Issue link: https://read.dmtmag.com/i/576085
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The guidelines provide informa- tion for pool and spa owners to use to prevent children from entering the pool area unaccompanied by a super- vising adult. They take into consideration the variety of barriers (fences) available and where each might be vulnerable to a child wanting to get on the other side. The swimming pool barrier guidelines are presented with illus- trated descriptions of pool barriers. The defi nition of pool includes spas and hot tubs. The swimming pool bar- rier guidelines therefore apply to these structures as well as to above ground pools, and may include larger portable pools. Here are some key fi ndings from CPSC's annual report: • Nearly 300 children younger than 5 drown in swimming pools and spas each year representing 75 percent of the 390 fatalities reported for chil- dren younger than 15. • Children aged 1 to 3 years (12 months through 47 months) represent- ed 67 percent of the reported fatalities and 66 percent of reported injuries in pools and spas. • Over 4,100 children younger than 5 suffer submersion injuries and require emergency room treatment; about half are seriously injured and are admitted to the hospital for further treatment. • The majority of drownings and submersion injuries involving victims younger than 5 occur in pools owned by the family, friends or relatives. • The majority of estimated emer- gency department-treated submersion injuries and reported fatalities were associated with pools. An overwhelming majority of construction fi rms report trouble fi nd- ing qualifi ed craft workers to fi ll key spots as demand for construction con- tinues to rebound in many parts of the country, according to the results of an industry-wide survey released by the Associated General Contractors of America. Association offi cials called for new career and technical school pro- grams, as well as other workforce measures, to offset the labor shortages that are forcing fi rms to change how they operate and pose risks to work- place safety. "Few fi rms across the country have been immune from growing la- bor shortages in the construction in- dustry," said Stephen Sandherr, chief executive offi cer for the Associated General Contractors. "The sad fact is too few students are being exposed to construction careers or provided with the basic skills needed to prepare for such a career path." Of the 1,358 survey respondents, 86 percent said they are having dif- fi culty fi lling hourly craft or salaried professional positions. Seventy-nine percent of responding fi rms nation- wide are having a hard time fi lling one or more of the 21 hourly craft professional positions, particularly carpenters (73 percent of fi rms that employ carpenters report diffi culty), sheet metal installers (65 percent) and concrete workers (63 percent). In addition, 52 percent of fi rms are having a hard time fi lling salaried professional positions, especially proj- ect managers/supervisors (listed by 55 percent of fi rms that employ them), estimators (43 percent) and engineers (34 percent), noted AGC's chief econ- omist, Ken Simonson. As labor shortages grow more se- vere, competition for workers is heat- ing up, Simonson added. He noted that 36 percent of fi rms report losing hourly craft professionals to other lo- cal construction fi rms, and 21 percent to other industries locally. Thirteen percent of responding fi rms report losing workers to con- struction fi rms in other locations. Growing competition for workers is prompting 56 percent of fi rms to in- crease base pay rates for hourly craft professionals. Moreover, 43 percent of fi rms have increased their reliance on sub- contractors because of tight labor con- ditions. And worker shortages also appear to be impacting safety, with 15 percent of fi rms reporting an increase in inju- ries and illnesses because of worker shortages, Simonson added. The association has updated its Preparing the Next Generation of Skilled Construction Workers: A Workforce Development Plan to ad- dress the growing worker shortages, Sandherr noted. The plan outlines steps, such as increasing funding for vocational education and making it easier to establish construction-fo- cused schools, to reinvigorate the pipeline for new construction workers. The plan also calls for comprehensive immigration reform and measures to make it easier to hire veterans. See more at www.agc.org. Nationwide survey fi nds 86 percent of contractors have diffi culty fi lling key craft and salaried jobs