The look of confusion and utter loss on people’s faces when I tell them that I’m a safety inspector for a masonry company is often hilarious.

The Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA) enforces standards to ensure safe and healthful working conditions for workers. Ever wonder where they get these standards?

On May 1, the Department of Labor announced OSHA's new National Emphasis Program addressing falls. Falls are not only the top violation cited within construction, but also the leading cause of fatal workplace injuries.

The MCAA held its quarterly Safety Leaders Meeting on August 10th, 2022 at 11:00 AM Central Time. The meetings are designed to foster peer-to-peer learning and discussions on safety topics, and help the MCAA provide resources in support of our members.

OSHA has released a new National Emphasis Program (NEP) on outdoor and indoor heat. The program went into effect on April 8 of this year and will remain in effect for three years.

Nominations are now open for the 2022 Safety Advantage Awards Presented By Federated Insurance. The awards are given out each year to those who submit the lowest incident rates for their respective companies.

Learn more about height safety from two Safety Advantage Award Winners

The MCAA Safety Advantage Awards (sponsored by Federated Insurance) are presented annually to companies who submit the lowest incident rates for the year.

Brush up on interpreting SDS’s, and the proper ways of handling chemicals. Refresh your knowledge on Hazcom practices with this informative article.

This template was originally developed by the Construction Industry Safety Coalition, which the MCAA is a member of, on March 25, 2020. It was updated on April 22, 2020, and most recently on August 17, 2020.

OSHA has had numerous recent rulings and interpretations that have been good for our industry. Just yesterday, they announced further clarification on a COVID interpretation that was released earlier this year.

Discover helpful ways to stay healthy and keep your body in shape for the job site.

Here is a list of COVID-19 resources for both your personal and professional life. As news becomes available, we will continue to update this page.

Maintenance keeps our products in pristine condition. Brush up on mixer maintenance today!

David Ivey from Malta Dynamics gives us a refresher course in the do's and don'ts of scaffold safety. Brush up with these critical tips!

Thanksgiving Day has more than double the number of home cooking fires than an average day according to the U.S. Fire Administration.

Employees should be able to list the three most serious hazards which may be present during scaffold use.

Whether there is no injury, a small bruise or scratch, or an amputation, the consequences of unsafe acts and conditions are left to chance.

Sometimes symptoms of a stroke are difficult to identify. Unfortunately, the lack of awareness spells disaster.

The following checklist may help you take steps to avoid hazards that cause injuries, illnesses and fatalities.

Failure to do things correctly can jeopardize the health and safety of those around us, as well as our own well being.

By law, most passenger cars on the road today should be equipped with seat safety belts, and many trucks also have this life saving equipment.

If the sky looks threatening or you hear thunder, get inside a substantial building - one with wiring and plumbing.

There’s one hand tool that demands your respect over many others in the workplace, a tool that can cut you to the bone in an instant — the utility knife.

No matter what type of construction work you're in you see guardrails, handrails and covers on a regular basis.

The MCAA presented the MCAA Safety Advantage Awards, sponsored by Federated Insurance, on Wednesday, September 11, 2019, during the MCAA Midyear Meeting in New Hampshire.

Supported scaffolds consist of one or more platforms supported by beams, brackets, poles, legs, uprights, posts, frames, or similar rigid support.

If you are unsure how to perform a task, ask your supervisor. Don't guess. Make sure you know in advance the correct, safe way to do it.

How often do you think about fire prevention? Weekly? Monthly? Yearly? Unless your answer to that question is “daily,” you have some work to do.

Get the resources you need to comply with OSHA's Silica Rule when you join the MCAA.

We need to make sure each project is in compliance with the OSHA standards concerning Potable Water.

You may or may not have given protective footwear much thought. Wearing the right shoes will help you do a better job, and do it safer.

By following heat-related safety tips, employers can aid in protecting employees from extreme heat conditions.

A respirator is an important piece of personal protective equipment that may be worn for many different reasons.

Each year, falls result in many serious injuries, and approximately 20% of all falls are fatal. This means that for every five persons involved in a falling accident, one dies.

Sarah Hurtado and Paul Guth of iQ Power Tools sit down to get a better understanding of how safety and efficiency can coexist.

You now have even more reason to wear your protective equipment since OSHA has added hand safety to its standard on personal protective equipment.

Safety meetings are an opportunity for management and your safety department to communicate to employees how they can do their jobs safer and better.

Gravity never forgets. As soon as you set foot on the ladder’s first rung and pull your body off the ground, gravity works to bring you back to earth.

Fireworks are synonymous with our celebration of Independence Day. Yet, the thrill of fireworks can also bring injury and accidents.

Submissions for the 2019 MCAA Safety Advantage Awards, sponsored by Federated Insurance, are due June 30, 2019. This is your last chance to enter the awards.

Heat exhaustion is caused by the loss of body salt, and sunstroke occurs when the body mechanism is not able to keep the system cool.

Refresher training shall be conducted to ensure that the operator has the knowledge and skills needed to operate the powered industrial truck safely.

The MCAA’s Safety Committee is proud to announce the development of new safety compliance videos for members of the MCAA.

Getting to your work position on a scaffold may seem easy enough. Just climb the end frames or cross braces, right? WRONG!

Submissions for the MCAA Safety Advantage Awards, sponsored by Federated Insurance, are due June 30, 2019.

Getting cement dust or wet cement on your skin can cause burns, rashes, and other kinds of skin irritation. Lime, found in most cements, is often the cause.

MASONRY spoke with Jerry Painter to get insight into OSHA’s silica rule and how mason contractors are dealing with it two years after implementation.

