Author: Nazia Shah
On July 15, during AGC’s quarterly Mental Health & Suicide Prevention Forum, Rich Jones, the CEO/Founder of BuildWell Health shared practical strategies for building and maintaining mental wellness through intentional daily habits, effective stress management, burnout prevention, and prioritizing restorative rest. Attendees also explored the connection between mental health and jobsite safety through the Construction Performance Hazard Matrix and discussed the importance of creating supportive workplaces that address stress, neurodiversity, and overall well-being. The recording and slides are now available on AGC’s website. The AGC Mental Health & Suicide Prevention Forum meets virtually on a quarterly basis to gather and share…
OSHA has published two new resources designed to help employers better protect workers and respond effectively to workplace safety concerns. The first, Responding to OSHA Inquiries on Complaints and Referrals: Best Practices for Small Employers, provides step-by-step guidance on navigating the OSHA complaint process, including conducting prompt investigations, documenting corrective actions, communicating with employees and OSHA, and submitting a thorough written response. OSHA notes that timely and adequate responses can often resolve complaints without the need for an on-site inspection. For additional information and resources, please visit: osha.gov/smallbusiness. OSHA also released Heat-Related Illnesses and First Aid, a quick-reference guide that…
Celebrating 40 Years of Safety Excellence in Construction AGC of America, WTW | Willis, and STARR are proud to continue our longstanding partnership dedicated to advancing safety in the construction industry. The Legacy Forty years ago, this collaboration launched the prestigious Construction Safety Excellence Awards (CSEA) – now the most respected safety recognition in North America. The Impact For the past 13 years, the innovative strategies and real-world solutions presented by CSEA finalists at the AGC Annual Convention have been captured in the Construction Safety Management Best Practices Playbook – a resource now used by contractors worldwide. Now Available: 2026…
The Summer 2026 AGC Construction Safety & Health Conference brought together professionals from across the country for two and a half days of timely education, meaningful networking, and practical solutions to today’s most pressing industry challenges. Attendees explored critical topics including OSHA’s evolving priorities, regulatory and legislative developments, heat illness prevention, mental health and worker wellbeing, artificial intelligence, legal and employment issues, high-energy hazards, fleet safety, data centers, emerging technologies, and leadership development. Interactive workshops, peer group discussions, and networking opportunities encouraged participants to exchange ideas, share best practices, and learn directly from industry experts, OSHA leadership, and fellow safety…
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) played a prominent role at the Summer 2026 AGC Construction Safety & Health Conference, with Assistant Secretary David Keeling delivering the opening keynote, Acting Director of the Directorate of Construction Brian Rizzo leading a peer discussion on the agency’s latest initiatives, and an OSHA exhibit booth providing attendees with direct access to agency resources and subject matter experts. During his keynote, Keeling outlined OSHA’s vision for the future of workplace safety and health, emphasizing the agency’s renewed commitment to OSHA CARES—an initiative focused on strengthening partnerships with employers, expanding compliance assistance, and helping…
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is providing an additional comment period on its proposals to revise certain standards. Following consideration by OSHA’s Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health (ACCSH), OSHA is re-opening the record for the thirteen rulemakings listed below to provide an additional 30 days for public comment. In each case, written comments must be submitted on or before August 21, 2026. Please see the individual linked Federal Register Notices for additional details on each item of interest. OSHA is providing an additional comment period to allow interested persons to comment on its proposal to revise…
On May 19, the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health (ACCSH) meeting focused on two major OSHA rulemaking topics: proposed changes to chemical-specific respirator requirements and a potential new OSHA standard for tree care operations. OSHA presented proposals intended to streamline respirator provisions in several chemical-specific standards by relying more consistently on OSHA’s respiratory protection standard – 29 CFR 1910.134. OSHA explained that the proposals were meant to reduce duplicative requirements, provide more flexibility in respirator selection, and update certain older substance-specific provisions. A major outcome was ACCSH’s unanimous recommendation that OSHA retain HEPA filter requirements for certain high-hazard…
On July 6, the Trump administration published the 2026 Unified Agenda of Regulatory and Deregulatory Actions. The regulatory agenda identifies rulemaking initiatives across the federal government for each agency. Agencies list their existing regulatory projects, intentions for new projects, and the timelines on which those projects will be completed. While the information offered is limited, the list of rulemakings allows stakeholders like AGC to track and anticipate regulations that impact construction. Specific to safety, the following are the rules that AGC will monitor closely: Once the above rulemakings are published in the Federal Register, AGC staff will work with members and…
The next AGC Mental Health & Suicide Prevention Forum is scheduled for July 15, 2:00pm – 3:00pm, Eastern Time. Join Rich Jones, Founder/CEO of BuildWell Health, to explore how daily habits and stress management influence overall mental health and well-being. Participants will gain a better understanding of the stress cycle, identify personal stress-triggered vulnerabilities, and learn practical, evidence-based strategies to build resilience and manage stress more effectively. The AGC Mental Health & Suicide Prevention Forum meets virtually, on a quarterly basis, with the goal of providing a safe space where construction industry stakeholders can gather to share success stories, challenges, and seek/share resources…
The Construction Safety & Health Conference runs July 22–24 in Minneapolis. Three days, dozens of sessions, one goal: smarter programs, stronger teams. If you want an insider’s view of the future of OSHA: State of Play: Federal OSHA Update — Wednesday, 8:00 AM OSHA is evolving from regulator to partner, with a renewed focus on collaboration, smarter enforcement, predictive safety, and emerging issues like mental health, heat stress, and workplace violence. Hear firsthand from David Keeling, head of OSHA, how these priorities could reshape compliance and safety leadership in construction. If you’re building something bigger than your title: Legacy…