"People think its never going to happen, so they dont want to spend the time and money on preparedness," says Michael McCann, safety director for the Center to Protect Workers Rights, an affiliate of the AFL-CIOs Building and Construction Trades Dept.
The federal government does not set specific rescue standards for construction or for general industry. The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration oversees a general construction safety standard and separate rules aimed at specific practices such as steel erection or crane operation.