MASONRY spoke with Zach Everett, Corporate Safety Director of Brazos Masonry and MCAA Safety Committee Chairman about the best practices when working in the heat.

Today's construction workers in welding and cutting must not only protect themselves from injury, but also must assume responsibility for their helpers and co-workers.

Federated Mutual Insurance Company® offers the resources you need to prepare your business for a disaster with the IBHS Open for Business-EZ® program.

Scaffold means any temporary elevated platform (supported or suspended) and its supporting structure, used for supporting employees or materials.

The following examples are intended to remind workers of the typical construction hazards we see regularly with hopes that everyone will put safety first and correct hazards as they find them.

Injuries are going to happen and we want to be ready when they do. An injury management flow chart will help minimize costs and worker pain.

Building a positive safety and health culture includes observation, accountability, and involvement at all levels.

Too often hazardous conditions come to our attention only after someone is hurt or seriously injured.

Read up on the steps we should take in order to continue being safe on and off a jobsite while using chemicals.

The following checklist may help you take steps to avoid hazards that cause injuries, illnesses and fatalities.

Nearly 6.5 million people work at approximately 252,000 construction sites across the nation on any given day.

Find and download safety data sheets (SDS) for hundreds of masonry products from dozens of manufacturers.

OSHA's Hazard Communication Standard establishes requirements for transmitting information regarding hazardous chemicals.

Safety does not come naturally. It requires you to constantly ask questions and educate yourself.

Make sure all your vehicles are prepared – inside and out – for their intended use before you send employees out into traffic.

Submissions are now open for the 2019 MCAA Safety Advantage Awards, sponsored by Federated Insurance

MASONRY talked with two MCAA Safety Advantage winners about how they conduct safety meetings with their teams. Check out their tips and ideas on how to effectively address safety issues.

The following tips highlight some of the key issues that employers should consider when planning, implementing, and maintaining their fall prevention programs.

The following checklist may help you take steps to avoid hazards that cause injuries, illnesses and fatalities.

Scaffolding must be erected on firm footing capable of carrying the maximum intended load. Boxes, barrels, loose concrete blocks or brick must not be used to support the structure.

Scaffolds are used every day in construction, providing a place to work from, and used in con-junction with other scaffolds, they become support structures or platforms to store material.

You can do a quality job without rushing. This is just common sense - something smart workers use!

The report of the MCAA Safety Committee presented at the 2019 MCAA Convention in Las Vegas.

PPE is equipment worn by employees to minimize exposure to hazards in the workplace.

Make sure you are aware of your surroundings, blowing your horn and doing the things needed to ensure your coworkers go home safe.

Fire can be compared to a triangle. Three sides are necessary to make a triangle and three ingredients are necessary to cause a fire.

Using drones can be really useful on large projects. Read up on the tips and safety regulations that come along with drone usage.

While staying safe on the road for New Year’s Eve revelers must be a high priority, it's certainly not the only safety issue that you may confront as you ring in the New Year.

An Assured Equipment Grounding Conductor Program is another step to help ensure the safety of all of our employees.

The expert driver is constantly on the lookout for areas that might induce skidding, such as unexpected ice patches or piles of wet leaves, to be found especially in shady areas or on overpasses.

What is large, scary, and has the ability to crush you? If you said elephant, you’re not wrong, but, for the sake of this article, a fellow distracted driver is the correct answer.

Before using a ladder, inspect it for faults, such as broken rungs or rails. If it is an extension ladder, inspect the pulleys, ropes and locks for excessive wear.

The distracted driving epidemic continues to wreak havoc on our nation’s highways.

With little or no warning, unprotected, improperly shored, or improperly sloped trenches and walls can collapse, trapping anyone below or close thereto.

Approximately 100 employees are fatally injured and approximately 95,000 employees are injured every year while operating powered industrial trucks.

Every year, fires cost business owners billions of dollars–and that number doesn’t even begin to measure the impact fires have on the business itself.

Would you gamble with your life? A lot of people do when they fail to inspect their personal fall arrest equipment daily.

The MCAA presented the MCAA Safety Advantage Awards, sponsored by Federated Insurance, during the MCAA Midyear Meeting in Austin, Texas.

There's nothing wrong with a little fun at work, but it's important to know the difference between having fun and at-risk behavior to place yourself or a coworker in harms way.

Forklifts assist us with various tasks around a construction site. Most of us take them for granted without giving a great deal of thought to safety.

Drugs can interfere with the body's normal warning symptoms of drowsiness and fatigue. Drivers can use up their body energy without realizing it.

A wheelbarrow by itself will not harm you or anyone else. You are responsible for how well a wheelbarrow is handled and stored for safety.

People toss around the word “disaster” quite freely these days. But when a true disaster strikes, our reality changes – so does our concept of the word.

One effective managed care strategy is a drug- and alcohol-free workplace program, which may include pre-employment, random, or post-incident drug testing.

Inspection is not just checking for safety rails, toeboards, ladders, etc., but for the condition of the equipment as well.

We have learned that OSHA will be releasing approximately 300 questions and answers regarding the silica rule.

Although offices are not considered to be high hazard work environments, injuries happen when risks are not controlled or when people get careless.

Heat and humidity can become dangerous. In 2016 alone, 39 workers died and 3,310 were injured from environmental heat exposure.

Do you think that the use of personal protective equipment is over-rated? Here are two actual stories.

Eye and face protection is protective equipment such as spectacles, goggles, face shields, or welding shields that are designed to protect the wearer against a variety of hazards.

MASONRY recently chatted with three industry professionals about precautions and tips that should be considered when working in the field during warm weather months.

You probably have been told many times about the dangers of using defective electrical equipment. If you have used such equipment and got away with it, count yourself lucky.