Where to Find Construction Health and Safety Resources

Where can you find Construction Health and Safety Resources?

It’s important to be aware of current health and safety trends for the construction industry. But there’s a lot of information out there. Finding reputable resources can be a challenge. How do you know who’s trustworthy? Where can you get the most up-to-date information?

This guide for construction health and safety resources will provide you with the insight on what you need to know as a safety manager and where you can get reliable information. 

Having access to reputable resources will help you confidently make better decisions for your employees and your company. It can also be beneficial from a professional development standpoint.

So where do you start? 

Let’s break it down into a few different areas of construction health and safety:

• Industry News
• New Technology
• Job Opportunities
• Rules and Regulations

Construction Health and Safety News

If you want to read the latest in construction news, there are several online publications that you can follow. For instance, EHS Today is a well-respected news provider in the safety industry. One of its focus areas is in construction. 

According to the website, the EHS Construction news section offers “the latest construction safety news and best practices, with coverage including OSHA construction regulations and compliance, health and safety for construction workers, fall protection, construction personal protective equipment and more.”

Another popular news source for construction health and safety professionals is OH&S Online. This publication covers a wide variety of topics relevant to the construction industry. You’ll also find training videos, white papers, and information on safety products on this website. 

And finally, perhaps the most specific to the construction industry in general, is Construction Dive. Rather than being limited to information specifically related to safety, this news source provides helpful insights on the current construction industry trends across a variety of topics. 

Why is it important to read construction news? 

Staying current on the latest trends and stories can help you understand some of the issues that other construction companies are dealing with. You might gain some valuable insights and develop a fresh perspective on something that could help your employees. 

The news is just one source of construction health and safety resources. Next, let’s identify where you can go to find reputable information about safety technology. 

Construction Health and Safety Technology

Investing in construction technology is a big step. Be sure to do your research before purchasing an advanced new product or service. You can use the same news resources from above and search for articles that cover construction technology.

Some examples of the latest advancements include drones, virtual reality, and wearable devices. 

Drones can be used to conduct site surveys, inspections, hazard analysis, and can also be used to monitor workers throughout the day to ensure compliance and productivity goals are being met.

Virtual reality simulators are being used on construction sites to train employees and equipment operators. Some can even set up false environments, such as confined spaces or working from heights.

Wearable technology can be beneficial on construction sites for a number of different reasons. For example, they can be used to track and monitor the location of lone workers. Other wearable devices can monitor a worker’s posture, track movements, and even send alerts if they are suffering from fatigue or may be intoxicated or under the influence. 

Of course, if you’re interested in implementing a new safety technology at your construction company, you’ll also want to read product reviews, case studies, white papers, and any other resources about that particular product. 

If possible, you should also take advantage of free trial offers. This gives you and your employees an opportunity to “test out” the technology and see how it works within your company. Be sure to seek feedback from anyone who uses the product during the free trial.

Construction Health and Safety Job Opportunities

When looking for job opportunities, you might want to use a specialized search engine such as EHS Careers, which only posts openings in the health and safety industry. Rigzone is another job search tool, and this one if specific to careers in construction. 

Of course, it’s always helpful to tap your network and see if anyone you know (personally or professionally) is looking to add a safety professional to their team.

You may also want to consider joining a professional membership, such as ASSP (formerly ASSE), which is the American Society of Safety Professionals. 

According to the ASSP website, the organization “provides education, advocacy, standards development and a professional community to our members in order to advance their careers and the OSH profession as a whole.”

A professional membership is one of the most valuable construction health and safety resources you will find. 

The final resource we will review in this guide is on rules and regulations, and where you can go if you have questions about EHS compliance. 

Construction Health and Safety Regulations 

In general, if you have questions about compliance, it’s best to seek answers from your local OSHA administration office. 

Whether you are covered by a state plan or the federal regulations, it’s a good idea to start building positive relationships with the agency. You can seek answers from the department’s Education or Resource office. 

Some safety professionals are hesitant to reach out to their OSHA office, out of fear that an inspector will show up at the jobsite and start issuing citations. But in reality, the compliance office and the educational resource office are two separate entities within OSHA. 

Other reliable sources for health and safety regulations include the National Safety Council and Safeopedia. 

The National Safety Council, or NSC, is “America’s leading nonprofit safety advocate. As a mission-based organization, we focus on eliminating the leading causes of preventable death so people can live their fullest lives. We focus our efforts where we can make the greatest impact: workplace, roadway and impairment.”

Safeopedia is an online resource that has articles and guides on just about every health and safety topic out there. The website is designed to “provide easy access to occupational health and safety information.”