US Department of Labor, Brasfield & Gorrie Construction to promote workplace safety, health at Alabama construction site

MCCALLA, AL – The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has signed a strategic partnership with Brasfield & Gorrie Construction to promote worker safety and health during the construction of the University of Alabama’s Medical West project in McCalla. The University of Alabama SafeState is also supporting the partnership.

The partnership seeks to prevent worker injuries and exposure to hazards during construction of a nine-story, 413,988-square-foot hospital, central energy plant, medical office building and a five-story parking deck. Once complete, the facility is expected to include 260 beds on a 26-acre site.

The initiative will also encourage contractors to develop and implement safety and health programs, and provide safety and health training to employees, employers and supervisors. Participants will focus on the use of personal protective equipment, heat illness prevention, hazards related to falls, struck-by and caught-in objects, electrical equipment and work practices, fire protection and prevention, safe use of hand and power tools, and silica and noise exposure.

“Public-private sector partnerships focused on worker safety and health training at all levels are a proven method to enhance worker safety during major construction projects,” said OSHA Area Office Director Ramona Morris in Birmingham, Alabama. “Partnerships like these make a significant difference in ensuring workers finish their day’s work safely.”

OSHA and Brasfield & Gorrie Construction signed the partnership on March 2.

OSHA’s Strategic Partnership Program 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. Learn more about OSHA.