On January 20, 2026, the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) issued a formal interpretation addressing whether injuries caused by personal rechargeable lithium-ion batteries brought into the workplace must be recorded on the OSHA 300 Log. There are several key takeaways listed below:

Around 90% of companies in the construction industry employ 20 or fewer employees. This can make it very difficult to ensure that employees are receiving the proper safety training, since resources like time and money are often limited. Those tasked with safety compliance usually have other responsibilities, making it hard for them to dedicate the necessary time to safety. However, one easy step that can be taken is the implementation of toolbox talks

The construction industry has one of the highest injury and fatality rates of any industry. This is one of the reasons that construction sites are legally required to have a well-stocked first aid kit on hand. However, the standards can be vague and don’t always give specific guidance on what should be in the kit. Below, we’ve broken down both the standards governing these kits, and the meaning behind the classification and type, to help provide some clarity on an issue that every construction company deals with.

As the calendar flips to a new year, some of the coldest weather of the season has become entrenched throughout much of the country. There are many ways to try to mitigate the effects of the cold, and one of the most common ones is the use of portable heaters. Portable heaters can help keep employees warm and allow work to continue in areas where it might otherwise be too cold to work. However, they are not without risk. There were approximately 53,636 thermal burn injuries attributed to portable heaters from 2003 to 2013, according to the National Library of Medicine. It is important to know how to safely operate portable heaters as their usage rate peaks over the coming months.

The upcoming holidays don’t just mark the end of this year and the beginning of a new one. They also signal the beginning of very cold weather for much of the country. This is important because from 2003 to 2019, cold exposure caused 31 deaths and 2,770 serious injuries to workers across the U.S. Thus, threats relating to cold stress should be taken very seriously.

The construction industry is inherently risky, but OSHA has identified four hazards that consistently account for over 60% of all fatalities in the industry. These four hazards are falls, struck-by accidents, electrocution, and caught-in/between accidents. They are routinely referred to as the “fatal four”. It’s important to both understand these hazards, and be aware of ways to mitigate them, in order to keep people safe on the jobsite.

Construction companies are more likely to experience theft than any other type of loss. According to the Insurance Journal, annual equipment theft alone costs the construction industry an estimated $1 billion—and that figure doesn’t even account for stolen raw materials or the productivity lost in the aftermath. Beyond the immediate financial impact, theft can lead to higher insurance premiums, costly project delays, and significant replacement expenses. That’s why preventing theft should be a top priority for every construction company.

As the hot summer months of June, July, and August approach, heat awareness becomes critically important. From 1992 to 2022, a total of 986 employees across all industries died from heat exposure. Of those 986 employees, 34% worked in the construction industry, according to the EPA. Furthermore, the first couple of hot weeks of the summer are especially important, as 50% to 70% of heat-related fatalities occur in the first few days of someone working in hot temperatures. Thus, it is important for those in the construction industry to be aware of the risks from working in the heat.

Trench Worker Buried Leads to Contractor LitigationIn 2019, a construction worker was buried under several tons of soil when a trench collapsed at a residential job site in Iowa. The trench was estimated to be 10 to 11 feet deep and lacked the protective systems required by OSHA, such as a trench box or appropriate shoring. The absence of this essential safety equipment resulted in significant physical injuries and lasting psychological trauma, including post-traumatic stress, anxiety, and depression.