There are thousands of carpenters and pile drivers in our community currently working on millions of dollars of construction projects. These men and women are literally reshaping our community - building roads, bridges, hospitals, homes, stores and parks.  But, these workers face risks every day as they work with heavy equipment in dangerous places. It’s truly heartbreaking that across the U.S., nearly 80,000 workers suffer an on-the-job injury each year, and we’ve seen more than 800 deaths occur in any given year. 

This week is national Construction Safety Week. It is not only a celebration of our success, but a chance to remind everyone of the shared commitment to safety. 

Construction safety is truly a community-wide concern, especially when you consider not only the thousands of workers on jobsites, but the millions of people who drive or walk near those sites each day. We know that each worker on a jobsite leaves people he or she cares about each day to come to work, and we want to make sure all our workers get home safely. We also know that any incident on a jobsite can have a financial impact on our community. 

So, if you pass a construction site May 1-5, take a minute to consider the risks these workers are taking, and give them a thumbs up. To learn more about Safety Week, visit www.constructionsafetyweek.com. To learn how Florida Carpenters and Pile Drivers work safely, click here.