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration...
