NORA Construction Council

Outreach

Fall prevention

The National Campaign to Prevent Falls in Construction and the National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction is held each year in the first week of May. The goal of this national campaign is to prevent fatal falls from roofs, ladders, and scaffolds among residential construction contractors.

This event began in the Construction Sector Council in 2012. NIOSH, OSHA, and CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training are the main partners working to coordinate the National Campaign and Stand-Down. The National Campaign and Stand-Down have reached millions of construction workers.

Each year, the NORA Construction Sector Council Falls Workgroup works with NIOSH and CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training to develop a new series of infographics in English and Spanish. View and download the infographics as PDFs or JPEGs for use in social media, presentations, and print materials. The Workgroup also helped with pulling together some of fall-related videos posted on the CDC Construction Safety and Health YouTube Playlist.

Preventing struck-by injuries

The Struck-by Workgroup organizes the National Stand-Down to Prevent Struck-by Incidents in Construction each year. This event is held in mid-April each year during Work Zone Awareness Week. The Stand-Down asks contractors to pause work to recognize that struck-by incidents are the #1 cause of injuries and #2 cause of death among construction workers. It's also an opportunity for contractors to educate their crews about risks and solutions. More information on ways to participate are posted on CPWR's Struck-by Hazards webpage and the National Work Zone Safety Information Clearinghouse.

Sector description

The construction sector has 11.8 million workers, and about 30% are of Hispanic origin. Small businesses are very common in this industry. Most construction establishments have less than 20 employees. The construction industry includes all jobs under North American Industry Classification System (NAICS) code 23. It includes not only residential and commercial building construction, but also heavy and civil engineering construction, like water and sewer lines, highways, and bridges. Specialty trades like roofing, plumbing, electrical, drywall, and painting are also included in the construction sector. Construction jobs are some of the most dangerous. Falls are the leading cause of death in the construction sector.

The construction industry can be difficult to study because of its complexity. It has a diverse set of job tasks and employers, a high prevalence of small businesses, and variations in workforce skills, weather conditions, and work environments. Many construction projects are characterized by temporary and transitory work. A typical construction workplace changes daily, and the type of work varies greatly. It ranges from new construction, to repairs or renovations, to demolition, to cleanup and reconstruction. One of the challenges is that the restructuring of work practices cannot be accomplished in individual workplaces or with individual workers. Turnover of workers is relatively high. Construction workers are employed by many contractors during their lifetimes.

The NIOSH Construction Program facilitates the work of the Council and coordinates NIOSH research in this sector.

Members

The Council has two co-chairs, one from the NIOSH Construction Program and one from a partner organization. The NIOSH Construction Program coordinator and assistant coordinator also help to facilitate the work of the Council. Members attend meetings and participate in workgroups.

Current members

Contact

Use the form below to email the NORA coordinator to get more information or to volunteer for a council.