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OSHA Revises Safety Standards for Construction PPE

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A new ruling by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has updated safety standards for the construction industry to include language requiring employers to ensure properly fitting equipment for employees.

OSHA revised the personal protective equipment (PPE) standards already in place, directing companies in general industry, shipyard employment, marine terminals, longshoring, and construction to provide and maintain PPE to protect employees from injury, illness or death. The update aligns the construction industry standard with one that requires properly fitting equipment, which was already in place for general industry sectors.

The ruling comes after some construction industry employees stated that equipment they were issued didn’t fit, Doug Parker, Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health, noted in a press release. Ill-fitting PPE has been a safety concern for employees, including some women and smaller or larger workers who may need alternatives to standard-size equipment. In the ruling, OSHA cites examples of inadequate PPE including sleeves that are too long that could get caught in machinery, gloves that are too large that could make it difficult to safely operate tools, or pants that are too long and pose tripping hazards.

“PPE must fit properly to work,” Parker said in the release. “I’m proud of the broad support from both employers and unions for OSHA’s efforts to make clear that employers must provide the right PPE for each worker who needs it.”

Safety Remains Priority

OSHA’s update to the safety standards could further enhance Indiana’s track of history-making declining injury rates. According to the 2023 Survey of Occupational Injuries and Illnesses (SOII) released in late 2024 by the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS), construction was one of 13 industries in the state of Indiana that experienced a nonfatal injury or illness rate lower than that of the state rate of 2.6 injuries or illnesses per 100 full-time workers. That rate is down from 2.9 the year before, and the data from 2023 reflects the lowest total recordable case rates of workplace nonfatal injury and illness in Indiana’s history.

Statistics reported by the Indiana Department of Labor show that construction injury and illness rates stood at 2.6 in 2021 and dropped to 2.1 in both 2022 and 2023, experiencing no change year over year. The same was true for the mining sector, which also recorded a 2.1 rate for both years. Other industries that also saw lower-than-state rates for 2023 were Wholesale Trade (2.0); Retail Trade (2.4); Utilities (1.4); Information (1.8); Real Estate (1.8); Management, companies and enterprises (0.3); Waste Management (1.3); Educational Service (1.7); Food Services (2.2); Other Services (1.5); and State Government (1.8).

Other data from the 2023 SOII includes:

  • An 8.26% decrease in nonfatal recordable injuries or illness for Indiana employees (From an estimated 72,400 in 2022 to 66,400 in 2023.)
  • Nine industry sectors experienced a decrease in their nonfatal injury and illness rates from 2022 to 2023: Manufacturing by 14.29%; Wholesale trade by 25.93%; Retail trade by 22.58%
  • Transportation and warehousing by 9.76%; Utilities by 26.32%; Information by 27.27%; Administration and support and waste management and remediation services by 40.91%; Health care and social assistance by 11.63%; Other services (except public administration) by 51.61%. Both construction and mining saw no change from 2022 to 2023.
  • Six Indiana industries saw an increase in injury rates from 2022 to 2023: Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting by 6.1%; Real estate and rental and leasing by .9%; Educational services by 41.67%; Arts, entertainment, and recreation by 58.33%; Accommodation and food services by 22.22%; State government by 28.57%; Local government by 15.91%.

The number of Hoosiers per 100 full-time employees who experienced a workplace injury or illness in 2023 stood slightly higher than the national average of 2.4, BLS reported. In a news release regarding Indiana’s 2023 SOII data, David Redden, Indiana Department of Labor Commissioner, said Hoosier companies are taking safety seriously.

“These decreasing rates show how employers across the Hoosier state realize the importance of safety training and its impact in the workplace,” Redden said in the release. “We encourage all businesses to continue to follow OSHA safety standards and take advantage of continual safety education for all workers.”