Volume 33, Issue 4, Fall 2025
As fall construction projects move forward, it’s important to remember heavy equipment continues to pose serious risks on job sites across Michigan. Each year, MIOSHA investigates incidents where workers are struck by, pinned between or caught under equipment. These are among the leading causes of construction fatalities nationwide.
Recently, MIOSHA published a Construction Equipment Hazard Bulletin highlighting some of the most common dangers: blind spots, rollovers, struck-by incidents, and power line contact. Operators, laborers and supervisors all have a role to play in preventing these tragedies.
Simple steps can make a big difference:
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Plan ahead: Establish traffic patterns, swing radius and safe zones before equipment moves.
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Communicate clearly: Designate spotters and use standard hand signals.
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Stay visible: Require high-visibility apparel and maintain mirrors, cameras and alarms.
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Inspect daily: Never operate equipment with missing guards, leaking hydraulics or faulty alarms.
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Buckle up: Seat belts save lives when rollovers occur.
MIOSHA’s Consultation Education and Training Division offers free, confidential services to help employers strengthen equipment safety programs, and the MIOSHA Training Institute (MTI) provides courses designed to improve hazard recognition and job planning. For large projects, MIOSHA Construction Partnerships bring added support with quarterly visits and shared accountability to keep workers safe.
Every safe return home starts with decisions made before equipment goes into motion. I encourage every employer and worker to use our Construction Equipment Hazards bulletin as a guide and take advantage of MIOSHA’s resources to prevent serious injuries and fatalities.
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By John Bott, safety supervisor, Construction Safety and Health Division
MIOSHA issued one serious willful citation and two serious citations following an investigation into a July 2023 fall that left a 27-year-old construction worker seriously injured and hospitalized with paralysis.
The incident occurred on July 18, 2023, when the worker was installing metal roofing without fall protection on a roof of a barn in Marion, Osceola County. The worker lost footing and fell about 12 feet to the ground below. A subsequent inspection found that workers on site continued to be exposed to fall hazards of up to 30 feet without fall protection.
On July 24, 2023, a MIOSHA safety officer arrived at the site and observed employees exposed to an approximate 30-foot fall without fall protection. The officer initiated a companion inspection with the same contractor after observing the unsafe conditions.
When questioned about the lack of fall protection measures, an employer representative admitted that equipment was available on site but said it was not used because it reduced productivity and “gets in the way.”
“Fall protection was available on site but not used because it 'gets in the way.'"
— Employer representative
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 Job site in Marion, Osceola County, where a worker fell while installing metal roofing without fall protection in July 2023.
Citations and Penalties
MIOSHA issued one serious willful citation and two serious citations related to the incident with total penalties amounting to $46,600.
Construction Standard Part 26, Steel Erection.
- Rule 408.42645(1): Except as provided by subrule (3) of this rule, each employee engaged in a steel erection activity who is on a walking/working surface with an unprotected side or edge more than 15 feet (4.6 m) above a lower level shall be protected from fall hazards by guardrail systems, safety net systems, personal fall arrest systems, positioning device systems, or fall restraint systems. $42,000. (Serious Willful)
Construction Standard Part 25, Concrete Construction.
- Rule 408.42518(2): Reinforcing steel. All protruding reinforcing steel, onto and into which employees could fall, shall be guarded to eliminate the hazard of impalement. $2,500 (Serious)
Total Penalties: $44,500
At the conclusion of the inspection, the employer acknowledged that utilizing fall protection could have prevented the worker from falling and sustaining injuries.
The mission of the MIOSHA Construction Safety and Health Division is to prevent death, injury and disease through eliminating or reducing construction worker exposure to safety hazards, physical hazards and chemical hazards.
For more information about MIOSHA standards and publications related to construction hazards, visit michigan.gov/mioshapublications.
By Nichole Buchman, workplace safety representative, General Industry Safety and Health Division
 Unguarded concrete-sided solidification pit with industrial shredder close to the pit edge.
On Dec. 12, 2024, a 26-year-old sanitation technician sustained life-altering and debilitating brain and spinal damage after falling into an unguarded concrete pit under construction at a waste treatment and disposal facility. The subsequent MIOSHA inspection resulted in a serious-willful citation for lack of fall protection.
At the time of the incident, the employee was next to the pit, attempting to clean the facility’s 39-ton industrial shredder with compressed air. The employee was trying to unravel and connect two air hoses to perform the cleaning task, which was positioned approximately 10 feet from the unguarded pit. While walking backward and unraveling the hose, the employee tripped over the outer 12-inch castle wall of the pit and plummeted 10 feet down, landing on his head and neck. Coworkers discovered him a few minutes later unable to move his legs and in obvious distress. Only after the incident did the employer barricade the pit.
