Safety Tips by Cotney
Why Toolbox Talks Are Essential
By Trent Cotney, Cotney Attorneys & Consultants. Keep safety issues at the forefront of workers’ minds and increase awareness of hazards. Safety training should be an ongoing practice at construction sites. However, while formal OSHA instruction is critical for a secure worksite, continuous reminders are also essential. You can communicate those ...
PPE for Roofers
By Trent Cotney, Cotney Attorneys & Consultants. There are numerous pieces of equipment roofers use that require proper protection to avoid injury. It’s important to provide the proper safety equipment to employees and make sure they are using it. It is key to a safe workplace. Let’s break down the ...
How Drones Make Jobsites Safer
By Trent Cotney, Cotney Attorneys & Consultants. Jobsites are becoming much safer these days as project managers, inspectors and surveyors are turning more and more to drone technology. As we all know, construction work can be dangerous and today, we are also dealing with a contagious global pandemic, so the fewer ...
What You Should Know About Fall Protection
Everyone in the construction business is well aware that falls are the number one cause of death in the industry. Of the 1,008 construction deaths in 2018, 338 were the result of falls. Fall protection systems are vital in giving workers the essential safety tools they need and reducing the ...
Are You Prepared for an Emergency?
By John Kenney, Cotney Attorneys & Consultants.There will be a time when an emergency occurs and your business needs to be prepared with an emergency action plan and trained workers ready to respond quickly.This will optimize team efficiency, help relieve anxiety and could save lives.To ensure this emergency action plan ...
Failure to Abate
When an employer receives a citation, it must be abated, or corrected, usually within 20 days of a settlement. Most contractors dread OSHA inspections, fearing the discovery of violations that often result in citations and fines. There is good reason for such anxiety. For even the most careful and safety-conscious contractors, ...
OSHA Releases Long-Awaited Emergency Temporary Standard
By Cotney Attorneys & Consultants. You may remember that soon after taking office, President Biden signed an Executive Order requesting the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) review the need for a COVID-19 emergency temporary standard (ETS). He gave OSHA a deadline of March 15, 2021 to issue that standard. Just ...
Understanding the Ongoing Risk of Asbestos
By Cotney Attorneys & Consultants For most Americans, it may seem like the dangers of asbestos are a thing of the past, but that is far from true. Many buildings still contain the substance, and construction workers can be exposed to it on a regular basis. So, it is essential that ...
Preventing Heat-Related Illness and Injury
By Cotney Attorneys & Consultants. Every day, construction workers face many risks on the job site. Among these are heat-related hazards, which can lead to dangerous medical conditions. Studies show that from 2000 to 2009, the United States saw some $5.4 billion in healthcare costs for heat stroke, heat exhaustion, and other ...
Must Employers Cover Medical Marijuana Use?
By Cotney Attorneys & Consultants On Election Day 2020, a number of states passed laws regarding drug use. Employers scrambled to understand the new regulations surrounding recreational drugs and medical marijuana—and how they would impact their workers. A recent case in New Jersey makes the issue even more complex. New Jersey Supreme Court ...
