AGC Environmental Solutions: Chapter Helps Develop Resources to Promote Worker Safety on Green Building Projects
WASHINGTON, D.C. – October 29, 2015 – (RealEstateRama) — Safety professionals aren’t yet aware of all the emerging green building systems. To meet this need in the building industry, AGC of Washington and its AGC Education Foundation partnered with others on a grant to develop a curriculum and a mobile app specific to safety concerns while working on a green building.
The curriculum (link is external) gives safety professionals the opportunity to learn about the what, when, where and why of green building systems, supporting stronger preventative action when setting up site safety plans. Designed for Safety professionals, this material provides insight into new components of a green building that saves energy, generates power, collects water, treats waste, enhances biodiversity and does so as part of a building or its site. Examples include but are not limited to: bioswales, cisterns, ground coupled heat exchangers, green walls, living machines, membrane bioreactors, micro hydro, pervious paving, rainwater collection, sewer heat recovery, solar hot water, solar power, under floor air systems, vegetated roofing, etc. Unique composite working groups, installation requirements, construction sequencing and operations and maintenance considerations all need to be discussed and shared before a strong preventative safety approach to any green building system can be established.
The bilingual Construction Safety “Tool Box Talk” app allows safety professionals to share toolbox talks and document training on the go. The “Tool Box Talks” app includes standard construction safety, images of construction sequencing, green building safety, job site behavior, and safety for young workers. This app also integrates a jobsite sign in and summary report component to help make the weekly safety meeting easier and paperless. The toolbox talks are also available in a Spanish language version. Download the app via the app store (Tool Box Talks, Renton Technical College).
Developed by a grant, both of these resources are available for free. The projects were funded by Washington State Department of Labor and Industries Safety and Health Investment Projects (SHIP) grants and developed with support from Construction Center of Excellence, AGC of Washington and its AGC Education Foundation, Sellen Construction, and other partners.
For more information, contact AGC’s Melinda Tomaino at 
