Come put on a hard hat and get a behind-the-scenes look at what construction workers are doing to build the next era of academic and residence halls at the University of Iowa, while using research results from UI faculty to stay safe.

With more than 500 active projects on campus right now, protecting construction workers on the job and the community at-large is a full-time job that requires teamwork across professional and academic boundaries.

Workers with Miron Construction will take you on a tour of the new Petersen Residence Hall on Grand Avenue, sending you up to the 10^th floor in a temporary elevator to get a bird’s eye view of external brick-laying several stories up, as well as dry-walling and electrical work inside the building. Miron has partnered with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration at Petersen, and routine compliance checks are performed on-site monthly.

Crew members will be available to talk about their experiences on the job.

Occupational and Environmental Health assistant professor Nathan Fethke will also be on hand to talk about his recent research with eastern Iowa ironworkers, the impacts the job has on their lungs and posture, and some data-driven solutions to those problems.

Fethke will be able to connect the dots between the academic research happening at the UI, the safe experiences construction workers have on campus, and how data drives smart decisions.

WHAT: Highly visual, behind-the-scenes look at an active UI construction site, the safety precautions crews take, and the research driving those decisions.

WHO:

• Norman Steinbach, site superintendent at Petersen
• Jonathan Daniels, Miron Construction, vice president, Iowa Operations
• Mike Whitmore, OSHA representative
• Nathan Fethke, Occupational and Environmental Health assistant professor

WHEN: Tuesday, Sept. 30 at 10 a.m.

WHERE:

• Mary Louise Petersen Residence Hall construction site
• 304 Grand Avenue, Iowa City
• Gate entrance on east side, closest to Riverside Drive

RSVP: Please RSVP to Brittany Borghi by Monday, Sept. 29 to get an accurate count for hard hats and goggles.

The tour will be in advance of the first annual Hawkeye on Safety Conference, where several local unions and construction companies will take part in advanced safety training, thanks to local and university experts.

The conference happens Wednesday, Oct. 1 from 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Coralville Marriott, and is sponsored by the Heartland Center for Occupational Health and Safety, Worksafe Iowa, and University of Iowa Facilities Management.