Safety News OSHA Increases Number of Training Centers
New Centers Will Help Hispanic Outreach, Ergonomics, Youth Initiatives
Labor Secretary Announces Plans to Enhance Enforcement
for Employers Who Defy Safety and Health Regulations
Hispanic Worker Protection Partnership Program Set To Expand
Department of Labor's OSHA to Join Partnership
Fatal Atlanta Construction Accident Leads to $76,000 OSHA
Penalty For Archer Western
OSHA and Georgia Associated General Contractors
Forge Safety and Health Partnership
OSHA Increases Number of Training Centers
New Centers Will Help Hispanic Outreach, Ergonomics, Youth Initiatives
WASHINGTON -- The U.S. Department of Labor today announced the selection of 20 Training Institute Education Centers, almost doubling the number of centers that currently offer training courses on Occupational
Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards and occupational safety and health issues. OSHA's previous training program included 12 centers. The new program has been expanded to include 20 centers at 35 locations throughout the country.
"These education centers were selected because they can best support our national training and education mission," said U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao. "More than 14,500 students were trained at education
centers in 2002 alone. We expect the number of students trained by these centers to double over the next two years and to continue to increase substantially each year after that. The additional centers will help us meet an increasing demand for OSHA training and provide added value to our outreach efforts in a variety of areas, including ergonomics, Spanish language courses and youth initiatives."
The 20 centers will complement the OSHA Training Institute, the agency's primary training center in Illinois. The centers are primarily responsible for training private sector personnel and federal personnel from agencies outside OSHA.
"Training is key to safety and health," said OSHA Administrator John Henshaw. "The more employers and employees know about hazards and protection, the more injuries, illnesses and fatalities can be prevented.
Expanding our education centers allows us to reach more people with information that can protect their safety and save their lives."
The centers were selected through a national competition that was announced in February. Evaluation criteria included occupational safety and health experience, non-academic training background, classroom and laboratory availability, and the ability to provide training throughout the region. OSHA provides no funding to
the education centers. They support their OSHA training through their normal tuition and fee structures.
The educational centers will also assist the agency in administering the OSHA Outreach Training Program-- the agency's primary way to train workers in the basics of occupational safety and health. Through the program, individuals who complete a one-week OSHA trainer course are authorized to teach 10-hour or 30-hour
courses in construction or general industry safety and health standards. These individuals go on to train thousands more students each year. In FY 2002, 254,000 people received training from the train-the-trainer program.
OSHA's TrainingInstituteEducationCenter program was created in 1992.
A complete list of the OSHA Training Institute Education Centers follows in the accompanying fact sheet.
FACT SHEET
New OSHA Training Institute Education Centers
Note: (*) Indicates current OTIEducationCenter, which was reselected.
Region I
*KeeneState College, Keene, N.H.
Region II
Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, N.Y.
A consortium comprised of the following.
- University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, New Brunswick, N.J. (lead organization)
- StateUniversity of New York at Buffalo, ToxicologyResearchCenter, Buffalo, N.Y.
- Universidad Metropolitana, San Juan, P.R.
- The New York City District Council of Carpenters, Labor Technical College, New York, N.Y.
Region III
*National Resource Center, Washington, DC, a consortium comprised of the following.
- The GeorgeMeanyCenter for Labor Studies, Silver Spring, Md. (lead organization)
- Building and Construction Trades Department, AFL-CIO, Washington, DC
- Center to Protect Workers' Rights, Washington, DC
- West VirginiaUniversity Safety and Health Extension, Morgantown, W.Va.
A consortium comprised of the following.
- Training Division of the University CityScienceCenter, Philadelphia, Pa. (lead organization)
- IndianaUniversity of Pennsylvania, Indiana, Pa.
Region IV
*Georgia Technical Research Institute, Atlanta, Ga.
University of SouthFlorida, Tampa, Fla.
Eastern KentuckyUniversity, Richmond, Ky.
Region V
*Great Lakes OSHA Training Consortium, a consortium comprised of the following. - University of Cincinnati Continuing Medical Education, Cincinnati, Ohio (lead organization)
- Eastern MichiganUniversityCenter for Organization Risk Reduction, Ypsilanti, Mich.
- United Auto Workers Health & Safety Department, Detroit, Mich.
- University of Minnesota Midwest Center of Occupational safety and Health, Minneapolis, Minn.
*NationalSafetyEducationCenter, a consortium comprised of the following. - NorthernIllinoisUniversity, DeKalb, Ill. (lead organization)
- Construction Safety Council, Hillside, Ill.
- National Safety Council, Itasca, Ill.
A consortium comprised of the following. - Ohio Valley Construction Education Foundation, Springboro, Ohio (lead organization)
- SinclairCommunity College, Dayton, Ohio
Region VI
*Texas Engineering Extension Service, Mesquite, Tex.
OklahomaStateUniversity, Stillwater, Okla.
Region VII
*Metropolitan Community Colleges Business & Technology Center, Kansas City, Mo.
