Readers Respond: Contractors Call for Industrywide Air Safety Mandate
Construction firms were asked how they deal with toxic air quality and if government agencies should offer clearer guidance. Here's what they had to say.
June 23, 2023
Construction Dive
Respondents to a construction industry survey called for an industrywide mandate on when to pause work due to toxic air quality caused by wildfire smoke.
Currently, no law or mandate requires individual contractors to halt work due to poor breathing conditions. Neither the Environmental Protection Agency nor OSHA have mandates on when outdoor work should cease due to hazardous air quality, though OSHA did advise contractors to monitor conditions and make decisions in the best interest of safety.
But that guidance isn’t enough, according to Shannon Garrett, business owner of Hage Electric & Construction Services, based in The Dalles, Oregon.
To read the reset of the story on our sister publication, Construction Dive, click here.
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