Belden G. Bly Drawbridge Project Achieves Significant Milestone

The Belden G. Bly Drawbridge Project achieved a significant milestone yesterday. The Team performed a successful test opening of the new bridge at around 6:00pm.

Work began on this project in January of 2021. The bascule span erection work was restricted to occur during a USCG Saugus River channel closure between 2/1/24 and 5/15/24. The SPS Team, MassDOT and our Subcontractor partners worked tirelessly to achieve this milestone.

Congratulations to the entire Team.

Special thanks to Savanna Media for producing this video.

SPS Celebrates Construction Safety Week 2024

SPS celebrated Safety Week May 6th-10th by hosting events at various SPS job sites throughout the week, capping the celebrations off at the SPS Yard in Salisbury.

At SPS, every voice is valued and encouraged to speak up for safety.

Special thanks to the following vendors who joined us: Milwaukee Tool; Sales Solutions FallTech; GT Safety Products, Inc.; Lexie’s Burger Bus; Hilti; I&I Sling Inc.; LEAN Mass. Laborers Benefit Funds; PromoCentric; Saf-Gard Safety Shoe Company; Red Wing Shoes; STUDSON; United Rentals; TM Inspections; SafeSmart Access

May 2024 Safety Focus: Fall Prevention

Falls from one level to another are among the leading causes of severe injuries and deaths among workers in the United States. And to add insult to injury, no pun intended, many workers who were injured or killed were wearing a full body harness as part of a personal fall arrest system, but their full body harness was not properly worn or adjusted, and it failed to work.

You’ve got your full body harness on and properly adjusted, and you’ve attached the proper end of your lanyard to the back D-ring on your harness. The next step is to attach the other end of your lanyard to an anchor point. But selecting the wrong anchor point could have some painful, or even deadly, ramifications. That means you must put some serious thought put into what you hook off to with your lanyard.

Lanyards (or self-retracting lifelines) reduce the arresting forces on a worker during a fall. The standard lanyard length could vary. Follow these guidelines for safe use of lanyards…

Falls are a leading cause of construction injuries and fatalities. Workers can fall from ladders, scaffolds, vehicles, heavy equipment, aerial lifts, platforms, and roofs, and through holes or openings in floors or roofs. Guardrails can prevent a fall.

National Work Zone Awareness Week: April 15-19, 2024

It’s National Work Zone Awareness Week. What many fail to recognize is the vast majority of people killed in work zone crashes are motorists and their passengers. In 2021, 778 drivers and their passengers died in work zones (based on NHTSA FARS data), making it all the more important for drivers to slow down and stay focused while approaching and passing through a roadway work zone.

Wednesday, April 17, 2024 is Go Orange Day. Go Orange Day provides an opportunity to unite in wearing orange to show support for the men and women who work tirelessly to keep our roads safe.

It’s no surprise that distracted driving is dangerous, but did you know it claimed 3,308 lives in 2022? NHTSA leads the national effort to save lives by preventing this dangerous behavior. Get the facts, get involved, and help us keep America’s roads safe.

April 2024 Safety Focus: Respiratory Protection

In general, there are two types of respirators Air Purifying and Supplied Air. Respirators work by either filtering particles from the air, chemically cleaning (purifying) the air, or supplying clean air from an outside source.

Respirators should be used whenever it is necessary to protect the health of an employee from contaminated air. Also, when viable engineering controls are not available. With the correct cartridges these respirators can be used for the following…

Respirators are not always appropriate or safe for use, specifically in the following tasks/scenarios…

February 2024 Safety Focus: Traffic Control

This month’s SPS Safety Focus is all about Traffic Control.

Did you Know: Every year there are many accidents resulting in injury and damage due to carelessness when backing vehicles. Incidents involving backing vehicles are not uncommon among worker-on-foot fatalities. Backing accidents are preventable.

Work zones on roadways are increasingly dangerous places, both for workers and for those traveling through them. Using barricades and warning devices at job sites directs traffic flow and helps to ensure the safety of motorists and workers.

These garments are required for ALL workers within the right-of-way. Here are some facts about what makes something “hi-viz”:

December 2023 Safety Focus: Hazard Communication

The manufacturer or importer of a chemical is required by OSHA to develop a Safety Data Sheet (SDS) that contains specific, detailed information about the chemical’s hazard using a specified format.

The label on the chemical is intended to convey information about the hazards posed by the chemical through standardized label elements, including symbols, signal words and hazard statements.

Upon initial assignment and when a new chemical is introduced into the workplace, employees must be provided with hazard communication training.

November 2023 Safety Focus: Cranes and Hoisting

Rigging and hoisting of steel members and materials are essential parts of the steel erection process. However, in addition to the dangers usually associated with cranes and derricks, steel erection can also create hazards, such as suspended loads over employees.

Cranes are one of the most versatile, powerful and important pieces of construction equipment, accomplishing heavy lifting and moving tasks more efficiently. They are also one the most dangerous pieces of equipment, creating fall and struck-by hazards as heavy, suspended loads move over large areas. Employees working with and around cranes need to understand these hazards, as accidents with suspended loads are serious and potentially fatal.

Crane accidents are a leading cause of death and injury on construction jobs. Workers may be at risk to being struck by loads or equipment or getting caught in between moving equipment, materials and power lines.