Some construction companies are developing policies to combat workers’ growing use of smartphones and headphones on job sites, according to www.constructiondive.com.
Frank Trujillo, vice president of Miller & Long Concrete Construction, Bethesda, Md., says the company’s managers let employees know earbuds and headphones are not acceptable. However, workers don’t always realize they have them in their ears when they enter the site.
“People are just used to it, so that headphones and earbuds are like a part of their body, so it's nothing for someone to come in off the Metro or from the parking area wearing them and walk onto the job, clock in, put on their protective gear and continue on to work with them in their ears,” he says.
Although there is no specific federal regulation prohibiting the use of headphones on a construction site, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration issued a letter of interpretation in September 2019 providing clarification. It said headphone entertainment on a construction site is permissible at managerial discretion “unless such use creates or augments other hazards apart from noise,” such as when music masks environmental sounds that need to be heard, “especially on active construction sites where attention to moving equipment, heavy machinery, vehicle traffic, and safety warning signals may be compromised.”
Associated Builders and Contractors Vice President of Workforce Development Safety Health and Environmental Greg Sizemore says no smartphone use of any kind should be allowed on active construction sites and urges his members to train their employees regarding the appropriate use of technology on job sites. Workers might argue they use music to drown out loud construction noises, but an OSHA spokesperson said the goal for job-site ear protection is to minimize sound—not eliminate it.
Trujillo also experiences problems with using smartphones to take photos; his company has clients such as the U.S. Navy that prohibit photos on job sites. Additionally, smartphones have been used to document sensitive incidents or accidents by potential whistleblowers or disgruntled employees. Miller & Long Concrete Construction safety leaders are developing a formal policy; in the meantime, managers tell employees if they must check their phones or take a call, they must exit the job site and clock out to do so.
