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Every year, during September — National Suicide Prevention Month — the construction industry dedicates a week to raising awareness about the high number of suicides in the industry, and to provide resources to help prevent those deaths.

On August 30, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a proposal to amend its regulation authorizing which individuals can serve as representatives of employees and employers during the physical inspection of a workplace. OSHA’s stated purpose is to clarify the right of workers and certified bargaining units to specify a worker or union representative regardless of whether the representative is an employee of the employer, even in the absence of a recognized collective bargaining agreement.

�鶹��ý’s volunteers are valued members who work to address industry issues, exchange ideas, and lead change to advance the industry. You and your colleagues are invited to take the next step in your �鶹��ý journey and join the volunteer pool. Complete or update the volunteer tab in your member profile by October 1 to let us know what volunteer opportunities you are interested in—such as �鶹��ý’s Environmental Committee. Beginning in 2024, there are both longer-term committee volunteer positions and shorter-term volunteer opportunities available. Make the time commitment that works for you.

Revised rule continues to follow principles rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court

�鶹��ý to Provide Educational Webinars on September 26 & October 3

From April 19 through June 9, 2023, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) sponsored a Beat the Heat Contest to raise awareness of the dangers and hazards of heat exposure in both indoor and outdoor workplaces. Participants created a variety of awareness tools to increase worker and employer knowledge about hazardous heat in the workplace – ideas, logos, infographics, entire communications campaigns, videos and skits, and checklists, among others. OSHA received 195 submissions to the contest, from 40 states, the District of Columbia and Guam.

On August 25, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) formally convened the Small Business Advocacy Review (SBAR) panel, also known as a “SBREFA” panel, on a possible heat standard. The panel provides Small Entity Representatives ("SERs"), that meet the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) size standards, with an opportunity to review OSHA’s proposed approaches to regulating heat exposures in indoor and outdoor workplaces. As part of the review process, SERs will inform the agency of the potential impacts the proposal will have on the small business community as well as offer alternative approaches.

Termination for cause is costly and adversarial and has been covered in this article. But can a terminating party use equipment and tools left behind on the worksite (i.e., a crane)? The answer depends on what is in your contract.