Shuttlesworth Law Firm, LLC - July 2020

HOW SAFETY IS CHANGING FOREVER IN THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY

One in 10 construction workers is injured every year according to the Occupational Safety and Health Administration. Most of the 150,000 injuries that result from construction site accidents every year tend to involve a worker’s back, spine, or trunk. These types of injuries lead to expensive and extensive medical care. Construction work involves big risks, and though it continues to be an essential profession, there haven’t been enough reforms to make it safer — until the recent COVID-19 pandemic. The dangers of the virus have exposed the shortcomings of workplace safety more than ever, and the construction industry is no exception. Besides staggered shifts; daily temperature checks; comprehensive disinfection policies for tools, machinery, and work surfaces; and social distancing policies (like carpool bans and new delivery processing methods), significant advancements are pushing construction sites into the future with technology.

After all, why take someone’s temperature in person if you can do so remotely? Not many people would imagine that the construction industry would find Zoom meetings or tech tools particularly necessary, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. Contractors, developers, and workers all need to keep in contact with each other, and under normal circumstances, they visit the site to do so. Now, web-based tools like Zoom keep people engaged with projects without meeting in person, and remote technology and tech- infused equipment helps keep people safe by notifying workers when they’re within 6 feet of each other, sending alerts if workers are fallen or injured, and more. In present times, more construction workers may find themselves signing up with a union. The influence of unions has been on a steady

decline since World War II, but during the pandemic, trade unions have been crucial advocates for workers’ best interests while corporations and businesses sort out their own adaptations. As health and safety standards increase more and more, so will the value of labor unions. If you or a loved one has questions or concerns or has been affected by an employer’s negligent workplace safety measures, our expert legal team can help fight for you. Just give us a call at (205) 322-1411.

FACTOID STRANGE THE MANY UNIQUE NAMES OF GROUPS OF ANIMALS

TAKE A BREAK

A pack of wolves. A litter of puppies. A flock of birds. People really like coming up with creative names for groups of animals, but there are probably far more of these unique names for congregations of beasts in the animal kingdom than you think! Say you visit an African jungle — you might run into a shrewdness of apes. Journey into the savanna, and you might come across a coalition of cheetahs or spot a fittingly named tower of giraffes.

These strange group names aren’t confined to Africa, however. You might find an army of frogs or caterpillars in your own backyard. When it comes to cats, they have almost as many group names as they do lives, roaming around in clutters, clowders, douts, glares, and pounces, among others. We promise we didn’t make any of these up on the spot — someone else definitely did, though.

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