Revisiting Pneumatic Nail Gun Trigger Recommendations.

Use of a pneumatic nail gun with a sequential actuation trigger (SAT) significantly diminishes the risk for acute traumatic injury compared to use of a contact actuation trigger (CAT) nail gun. A theoretically-based increased risk of work-related musculoskeletal disorders from use of a SAT nail gun, relative to CAT, appears unlikely and remains unproven. Based on current knowledge, the use of CAT nail guns cannot be justified as a safe alternative to SAT nail guns. This letter provides a perspective of ergonomists and occupational safety researchers recommending the use of the sequential actuation trigger for all nail gun tasks in the construction industry.

Fatal falls in the U.S. residential construction industry.

BACKGROUND: Falls from heights remain the most common cause of workplace fatalities among residential construction workers in the United States. METHODS: This paper examines patterns and trends of fall fatalities in U.S. residential construction between 2003 and 2010 by analyzing two large national datasets. RESULTS: Almost half of the fatalities in residential construction were from falls. In the residential roofing industry, 80% of fatalities were from falls. In addition, about one-third of fatal falls in residential construction were among self-employed workers. Workers who were older than 55 years, were Hispanic foreign-born, or employed in small establishments (1-10 employees) also had higher proportions of fatal falls in residential construction compared to those in nonresidential construction. CONCLUSIONS: The findings suggest that fall safety within the residential construction industry lags behind commercial construction and industrial settings. Fall prevention in residential construction should be enhanced to better protect construction workers in this sector.

Injury underreporting among small establishments in the construction industry.

BACKGROUND: There is convincing evidence that occupational injury and illness rates, particularly those reported by employers in the BLS' Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII), substantially underestimate the true magnitude of injury and illness in the construction industry. METHODS: Fifteen years of data from five large nationally representative data sources were analyzed, including SOII, CFOI, CBP, CPS, and MEPS. Regression trends and ratio analyses were conducted, and stratified by establishment size and Hispanic ethnicity. RESULTS: Small construction establishments were most likely to underreport injuries. The SOII data only captured 25% of severe injuries among Hispanic workers, and 60% among white workers in small construction establishments. CONCLUSIONS: Underreporting is pervasive in the construction industry for small establishments and Hispanic workers. Given that small establishments are predominant in the U.S. construction industry, they should be the focus of a larger effort to identify the true extent of construction-related injuries.

Occupational fatalities of Hispanic construction workers from 1992 to 2000.

BACKGROUND: Hispanic construction employment has dramatically increased, yet published data on occupational risk is lacking. METHODS: Data from the Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries (CFOI) and current population survey (CPS) were examined from 1992 to 2000. Fatality rate, relative risk (RR), and risk index were calculated using CFOI fatality data and CPS data on hours worked, adjusted to full-time-equivalents (FTE). Data between 1996 and 2000 were combined to allow reliable comparisons of age and occupational groups. RR and 95% confidence intervals were calculated. RESULTS: In 2000, Hispanics constituted less than 16% of the construction workforce yet suffered 23.5% of fatal injuries. RRs were: helpers, construction trades, 2.31 (95% CI: 1.41-3.80); roofers 1.77 (95% CI: 1.38-2.28); carpenters 1.39 (95% CI: 1.08-1.79); and construction laborers 1.31 (95% CI: 1.17-1.46). CONCLUSIONS: Hispanic construction workers consistently faced higher RRs, for every year from 1992 to 2000 and for every age group. In 2000, Hispanic construction workers were nearly twice (1.84, 95% CI: 1.60-2.10) as likely to be killed by occupational injuries as their non-Hispanic counterparts.