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New Ergonomics Standard Calls for Three-Foot Drywall
NAHB expressed strong disappointment last week over a recently published standard on workforce safety that is ineffective and unworkable in the view of the residential and commercial construction industries.
Led by the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), an American National Standards Institute (ANSI) committee on construction safety developed the A.10 standard on "musculoskeletal problems" through a deeply divided "consensus" process that ignored the concerns of builders, NAHB said.
"It is troubling that ASSE can subvert the ANSI process in order to impose its own vision on the construction industry," said NAHB President Sandy Dunn. "The standard will be useless for the construction industry, so it is encouraging that there are several other effective resources available to ensure the health and safety of construction workers, which is our biggest priority."
The Construction Employers Coalition brought a series of unsuccessful appeals, a process that ended this month when the ANSI Board of Appeals refused to consider whether a standard that is supposed to represent a "consensus" can be approved over the objections of the entire industry it regulates.
The coalition was comprised of NAHB and four other industry representatives that opposed the standard as it was written — the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), Associated Builders & Contractors, Inc. (ABC), the American Subcontractors Association (ASA) and the Mechanical Contractors Association of America (MCAA). In addition to the coalition members, 11 other firms and organizations opposed the standard.
"In effect, ASSE has created its own version of consensus and has adopted an unworkable program, despite strong objection from the construction industry," said Dunn. "It is not surprising that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) actually resigned from the consensus committee so as not to be associated with the final product."
NAHB said that the standard will not help reduce workplace injuries, because it is does not provide information on how to be safe. Rather than providing workplace safety instructions, it offers vague suggestions for employers to examine in activities involving "force," "pushing" or "lifting."
Employers are required to evaluate unspecified risks for each “task” and “job” on the site, but the committee responded that it would be too difficult for it to specify those tasks and jobs. Employers are also expected to consider their workers' off-the-job activities, including playing sports and sleeping.
Because it contains no objective “standards,” builders can never be certain whether they are following the standard; and because the standard is so vague, it's virtually impossible for builders to demonstrate that they are doing what it says.
The ANSI/A10 Committee itself has admitted that the standard is not intended to address the causes of injuries.
The committee does offer a few suggestions, such as to ease a worker's carrying loads by cutting drywall into three-foot pieces — a size that doesn't fit on studs that are 16 inches apart, which is the framing dimension used by nearly all architects, designers and builders.
OSHA sometimes uses ANSI standards as the basis for a citation, and plaintiffs' lawyers use them as evidence in lawsuits. If cited, a builder would have a hard time proving compliance with this standard, NAHB said.
Ergonomic worker injuries have been a concern of NAHB for some time, and home builders may find other materials much more useful than the ANSI standard in helping to protect their employees. Among those resources are NAHB's Jobsite Safety Video, Home Builders' Safety Program, the NAHB-OSHA Jobsite Safety Handbook: English-Spanish Edition and the Toolbox Safety Talks: English-Spanish.
For more information, e-mail Gwyn Donohue at NAHB, or call her at 800-368-5242 x8447.
 Boost Job Site Safety With Fall Protection Training Products
In an effort to increase job site safety and reduce the chance of job related accidents, NAHB has produced the “Fall Protection Video, English-Spanish” and “NAHB-OSHA Fall Protection Handbook, English-Spanish.”
Both are available through BuilderBooks.com.
The 30-minute “Fall Protection Video, English-Spanish” can be used by builders to train workers to use safe work practices that eliminate fall hazards and comply with OSHA fall-protection standards.
The “NAHB-OSHA Fall Protection Handbook, English-Spanish” provides guidelines for creating a written fall-protection plan and identifying safe work practices that can prevent costly accidents and injuries. Written with clear text, photographs and illustrations, the book serves as a user-friendly resource for promoting safety on any job site.
To purchase the handbook and video online, click here, or call 800-223-2665.
 Create a Safer Job Site
Four common hazards cause 90% of the injuries and fatalities on residential construction job sites.
The “Recognizing the Big-Four Safety Hazards for the Home Building Industry” course from The NAHB University of Housing shows how to comply with OSHA regulations and to recognize and minimize those hazards most likely to cause accidents.
The course teaches builders to protect their workers from harm and themselves from liability. This course is also available in Spanish.
To find out where upcoming courses are being held, click here, or call 800-368-5242 x8154 for more information.
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