On October 24, AGC joined forces with Puget Sound CFMA and Lakeside Industries, as well as several industry and community partners, to provide a four-hour training event on suicide prevention in construction. The AEC (architectural, engineering and construction)-industry suicide rate is six times the national average. These industry partners are coming together to create a stronger culture of care in our industry and provide more resources targeted directly to our industry members. The event was attended by over 150 people and featured topical speakers, research and intervention training. We also had several exhibitors there to distribute resource materials that we all can share with our workforce. If you’re interested in materials you can use to connect with your workforce, please reach out to the AGC Safety Department. We can provide toolbox talks, pocket cars, hard hat stickers and links to free mental-health resources.
SILICA
We want to remind our members that the OSHA silica rule is not yet enforceable in Washington unless you are working within OSHA’s jurisdiction (federal installations or navigable waterways). Based on the most recent update from DOSH (Labor and Industries), the rules for Washington will not be enforceable until next fall. Until then, we are encouraging members to focus on preparations for the rule by developing a plan, providing training and making process or tool modifications as necessary. More resources and detailed info can be found in our September 26 Safety News & Notes “Silica” article, below.