The AIHA’s ‘Focus Four for Health in Construction’ Guidance

November 9, 2020

Resource: Blog Industry: Industrial

Tags: Architecture and Design, Safety

In 2019, the American Industrial Hygienist Association, also known as the AIHA, released a document titled Focus Four for Health: An Initiative to Address Four Major Construction Health Hazards. You can download the AIHA guidance document for yourself at the link we just gave you.

One of the authors of that AIHA guidance document, industrial hygienist Barb Epstien, joined us recently to discuss the construction health hazards, some controls, and the guidance in general. A recording of that discussion is below. We’d like to thank Barb for sharing her time, knowledge, and expertise with us.

The four hazards are:

• Manual material handling
• Noise
• Air contaminants
• High temperatures

Also, know that the AIHA has more recently created a similar guidance document related to COVID-19 and construction. We’ll be talking with Barb about that too in a similar recorded discussion soon, so please watch for that.

Enjoy the video, thanks again to Barb, and have a great day!

Continue reading to get some related resources and links below.

Here are some related resources for you:

• AIHA Focus Four in Construction guidance document 
• The AIHA’s website 
• The Association of General Contractors and her Oregon-Columbia AGC Chapter
• American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) 
• The AIHA’s #IAmIH webpage (search social media sites for that hashtag as well)
• The top four construction SAFETY hazards (OSHA’s so-called Fatal Four in Construction)
• Compliance and Risk Approaches to Occupational Safety and Health 
• Free Job Hazard Analysis Guide 
• The hierarchy of controls 
• The NPR TED Radio House show that focused on sound and included the interview with reporter Mary Louise Kelly on her hearing impairment 
• Our free Silica Compliance in Construction infographic 
• Our Industrial Hygiene Basics article What Is a PEL? 
• An Introduction to Industrial Hygiene (a recorded discussion with IH Morgan Bliss from Central Washington University)
• What Is Industrial Hygiene & How Does It Contribute to Occupational Safety? 
• ASSP article about the NWS Heat Index Chart and OSHA Heat Stress Cases that Jeff mentioned (Jeff had this one right, it seems)
• A recorded discussion with Cal Beyer on Why Mental Health & Suicide Prevention are the Next Frontiers in Construction Safety and Health 
• A second, more recent recorded discussion with Cal Byer on COVID-19 & Mental Health in Construction and Other High-Risk Industries 
• Construction Industry Alliance for Suicide Prevention (CIASP) 
• My earlier recorded discussion with Dr. Casey Chosewood of CDC/NIOSH on Total Worker Health 
• My earlier recorded discussion with Dede Montgomery discussing Fatigue, Shift Work, and More 
• The AIHA’s COVID-19 & Returning to Work in Construction document (Barb and I will discuss this in more detail in a recorded discussion coming soon–it’s in Spanish too!)
• NIOSH
• CPWR 
• Barb’s LinkedIn page 

Before you go, feel free to download our Guide to OSHA Construction Compliance (with that link you just passed) and/or our Guide to Construction Safety Training (with the second link or the download button below).

Construction Safety Training Guide

Learn to use, design, deliver, and evaluate safety training more effectively in the construction industry. Includes tips on how people learn, evidence-based training design, safety training within safety management, and the hierarchy of controls plus links to helpful resources.

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