The Samuels Group, OSHA renew partnership to protect construction workers on Sacred Heart Hospital project in Eau Claire, Wisconsin

EAU CLAIRE, Wis. — The Samuels Group and the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration have renewed a strategic partnership to protect and educate workers on construction hazards during the Sacred Heart Hospital Curtail Wall Replacement Project in Eau Claire.

The partnership will focus on training employers and workers about construction hazards workers face daily on the job, including fall, electrical, caught-in and struck-by hazards. These dangers are the leading causes of injuries and fatalities in the industry.

"We want to help Sacred Heart identify and control hazards, while continuing to improve safety and health programs at the site and encouraging employee participation," said Mark Hysell, OSHA's area director in Eau Claire.

The partnership aims to meet goals through increased training, implementation of best work practices, creation of written site-specific safety and health programs and compliance with applicable OSHA standards and regulations.

Approximately 50 workers are replacing a nine-story curtain wall system for the hospital. The $20 million project is scheduled for completion in 2015. The project consists of demolishing and then replacing the exterior, veneer curtain wall structures, glass and metal panels and glazing. The partnership was originally signed in April 2012. The renewed partnership covers the second phase of the project.

The Samuels Group, a commercial construction contractor headquartered in Wausau, has implemented a site-specific safety and health program that includes a weekly safety stand-down; daily stretch and flexes program; and job site hazard training.

Wisconsin's consultation program is funded by federal OSHA and operated by the state of Wisconsin.

Through its Strategic Partnership Program, OSHA works with employers, employees, professional and trade associations, labor organizations and other interested stakeholders to establish specific goals, strategies and performance measures to improve worker safety and health. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov/dcsp/partnerships/index.html.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to ensure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.