Getting the Facts Right

Having the right data helps AGC make the case for vital legislative priorities and guard against unneeded and costly new regulations. But getting good member and public data and reliable research costs money. The Fund helps us get the job done.

Most recently, AGC unveiled a new study designed to improve the safety of construction workers and help construction firms prevent workplace fatalities and injuries.

“We all share a common goal: getting to zero construction fatalities. This report offers the kind of data and recommendations needed to help construction firms achieve that goal.” – Stephen Sandherr, AGC of America CEO

With funding from the Construction Advocacy Fund, Associated General Contractors of America commissioned a study with the goal of taking a deeper dive into existing information on fatalities with an eye towards learning new methods of preventing worker fatalities in the construction industry. The study, conducted by the Myers-Lawson School of Construction at Virginia Tech, involved analyzing detailed, confidential fatality reports from 2010-2012 because the industry wants to develop employer-employee strategies to reduce the risk of workers being injured.

While the study confirmed some long-held assumptions about key safety challenges, it also dispelled a number of long-held assumptions. For example, noon, as opposed to any of the morning hours, is the most deadly hour for construction fatalities. It also found construction firms that employ fewer than 10 people have a significantly higher fatality rate than larger firms. And we learned that transportation-related fatalities are increasing.

Armed with this data, AGC is making a number of recommendations to save lives and improve member company safety programs.

Other research efforts have included:

  • California Air Resources Board (CARB) rule – Armed with its own data, AGC successfully persuaded the CARB to dramatically relax its emission standards for off-road diesel equipment, and to delay its implementation for four years, saving at least $1.5 billion for California’s construction contractors, and billions more nationwide as nearly every other state is entitled to identically adopt the rule, and 32 others expressed interest in doing so.
  • Silica rule – During the silica rulemaking process, AGC and its coalition partners commissioned an independent economic analysis of the rule to ascertain the true cost of compliance for the construction industry as a whole as well as each industry sector. The analysis also identified the potentially negative impact these costs might have jobs in construction. The independent analysis showed costs nearly five times that of OSHA’s estimate at $4.9 billion dollars and a loss of more than 52,000 full-time equivalent jobs.