NIOSH addresses wildfire smoke exposure
The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health recently released the Wildland Fire Smoke resource, which warns workers may be “exposed to varying types and amounts of compounds in wildland fire smoke,” according to Safety + Health magazine.
NIOSH encourages employers to be aware of adverse health effects understood or suspected to be caused by exposure to wildfire smoke, such as eye irritation, sore throat, wheezing and coughing; asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbations; bronchitis and pneumonia; adverse birth outcomes; and heart and blood vessel outcomes.
For outdoor workers, NIOSH offers the following strategies to reduce exposure:
- Frequently monitor local air quality and fire conditions through the Environmental Protection Agency or state health department websites
- Relocate or reschedule work to smoke-free or less smoky areas or times of day
- Reduce levels of physical activity, especially strenuous and heavy work, when possible
- When possible, move tasks indoors or to areas with limited exposure
NIOSH’s resources also offer guidance regarding respirators, encouraging workers to take frequent breaks and stay hydrated when using respirators. NIOSH warns filtering facepiece respirators will not protect against gases such as carbon monoxide, and people with facial hair that interferes with the face seal should not use tight-fitting respirators.
Roofing company faces $349,754 in penalties
The Department of Labor has cited Orchids Builders LLC, Orlando, Fla., for willfully exposing workers to risks of falls at residential job sites, according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. The company is not an NRCA member.
On Jan. 21, OSHA investigators found Orchids Builders exposed workers to a 10-foot fall hazard by failing to provide them with fall protection while they worked on a roof at a job site in Rockledge, Fla. Additionally, on March 10, investigators found the company exposed a worker to a 9-foot fall hazard while installing metal hurricane clips at another Rockledge job site.
OSHA also fined Orchids Builders for two willful and four repeat violations and proposed $349,754 in penalties. The company has been inspected seven times since 2023, and all the cases included fall-protection violations.
Learn how to reduce roofing-related injuries and deaths with NRCA’s safety classes, webinars and publications at nrca.net/education.
Legislation addresses high industry suicide rate
Sen. Catherine Cortez Masto (D-Nev.) has introduced legislation in the Senate that addresses the construction industry’s high suicide rate and aims to boost suicide prevention efforts, according to Safety + Health magazine.
Although construction workers only make up about 7% of the U.S. workforce, 20% of suicide deaths in 2023 with a reported industry code were connected to construction.
The legislation, Constructing the Path to Suicide Prevention (S.5327), would direct the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to collect data regarding the “unique suicide risk factors facing construction workers that can be used to inform future suicide prevention programming.” Risk factors include lack of employment and financial stability; substance and alcohol use; and limited access to health care coverage and employee assistance programs.
The bill has been referred to the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee.
NRCA offers mental health resources to enhance your company’s efforts to raise awareness, provide help and give support to mental health and suicide prevention in the roofing industry. To learn more, visit betoughenough.org.
