According to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), falls are the leading cause of private sector worker fatalities in the construction industry. Everyone who works at heights, whether it's on a roof, scaffolding, or the edge of a tall building, should have properly fitting safety harnesses, yet not all contractors have the supply they need to better protect women in construction. To help address this, Autodesk is funding a grant program with one of the largest construction trade organizations – the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) – to supply select, in-need member contractors with fall protection harnesses sized for women who work at heights.
The program comes at a time when 80 percent of construction firms report having a hard time filling the hourly craft positions that represent the bulk of the construction workforce. Women represent approximately 10 percent of the overall construction labor force1, with even lower representation in trades positions, and one of the largest demographics with the potential to fill the gap in labor. To help attract and retain more women in the field, jobsites need to recognize and meet the needs of a gender-diverse workforce, including properly sized and comfortable PPE.
"The construction industry agrees safety must be everyone's priority, but we also need to recognize when safety needs aren't being met for some workers. Technology is improving jobsite safety, but it's not a silver bullet," said Allison Scott, director, Autodesk Construction Solutions. "Construction is – and will continue to be – a people-driven business. The industry needs more people, and women must feel safe and welcome on jobsites if we want them to choose a career in construction. Ultimately, when we address safety for women, we improve safety for everyone."
See Also: Skanska designs personal protective equipment tailor-made for the female workforce
Ill-fitting PPE can range from uncomfortable to downright dangerous. For example, a fall protection harness that's too loose may still catch a woman when the scaffolding beneath her collapses, but it could seriously injure her neck or shoulder in the process. This not only affects the injured worker, but her employer as well. The contractor incurs lost time, productivity and – potentially – a costly worker's compensation claim.
"One of the most effective ways to successfully recruit more women into high-paying construction careers is to make sure firms are able to provide safety equipment that makes them even safer," said Stephen E. Sandherr, the chief executive officer of the Associated General Contractors of America. "We want to leverage these grants to encourage our member firms to provide a wider range of safety equipment and continue to expand the diversity of our workforce."
A top concern of contractors is the safety of their employees, and many are recognizing the shifting landscape in the construction workforce and taking steps toward a more inclusive, injury-free job site. Earlier this year, Skanska created gloves and two customized safety vests designed for women and based on feedback from its own female employees. The company plans to expand the apparel line soon to include surveyor vests and high-visibility jackets for winter.
The grant program will fund the purchase of approximately 300 fall protection harnesses sized for women. AGC members can apply for the grants until the application window closes on January 10, 2020. Winners will be notified in advance and honored at the AGC's annual convention, to be held March 9-12, 2020 in Las Vegas, NV.
Related Stories
| Aug 11, 2010
Section Eight Design wins 2009 Open Architecture Challenge for classroom design
Victor, Idaho-based Section Eight Design beat out seven other finalists to win the 2009 Open Architecture Challenge: Classroom, spearheaded by the Open Architecture Network. Section Eight partnered with Teton Valley Community School (TVCS) in Victor to design the classroom of the future. Currently based out of a remodeled house, students at Teton Valley Community School are now one step closer to getting a real classroom.
| Aug 11, 2010
PCL Construction, HITT Contracting among nation's largest commercial building contractors, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 50 Commercial Contractors based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
Pella introduces BIM models for windows and doors
Pella Corporation now offers three-dimensional (3D) window and door models for use in Building Information Modeling (BIM) projects by architects, designers, and others looking for aesthetically correct, easy-to-use, data-rich 3D drawings.
| Aug 11, 2010
Sargent launches power over ethernet campus access control solution
Sargent takes campus access control to the edge of the network with the new Passport 1000 P1 Power over Ethernet (PoE) hardware. Passport P1 connects to a facility’s Ethernet network with standard cabling, and provides full online access control even when the network is unavailable.
| Aug 11, 2010
Webcor, Hunt Construction lead the way in mixed-use construction, according to BD+C's Giants 300 report
A ranking of the Top 30 Mixed-Use Contractors based on Building Design+Construction's 2009 Giants 300 survey. For more Giants 300 rankings, visit http://www.BDCnetwork.com/Giants
| Aug 11, 2010
NBBJ selected to design Russell Investments’ Seattle headquarters
NBBJ has been hired by Russell Investments as the architectural firm to design the interior space of its new global headquarters at 1301 2nd Avenue, a building also designed by NBBJ.
| Aug 11, 2010
High-profit design firms invest in in-house training
Forty-three percent of high-profit architecture, engineering, and environmental consulting firms have in-house training staff, according to a study by ZweigWhite. The 2008-2009 Successful Firm Survey reports that only 36% of firms overall have in-house training staff. In addition, 52% of high-profit firms use an online training system or service.