March 14, 2025
Construction safety training standard, communication tower safety tips and more
The American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP)
ASSP has released a new national voluntary consensus standard for safety training on construction and demolition sites. The standard, ANSI/ASSP A10.2-2025, establishes best training practices to help organizations eliminate hazards and risks. It covers various types of training including new hire, site safety and regulatory training. The standard aims to create uniform practices for training construction personnel, potentially leading to safer jobsites.
The Intersociety Forum, a coalition of 24 organizations led by ASSP, has released a report calling for employers to go beyond legal compliance and implement risk-based safety and health strategies. The report outlines three core principles: standards and employee well-being, embracing risk and safety management systems and revolutionizing recordkeeping for predictive insights. The coalition emphasizes that prioritizing safety practices can lead to positive business outcomes, including increased productivity and global competitiveness.
The Texas Department of Insurance, Division of Workers’ Compensation (DWC)
Tips for communication tower employees
DWC has released guidance on protecting employees in the high-risk communication tower industry. The update emphasizes five key safety measures including thorough training, proper use of personal protective equipment and fall prevention strategies. It also stresses the importance of weather awareness and reducing radio frequency radiation exposure. These recommendations aim to address the significantly higher fatality rates among communication tower employees compared to other construction employees and industries.
Studies, resources, trends, news
The American Ladder Institute is offering a free webinar series during National Ladder Safety Month in March. The series includes three webinars covering common ladder accidents, ladder setup and safety tips. This year's theme is "Every Step Matters" with four different focuses each week, including training, inspection, stabilization and safe climbing. The initiative aims to raise awareness of safe ladder use and reduce injuries and fatalities caused by ladder misuse.
Survey reveals stagnation in workplace injury rates and severity
Benchmark Gensuite's 2025 EHS Benchmarking report, which surveyed over 100 EHS professionals nationwide, shows that injury frequency and severity rates have not improved over the past year. The survey found that 53% of EHS leaders reported no improvement in injury frequency, while 51% saw no decrease in injury severity. Key challenges include workforce issues, insufficient training and underreporting of accidents and near misses. The report also highlights the growing complexity of EHS roles due to ESG and sustainability goals and evolving regulations. However, there's increasing optimism about AI's potential to transform safety management.