Industry Segments and Controlling Hazards

This section identifies some of the major industry segments involved in the manufacturing of concrete and concrete products, and in construction work with concrete. It also lists some of the leading workplace hazards for these industries and links to safety and health resources for controlling these hazards.

• Manufacturing Sector
• Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing
• Concrete Pipe Manufacturing
• Ready-Mixed Concrete Manufacturing
• Construction Sector

Manufacturing Sector

Concrete Block and Brick Manufacturing (NAICS 327331)

• General Hazard Resources
• Amputations
• Confined Spaces
• Dermal (Skin) Hazards
• Electrical Hazards
• Fall Protection
• Respiratory Hazards
• Silica and Other Hazardous Substances
• Struck-By/Caught Between

Concrete Pipe Manufacturing (NAICS 327332)

• General Hazard Resources
• Amputations
• Confined Spaces
• Dermal (Skin) Hazards
• Fall Protection
• Respiratory Hazards
• Silica and Other Hazardous Substances
• Struck-By/Caught Between
• Truck Driving

Ready-Mixed Concrete Manufacturing (NAICS 327320)

• General Hazard Resources
• Amputations
• Confined Spaces
• Dermal (Skin) Hazards
• Fall Protection
• Respiratory Hazards
• Silica and Other Hazardous Substances
• Struck-By/Caught Between
• Truck Driving

Construction Sector

• General Hazard Resources
• Amputations
• Dermal (Skin) Hazards
• Electrical Hazards
• Fall Protection
• Respiratory Hazards
• Silica and Other Hazardous Substances
• Struck-By/Caught Between

General Hazard Resources

• Profile: Concrete and Concrete Products. OSHA Industry Profile. Also available as a 1 MB PDF, 11 pages. Includes BLS accident rates, OSHA inspection data, and other information for SIC Code 327.
  
  
• Concrete Manufacturing Pocket Guide. OSHA Publication 3221, (2004). Also available as a 253 KB PDF, 15 pages.
  
  
• Concrete and Masonry Construction. OSHA Publication 3106, (1998). Also available as a 415 KB PDF, 32 pages.
  
  
• Hazards Associated with Strand Restraint Devices in Manufacturing Prestressed Concrete Beams. OSHA Safety and Health Information Bulletin (SHIB), (2004, June 2). Also available as a 94 KB PDF, 4 pages.
  
  
• Precast Concrete Panels-Hazardous Storage. OSHA Safety and Health Information Bulletin (SHIB), (2004, February 10). Also available as a 38 KB PDF, 4 pages.
  
  
• Construction. OSHA eTool. A Spanish version is also available. Construction can be a safe occupation when workers are aware of the hazards and an effective Safety and Health Program is used. This eTool contains information that helps workers identify and control the hazards that cause the most serious construction-related injuries.
  
  
• Hazard Awareness. OSHA elaws. Designed to help general industry employers and workers identify possible safety and health hazards in their workplace, and to direct users to OSHA standards addressing those hazards.
  
  
• Comprehensive Safety Recommendations for the Precast Concrete Products Industry. US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 84-103, (1984, June).
  
  
• Construction Industry Safety and Health Outreach Program. OSHA, (1996, May).
  
• Concrete and Masonry Construction. Describes the requirements with which construction employers must comply to protect workers from accidents and injuries resulting from the premature removal of formwork, the failure to brace masonry walls, the failure to support precast panels, the inadvertent operation of equipment, and the failure to guard reinforcing steel.

Amputations

• Safeguarding Equipment and Protecting Workers from Amputations. OSHA Publication 3170, (2001). Also available as a 1 MB PDF, 60 pages. Provides information to help identify and manage common amputation hazards associated with operating and using stationary equipment.
  
  
• For additional information, see OSHA's Machine Guarding Safety and Health Topics Page.

Confined Spaces

• Permit-Required Confined Spaces. OSHA Publication 3138-01R, (2004). Also available as a 486 KB PDF, 22 pages. Provides a general overview of procedures for protecting workers from the hazards of confined spaces using permit-required entry plans.
  
  
• Worker Deaths in Confined Spaces. US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 94-103, (1994, January). Contains summary data and investigative reports of fatal incidents involving workers who entered confined spaces.
  
  
• Preventing Occupational Fatalities in Confined Spaces. US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 86-110, (1986, January). Describes several fatal confined spaces incidents and makes recommendations for preventing similar events.
  
  
• Investigations of Fatal Confined Space Incidents. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Fatality Assessment and Control Evaluation (FACE) Report: NIOSH FACE Reports and State-Based Reports.
  
  
• For additional information, see OSHA's Confined Spaces Safety and Health Topics Page.

Dermal (Skin) Hazards

• Preventing Skin Problems from Working with Portland Cement. OSHA Guidance Document, (2008). Employees may suffer dermal hazards in working with wet cement such as cement burns (due to its caustic nature) and inflammation of the skin (either due to irritant or allergic contact dermatitis). This guidance addresses ways to prevent or minimize skin problems through the proper selection and use of gloves, boots and other personal protective equipment such as kneepads; proper skin care and work practices such as use of pH neutral or slightly acidic soaps; and ways of making cement products less hazardous.
  
  
• An Employer's Guide to Skin Protection. Electronic Library of Construction Occupational Safety & Health (elcosh), (2000). Provides guidance for employers to prevent skin problems in employees who work with wet cement products.
  
