Dive Brief:
President Joe Biden announced last week that his nominee for assistant secretary for occupational safety and health for the Department of Labor is Douglas L. Parker, the current head of the California Division of Occupational Safety and Health (Cal/OSHA).
Prior to his position at Cal/OSHA, a position he has held since 2019, Parker held various other roles related to worker safety, including deputy assistant secretary for policy in the DOL s Mine Safety and Health Administration; senior policy advisor and special assistant at the DOL; and executive director of Worksafe, an Oakland, California-based legal services provider. Parker also worked as an attorney for the United Mine Workers of America.
Biden nominates California safety chief as head of OSHA constructiondive.com - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from constructiondive.com Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
Dive Brief:
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has updated its checklist for construction employers during the COVID-19 pandemic, and has asked contractors to consider the mental health and wellbeing of their workers.
The CDC’s checklist encourages employers to talk openly with employees about how the pandemic is affecting work; communicate clear expectations; anticipate behavior changes in employees, such as irritation, anger, increased sadness or difficulty concentrating; and ensure that there is a system in place to identify and provide mental health services to employees in need of support.
The CDC noted that the pandemic has negatively affected employee mental health for several reasons, including having concerns about the risk of being exposed to the virus, conflict at home, lack of relaxation time, uncertainty about the future and adapting to a changing work schedule.
Bursting Pipes, Sagging Roofs Strain Texas Adjusters, Contractors
After the big freeze in Texas comes the big thaw and the big demand for workers to repair the broken pipes and sagging roofs the retreating ice and snow will reveal.
It could take months for contractors to fix the damage the massive storm inflicted on Texas, said Greg Sizemore, a vice president of the Associated Builders and Contractors. The magnitude of the problem could be much larger than Hurricane Harvey, which was confined mostly to the Gulf Coast. Other states are also in need of contractors, and the industry has been facing a shortage of construction workers because of Covid-19 health and supply issues, Sizemore said.