The pit was one of three side-by-side pits under construction, each approximately 20 feet long, 18 feet wide and 10 feet deep. None had a standard barrier or other fall protection during the construction phase.
Citation and Penalty
On March 28, 2025, MIOSHA issued one serious-willful citation related to the incident. A description of the citation is given below.
General Industry Standard Part 2, Walking-Working Surfaces
- Paragraph 1910.28(b)(1)(i): There was no guardrail, safety net, or personal fall protection systems utilized to protect employees working near the edge of a solidification pit under construction. The bottom of the pit was approximately 10 feet below the walking-working surface. $70,000 (Serious Willful)
The citation was classified as willful because the investigation revealed that ahead of the tragedy, management was warned multiple times by employees about the fall hazards associated with the unguarded pits. On the day of the incident, the employer knew the shredder was perilously close to the hazard and assigned the victim to perform the cleaning task anyway near the open pits.
By Mike Krafcik, MIOSHA communications specialist
 MIOSHA and Treehouse Construction signed a safety partnership for the Five Corners Project in Ann Arbor on Sept. 23, 2025, joined by subcontractors and union partners.
MIOSHA continues to strengthen its outreach and partnerships with employers, unions, contractors and research organizations to advance workplace safety and health across Michigan.
New Construction Partnership
MIOSHA established its seventh active construction partnership with Treehouse Construction, LLC, subcontractors and unions for the Five Corners project in Ann Arbor. The 387-unit development, located next to the University of Michigan’s main campus, is scheduled to open in fall 2026.
Through this agreement, MIOSHA’s partnership team will conduct quarterly site visits to help identify hazards and provide correction advice, with the shared goal of lowering injury and illness rates.
This partnership reinforces the commitment to ensuring that every worker returns home safely, while advancing MIOSHA’s mission to protect the safety and health of Michigan workers.
American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) – Michigan Chapters
Renewed Aug. 28, 2025
 Representatives from MIOSHA and the American Society of Safety Professionals’ Mid-Michigan, West Michigan, and Greater Detroit chapters sign a renewal during a Coffee with MIOSHA event
MIOSHA renewed its alliance with the American Society of Safety Professionals Mid-Michigan, West Michigan and Greater Detroit chapters during a Coffee with MIOSHA event. This partnership creates opportunities for MIOSHA to collaborate with safety professionals across multiple industries to reduce workplace injuries and illnesses.
Renewed Sept. 15, 2025
 MIOSHA and Oakland University renew their alliance, continuing a long-standing partnership that supports students pursuing a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Health and Safety
MIOSHA renewed its alliance with Oakland University, continuing a long-standing partnership that provides students the opportunity to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Health and Safety (EHS). Through the alliance, MIOSHA Training Institute (MTI) Level 2 Safety and Health Management Systems (SHMS) certificate holders can apply credits toward OU’s EHS program.
Renewed Sept. 5, 2025
 Erin Wallace, director of quality assurance and education for the Michigan Assisted Living Association, and MIOSHA Director Bart Pickelman sign the alliance renewal agreement on Sept. 4, 2025.
The renewal of MIOSHA’s alliance with the Michigan Assisted Living Association reaffirms a shared commitment to protecting workers in residential care facilities. The agreement focuses on education and training, hazard recognition and fostering safe environments for both workers and residents.
Other renewals
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Macomb Community College (MCC) (renewed May 22, 2025)
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American Subcontractors Association of Michigan (ASAM) (renewed Aug. 14, 2025)
New alliance
MIOSHA also signed a new alliance with the Construction Safety Research Council at Lawrence Technological University on Aug. 19, 2025. Read the MIOSHA–Lawrence Tech Construction Safety Research Council alliance MIOSHA–Lawrence Tech Construction Safety Research Council alliance press release. The alliance will support research and outreach efforts to advance construction safety practices, as detailed in our September newsletter article.
By renewing and establishing these agreements, MIOSHA strengthens its network of partners dedicated to protecting Michigan’s workforce. The MIOSHA Alliance Program now includes 24 groups and organizations focused on education, outreach and engagement to help employers and workers achieve higher standards of safety and health.
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 MIOSHA encourages employers to prioritize workplace safety with the message “Educate Before We Regulate.” Resources are available at Michigan.gov/cet.
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