Concrete and Masonry Construction

 

There have been a number of tragic accidents over the years involving concrete and masonry construction including one that happened during the time OSHA was preparing the current set of rules. In that accident a building in Bridgeport, Connecticut, collapsed, taking the lives of 28 workers. The collapse caused the highest death toll from a workplace accident in the United States since 51 employees were killed in 1978 during construction of a cooling tower at Willow Island, West Virginia. The Bridgeport building that collapsed was being erected using the lift-slab method of construction. OSHA's investigation of the collapse revealed that there had been a failure to comply with the OSHA regulations.

The OSHA regulations require your employer to train you in the recognition and avoidance of unsafe conditions and the regulations applicable to your work environment to control or eliminate any hazards or other exposure to illness or injury. That would include the hazards of concrete and masonry construction.

OSHA's standard for concrete and masonry construction is located in 29 CFR 1926, Subpart Q — Concrete and masonry construction. The Subpart addresses requirements construction employers must comply with to protect employees from accidents and injuries resulting from the:

·            Premature removal of formwork.

·            Failure to brace masonry walls

·            Failure to support precast panel.

·            Inadvertent operation of equipment.

·            Failure to guard reinforcing steel.

The regulation is divided into seven major groups. They are:

Scope, application and definitions— Prescribes performance‑oriented requirements to help protect all construction employees from hazards associated with concrete and masonry construction operations at construction, demolition, alteration, or repair jobsites.

General requirements— Discusses general work practice requirements related to construction loads, reinforcing steel, concrete buckets, working under loads, and personal protective equipment.

Requirements for equipment and tools—Addresses the hazards associated with equipment and tools used in concrete and masonry construction.

Requirements for cast-in-place concrete—Discusses formwork in general, shoring and reshoring, vertical slip forms, reinforcing steel, and removal of formwork.

Requirements for precast concrete— Directs employers to ensure precast concrete wall units, structural framing, and tilt-up wall panels be adequately supported to prevent overturning and to prevent collapse until permanent connections are completed.

Lift-slab operations—Contains specific requirements for lift-slab construction operations.

Masonry construction—Requires employers to establish a limited access zone whenever a masonry wall is being constructed.

OSHA believes that if the concrete and masonry construction regulations are complied with, deaths and injuries that have plagued companies will be reduced