Bryan Hubbard

Ergonomics: Case Study: Safety Training Issues for Hispanic Construction Workers

H ispanic construction workers are a significant population in the U.S. construction work force and are disproportionately impacted by accidents, injuries, and fatalities on the construction work site. This column describes a pilot study that investigates potential safety training issues for Hispanic construction workers. The findings of this study indicate that although many Hispanics have worked in the construction field in the United States for a significant period of time, relatively few have had formal safety training. This study also found that the Hispanic workers participating did not understand many construction and safety terms that may be used in safety training, which may reduce the effectiveness of the training and increase the risk for injuries and fatalities.

Activities to Enhance Civil Engineering Recruitment and Coordination with Industry

With many transportation professionals soon reaching retirement age, the industry is facing challenges. A key component to the success of the profession is recruiting new employees with the technical and managerial skills to take on future challenges. This paper outlines how one civil engineering school addressed the challenge of declining enrollments by working cooperatively with industry to meet three goals: to increase the visibility of civil engineering as a career, to expand coordination with employers, and to enhance recruitment of students. To meet the goals, a number of strategies were pursued; these included expanding activities for freshmen, participating in K–12 outreach programs, revising the civil engineering career course, expanding the career fair to include a freshman showcase, facilitating civil engineering internships for freshmen, designating a single point source for industry communications, enhancing tools for coordination with employers, increasing opportunities for student employment, updating recruiting materials, using students and alumni as ambassadors, and fostering student interaction through activities. The recruiting activities discussed in this paper not only brought in new students but also fostered cooperation with industry and the engagement of existing students, which may contribute to enhanced retention. Many activities described in this paper can be implemented at other colleges, and some of the strategies identified are appropriate for employers seeking to enhance the effectiveness of their activities on campus.

Evaluation of Cut-Off Saw Exposure Control Methods for Respirable Dust and Crystalline Silica in Roadway Construction

Dust reduction equipment adapted for single-person operation was evaluated for gas-powered, commercially available cut-off saws during concrete curb cutting. Cutting was performed without dust control and with two individual exposure control methods: wet suppression and local exhaust ventilation (LEV). The wet suppression system comprised a two-nozzle spray system and a 13.3-L hand-pressurized water supply system with an optimum mean flow rate of 0.83 L/min for 16 min of cutting. The LEV system consisted of a spring-loaded guard, an 18.9-L collection bag, and a centrifugal fan with an estimated exhaust rate of 91 ft3/min. Task-based, personal filter samples were obtained for four saw operators during cutting durations of 4 to 16 min on five job sites. Seventeen filter samples were collected without dust control, 14 with wet suppression, and 12 with LEV, yielding a geometric mean respirable dust concentration of 16.4 mg/m3, 3.60 mg/m3, and 4.40 mg/m3, respectively. A dust reduction of 78.0% for wet suppression and 73.2% for LEV was observed vs. no dust control. A statistically significant difference (p < 0.001) was also revealed for wet suppression and LEV when compared with no dust control; however, a significant difference (p = 0.09) was not observed between wet suppression and LEV. Despite these significant dust reductions, workers are still projected to exceed the ACGIH 8-hr time-weighted average threshold limit value for quartz (0.025 mg/m3) in less than 1 hr of cutting for both dust control methods. Further research is still needed to improve dust reduction and portability of both control methods, but the current LEV system offers important advantages, including a drier, less slippery work area and year-round functionality in cold weather.

Ergonomics: Case Study: Safety Training Issues for Student Interns

E ffective safety training for the construction work force is very important, as the construction industry has the highest rate of any industry in terms of workrelated injury and death in the United States.(1) In 2007, approximately 1 in 5 deaths and 1 in 10 injuries occurred in the construction industry.(2–3) New employees are particularly vulnerable, as evidenced by studies showing that newly hired workers are more likely to be injured on the job than those with more experience.(4–5) Young workers are also at a higher risk for work-related injuries and fatalities.(6–9) To reduce accidents and injuries, the construction industry has developed safety training for both new and veteran employees. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 10-Hour Industry Outreach Program is used by many employers as an initial course to train their employees. The importance of safety training is reflected by the fact that six states (Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Connecticut, New Hampshire, Missouri, and New York) now require that construction workers complete the 10-hour training in order to work on large, publicly funded construction projects.(10) To evaluate the effectiveness for OSHA 10-hour safety training of a new employee entering the construction industry, a series of surveys was conducted with undergraduate construction student interns from a major Midwestern university that requires that students work on a construction job site during the summer. For this reason, it was a unique opportunity to evaluate safety training for new, young employees with little prior construction experience. The objective of this case study was to identify benefits and limitations related to safety training for student interns. Student interns are a subset of two related demographic groups that are vulnerable on the construction site: (1) new employees, and (2) young workers. Surveying to learn about potential issues related to safety training for them provides two main advantages. First, students can be surveyed prior to and after their work experience, providing a survey horizon that would not be practical for most construction workers. Second, students are accustomed to test taking and can effectively communicate through a written survey, characteristics that may not be true for construction workers in general.