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MCAA
MASONRY magazine is published by the Mason Contractors Association of America1481 Merchant Drive, Algonquin, IL 60102
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Our mission is to deliver superior, profitable masonry craftsmanship while maintaining a strong reputation for safety, quality, schedule, integrity, responsiveness, and value to the customer....
The Safety Committee is responsible for the development of safety programs for the mason contractor as well as keeping the industry informed on key safety issues. ...
In recent months, we have addressed the dangers of silica exposure. Unfortunately, we often think of protection from silica in the form of PPE. Suppose there's silica; put on a respirator. This should be the last resort.
Do you think silica is dangerous? Is it blown out of proportion by OSHA? The Hawk's Nest tragedy was a horrific incident of immorality against workers by overt neglect as it pertains to silica exposure.
Why Are Safety Communications Important?
MCAA Safety Talks and Their Positive Impact
Critical Root-Cause Analysis (Part Two)
Critical Root-Cause Analysis (Part One)
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Too often hazardous conditions come to our attention only after someone is hurt or seriously injured.
Nearly 6.5 million people work at approximately 252,000 construction sites across the nation on any given day.
Safety does not come naturally. It requires you to constantly ask questions and educate yourself.
Submissions are now open for the 2019 MCAA Safety Advantage Awards, sponsored by Federated Insurance
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
Would you gamble with your life? A lot of people do when they fail to inspect their personal fall arrest equipment daily.
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.
Inspection is not just checking for safety rails, toeboards, ladders, etc., but for the condition of the equipment as well.
Although offices are not considered to be high hazard work environments, injuries happen when risks are not controlled or when people get careless.
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.
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.
Many construction workers have died due to improperly built or maintained scaffold platforms. That includes mason construction workers too.
Submissions to the MCAA Safety Advantage Awards are due by June 30, 2018. This is your last chance to enter the awards.
Submissions to the MCAA Safety Advantage Awards are due by June 30, 2018.
Extreme heat can cause headaches, dizziness/light headedness, weakness, mood changes, vomiting, fainting, and pale clammy skin.
Life changing injuries are those injuries that will change our life and impact our co-workers, families and friends.
The following checklist may help you take steps to avoid hazards that cause injuries, illnesses and fatalities. Be cautious and seek help if you are concerned about a potential hazard.
Submissions are now open for the 2018 MCAA Safety Advantage Awards. Our goal is for the MCAA safety awards to help draw attention to the benefits of safety.
Submissions to the MCAA Safety Advantage Awards are due by June 30, 2017. This is your last chance to enter the awards.
Submissions to the MCAA Safety Advantage Awards are due by June 30, 2017.
MCAA Gateway: June 2017
Submissions are now open for the 2017 MCAA Safety Advantage Awards. Our goal is for the MCAA safety awards to help draw attention to the benefits of safety.
Scaffolding Best Practices You Might Not Know
There are many reasons why workplace safety inspections are essential. Safety inspections prevent injuries, illnesses, and deaths on the job.
Submissions to the MCAA Safety Advantage Awards are due by June 30, 2016. This is your last chance to enter the awards.
Submissions to the MCAA Safety Advantage Awards are due by June 30, 2016.
By understanding the four areas of differing accountability and responsibility, and the related accountability to safety, we can avoid injuries or even fatalities.
Submissions are now open for the 2016 MCAA Safety Advantage Awards. Our goal is for the MCAA safety awards to help draw attention to the benefits of safety.
Submissions to the MCAA Safety Advantage Awards are due by June 30, 2015. This is your last chance to enter the awards.
Submissions to the MCAA Safety Advantage Awards are due by June 30, 2015.
With a focus on leads from their new rule, the evidence is right there — laying in the hospital bed or on the floor underneath the saw. OSHA's job just got a whole lot easier.
No company wants one of its team members to suffer a fall, regardless of the severity. The lengths to which the company will go to accomplish this is another story.
Submissions are now open for the 2015 MCAA Safety Advantage Awards. Our goal is for the MCAA safety awards to help draw attention to the benefits of safety.
Submissions to the MCAA Safety Advantage Awards are due by June 30, 2014. This is your last chance to enter the awards.
Submissions to the MCAA Safety Advantage Awards are due by June 30, 2014.
A safety meeting is a necessary part of running a masonry job. Weekly safety meetings are needed, and many crews start every day with a safety meeting.
Submissions are now open for the 2014 MCAA Safety Advantage Awards. Our goal is for the MCAA safety awards to help draw attention to the benefits of safety.
The report of the MCAA Safety Committee presented at the 2014 MCAA Convention in Las Vegas.
Submissions to the MCAA Safety Advantage Awards are due by June 30, 2013. This is your last chance to enter the awards.
Submissions to the MCAA Safety Advantage Awards are due by June 30, 2013.
Submissions are now open for the 2013 MCAA Safety Advantage Awards. Our goal is for the MCAA safety awards to help draw attention to the benefits of safety.
The report of the MCAA Safety Committee presented at the 2013 MCAA Convention in Las Vegas.
Submissions to the 2012 MCAA Safety Advantage Awards are due by June 30, 2012.
Our chief motivation for having safety inspections should be to prevent one of our work family members from being hurt.
2012 will be the first year for the MCAA to begin presenting mason contractors with awards for exemplary performance in safety.
The report of the MCAA Safety Committee presented at the 2012 MCAA Convention in Las Vegas, Nev.
We can draw a few parallels from Sir Winston Churchill to the subject of shifting an employee’s attitude toward safety.
The report of the MCAA Safety Committee presented at the 2010 MCAA Convention in Las Vegas, Nev.
The mention of back injuries makes mason contractors cringe, and for good reason.
Whether the economy affects safety can only be answered by each mason contractor, and it can vary.