The American Society of Safety Professionals (ASSP) has published a new national voluntary consensus standard for safety training on construction and demolition sites, which are among the most hazardous work environments.
ANSI/ASSP A10.2-2025, 鈥淪afety, Health and Environmental Training for Construction and Demolition Operations,鈥� establishes best training practices to help organizations across the country eliminate hazards and risks that cause injuries, illnesses and fatalities.
鈥淯niform practices for training construction personnel can create much safer jobsites,鈥� said Gary Gustafson, chair of the A10.2 subcommittee. 鈥淎 key element of that training is communicating hazards and hazard controls with workers for each task.鈥�
Types of applicable training on construction and demolition sites include new hire, site safety, regulatory, pre-job, supervisor leadership and retraining. Training evaluations, documentation and record-keeping are also key components of a workplace safety and health program.
鈥淧roject constructors must ensure that all site personnel recognize hazardous conditions and safe work practices related to their assigned job activities before work commences,鈥� Gustafson said. 鈥淭his standard creates the foundation for that training.鈥�
Organizations that make worker safety a core value can avoid the economic and reputational costs of incidents involving their workers. Those costs may include medical care, equipment repair, liability, lost productivity, environmental impacts and damage to the company鈥檚 reputation.
Voluntary consensus standards provide the latest expert guidance and fill gaps where federal standards don鈥檛 exist. Companies rely on them to drive improvement, injury prevention and sustainability. With government regulations being slow to change and often out of date, federal compliance is not sufficient to protect workers.
鈥淲e are a leading developer of workplace consensus standards that reduce injuries, illnesses and fatalities,鈥� said ASSP President Pam Walaski, CSP, FASSP. 鈥淥ur committees provide a technical expertise that ensures our standards reflect the latest industry advancements and best safety practices.鈥�
In its last fiscal year, ASSP created, reaffirmed or revised 15 standards, technical reports and guidance documents, engaging 1,400 safety experts who represented 500 organizations. The Society and its partners also distributed nearly 25,000 copies of standards.