  
• A Safety & Health Practitioner's Guide to Skin Protection. Electronic Library of Construction Occupational Safety & Health (elcosh), (2000). Provides a detailed reference on dermal exposure related to cement products.
  
  
• Save Your Skin Toolbox Talk. Electronic Library of Construction Occupational Safety & Health (elcosh), (1999). Toolbox session on the causes and prevention of skin problems from Portland cement products.
  
  
• For additional information, see OSHA's Dermal Exposure Safety and Health Topics Page.

Electrical Hazards

• Controlling Electrical Hazards. OSHA Publication 3075, (2002). Also available as a 349 KB PDF, 71 pages. Provides an overview of basic electrical safety on the job.
  
  
• Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout). OSHA Publication 3120, (2002). Also available as a 178 KB PDF, 45 pages. Presents OSHA's general requirements for controlling hazardous energy during service or maintenance of machines and equipment.
  
  
• For additional information, see the following OSHA Safety and Health Topics Pages:
  • Electrical
  • Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout)

Fall Protection

• Worker Deaths by Falls: A Summary of Surveillance Findings and Investigative Case Reports. US Department of Health and Human Services (DHHS), National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Publication No. 2000-116, (2002). Summarizes surveillance data and investigative reports of fatal work-related falls from elevation. Each case also includes recommendations for preventing similar accidents.
  
  
• For additional information, see OSHA's Fall Protection Safety and Health Topics Page.

Respiratory Hazards

• Respiratory Protection [280 KB PDF^*, 42 pages]. OSHA Publication 3079, (2002). Provides a non-exhaustive overview of OSHA requirements for using respirators to safeguard workers, including how to develop an effective respiratory protection program.
  
  
• See a sample program. Sample Respiratory Protection Program, Attachment 4 to Small Entity Compliance Guide for the Revised Respiratory Protection Standard, OSHA Publication 3384 [PDF* - 6 MB]
  
  
• New Respirator Protection for 5 Million Workers in 1.3 Million Worksites [3 MB PDF^*, page 32]. OSHA Job Safety & Health Quarterly (JSHQ), (1998). Includes a report on the revised Respirator standard.
  
  
• Respiratory Protection. OSHA eTool. Helps workers comply with the updated OSHA respirator standard. This eTool will instruct you on the proper selection of respiratory protection and the development of change schedules for gas/vapor cartridges.
  
  
• For additional information, see OSHA's Respiratory Protection Safety and Health Topics Page.

Silica and Other Hazardous Substances

• Crystalline Silica Exposure. OSHA Publication 3176, (2002). Also available as a 37 KB PDF, 2 pages. Contains a concise description of crystalline silica, the hazards associated with it, and what workers can do to prevent developing silicosis as a result of exposure to it.
  
  
• Hazard Communication Guidelines for Compliance. OSHA Publication 3111, (2000). Also available as a 115 KB PDF, 33 pages. Contains a generic survey of OSHA requirements for hazard communication in the workplace.
  
  
• A Guide to Working Safely with Silica [213 KB PDF, 21 pages]. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), (1997, January 31). Provides information about the health hazards of silica and suggests ways to prevent silicosis.
  
  
• The Campaign to End Silicosis. OSHA Job Safety & Health Quarterly (JSHQ), (1997).
  
  
• Silica. OSHA eTool. Includes current information that will assist businesses and workers in identifying potential silica hazards in their workplaces by choosing appropriate sampling and analytical techniques, comparing monitoring results with the silica exposure limits, and selecting appropriate short and long-term control options. Includes an Advisor Genius which performs calculations for a respirable dust sample.
  
  
• For additional information, see OSHA's Silica, Crystalline Safety and Health Topics Page.

Struck-By/Caught Between

• Personal Protective Equipment. OSHA Publication 3151-12R, (2003). Also available as a 629 KB PDF, 46 pages. Helps both employers and employees learn the basics of conducting a "hazard assessment" of the workplace, select appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and know how to properly use it.
  
  
• Safeguarding Equipment and Protecting Workers from Amputations. OSHA Publication 3170, (2001). Also available as a 1 MB PDF, 60 pages. Provides a generic overview of standards-related topics and information to help identify and manage common amputation hazards associated with operating stationary equipment.
  
  
• Concepts and Techniques of Machine Safeguarding. OSHA Publication 3067, (1992). Covers nearly all aspects of machine guarding, and includes chapters on safeguarding, guard construction, machinery maintenance and repair, and an evaluation checklist.
  
  
• For additional information, see OSHA's Machine Guarding Safety and Health Topics Page.

Truck Driving

• Ready Mixed Concrete Truck Drivers: Work-Related Hazards and Recommendations for Controls. Electronic Library of Construction Safety & Health (elcosh), Center for Construction Research and Training (CPWR). Consists of a hazard assessment of truck drivers in the industry and a summary of identified work-related hazards and safety recommendations.
  
  
• Chipping out the Drum: Safe Work Practices. Georgia Tech Research Corporation. Produced under OSHA Susan Harwood Training Grant number 46D3-HT02. Training materials for workers who chip out hardened concrete from the interior of mixer drums on concrete trucks.
  • English
  • Spanish

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^*These files are provided for downloading.