The American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE)  have recently announced their approval of two new safety standards to enhance construction site safety.

The two new standards, which are set to take effect during June 2012, are the ANSI/ASSE A10.1-2011 Pre-Project and Pre-Task Safety and Health Planning for Construction and Demolition Operations, and the ANSI/ASSE A10.26-2011 Emergency Procedures for Construction and Demolition Sites.

The new A10.1-2011 standard was designed to assist construction owners, contractors, and designers by ensuring that safety and health planning were standard parts of their pre-construction planning. It is also intended to help owners of construction sites to establish a process for evaluating constructor candidates with regard to their safety and health performance planning.

The A10.26 standard applies to emergency situations, including fires, collapses, and hazardous spills. The standard deals with emergency rescue, evacuation, and transportation of injured workers, and also plans for coordinating with emergency medical facilities ahead of potential disasters.

In addition, the ANSI/ASSE A10.33-2011 standard, Safety and Health Program Requirements for Multi-Employer Projects, received an update, which will become effective May 7, 2012. The standard delivers minimum requirements for programs where multiple employers are engaged in a common undertaking, and is intended to address cost-efficient and coordinated safety on the construction site.

These new standards are part of a larger rollout designed by the A10 Accredited Standards Committee on Safety Requirements for Construction and Demolition operations.

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Source: ABC.org.