OSHA and Missouri builders, contractors continue alliance to provide outreach, protect workers from common hazards

Participants: U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration

Associated Builders and Contractors Inc.-Heart of America Chapter

Alliance: OSHA and ABC-HOA have renewed an agreement – signed originally in January 2015 – to address struck-by, fall, caught-in-between and electrical hazards in the construction industry. The alliance will continue to provide chapter members and others with information, guidance and access to training resources. These resources are designed to help protect the safety and health of construction industry workers and promote understanding of the rights of workers and the responsibilities of employers under the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

The alliance calls for both organizations to use relevant injury, illness and hazard exposure data when appropriate to help identify areas of emphasis for alliance awareness, outreach and communication activities.  Alliance participants will convene and participate in the organization’s conferences, local meetings and other special events on workplace hazards. They will also collaborate to forge innovative solutions in the workplace and share information on safety and health issues.

Duration: Two years.

Background: OSHA’s Alliance Program connects the agency with groups committed to worker safety and health in an effort to reduce workplace fatalities, injuries and illnesses. Groups include unions, consulates, trade or professional organizations, businesses, faith- and community-based organizations, and educational institutions. Alliance members work together to develop compliance assistance tools and resources, share information with workers and employers, and educate workers and employers about their rights and responsibilities under the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

Quote:  “Workplaces are made safer when everyone works together to recognize hazards and follow safety protocols and procedures,” said Kimberly Stille, OSHA’s regional administrator in Kansas City. “OSHA has found alliances like these set the standard for sharing best practices, educating employers and workers, and ensuring that safety is not compromised on the job.”