A consortium comprised of the following. - St. LouisUniversity, St. Louis, Mo. (lead organization)
- KirkwoodCommunity College, Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Safety and Health Council of Greater Omaha, Omaha, Neb.
Region VIII
*RedRocksCommunity College, LakewoodColo.
RockyMountainCenter, Salt Lake City, Utah, a consortium of the following. - University of Utah, Salt Lake City, Utah (lead organization)
- Salt Lake CityCommunity College System
Region IX
*University of California, San Diego
WestsideEnergyServicesTraining & EducationCenter, Bakersfield, Calif.
Region X
*University of Washington, Seattle, Wash. Labor Secretary Announces Plans to Enhance Enforcement
for Employers Who Defy Safety and Health Regulations
WASHINGTON, DC -- Employers who expose their workers to serious safety and health hazards and who continue to defy worker safety and health regulations, will be subject to an enhanced enforcement policy that Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao is unveiling today.
"The majority of employers in our country consider the health and safety of their workers a priority and strive
to do their utmost to ensure their well being," said Chao. "Still, there are those who, despite OSHA's enforcement and outreach efforts, continually disregard their very basic obligations under the Occupational Safety and Health Act. This enhanced enforcement policy is meant for them."
OSHA's Enhanced Enforcement Policy will focus on those employers who have received "high gravity"
citations. High gravity citations are issued when an employer's violations are considered to be at the highest level of severity.
The policy focuses on five specific areas that will be strengthened: (1) follow-up inspections; (2) programmed inspections; (3) public awareness; (4) settlements; and (5) federal court enforcement. This initiative impacts establishments that received OSHA citations with the highest severity of willful violations, multiple serious
violations at the highest level of severity, repeat violations at the originating establishment, failure-to-abate notices, or a serious or willful violation associated with a fatality.
"No worker should be injured or killed on the job and no employer should ignore their responsibility to obey the law," said OSHA Administrator John Henshaw. "This policy will focus on the high gravity violators and will
put more tenacity and teeth in our enforcement practices. Our goal is to assure compliance and a safe workplace for all workers."
OSHA is dedicated to assuring worker safety and health. Safety and health add value to business, the workplace and life. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.
(Editor's Note: Program highlights for each of these five areas follows this press release).
HIGHLIGHTS FOR OSHA'S ENHANCED ENFORCEMENT POLICY
(1)Follow-Up Inspections
- On-site follow-up inspections at all establishments that received an OSHA citation with "high gravity willful violations, multiple high gravity serious violations, repeat violations at the originating establishment,
failure-to-abate notices, or a serious or willful violation related to a fatality."
- OSHA Area Directors may also conduct follow-up inspections at other sites to verify abatement of previously cited violations where there is reason to suspect abatement may not have occurred.
(2) Programmed Inspections - OSHA schedules programmed inspections based upon objective or neutral selection criteria through the
Site Specific Targeting (SST) process. OSHA, through this initiative, will:
- begin to record the name of the overall corporate entity during all inspections.
- prioritize, within the primary and secondary SST list, all facilities under the corporate identity that has been identified as receiving high gravity violations.
(3) Public Awareness
- For high gravity violations defined above, OSHA will mail a copy of the citation and notification of penalties to the employer's Corporate headquarters.
- The agency will continue to issue local and national press releases on enforcement actions.
(4) Settlements
OSHA will include, as needed, the following provisions in high gravity violation settlement agreements:
- Requiring employers to hire consultants to develop a process to change the safety and health culture in the facility.
- Applying the agreement corporate-wide.
- Including information on other job sites of the employer.
- Requiring employers to report to OSHA any serious injury/illness that requires outside medical care, and
consenting to OSHA inspections based on the report.
Including language that the employer consents to entry of a court enforcement order under Section 11(b) of the OSH Act.
(5) Section 11(b) Summary Enforcement Orders - As appropriate, OSHA will apply to Federal courts of appeal for orders summarily enforcing the
citations under Section 11(b) of the OSH Act. This includes citations that have been settled or have otherwise become final order of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
- In those cases in which an 11(b) order has been entered and the employer remains noncompliant, OSHA will seek contempt of court sanctions
Hispanic Worker Protection Partnership Program Set To Expand
Department of Labor's OSHA to Join Partnership
WASHINGTON-- U.S. Secretary of Labor Elaine L. Chao announced that OSHA has joined the Justice and
Equality in the Workplace Program, designed to protect the rights and promote safety of Hispanic workers. This program based in Houston is the first of its kind.
"The Labor Department is committed to protecting the well being of the over 14.5 million Hispanic workers in our country," Chao said. "We want to help Hispanic workers climb the ladder of success and be an integral part of the American workforce."
The Justice and Equality in the Workplace Program, which was created in July 2001, has already aided the Wage and Hour administration recover over $700,000 in back wages. OSHA, with the help of the Justice and Equality in the Workplace Program, will disseminate health and safety information, compliance assistance information and enforcement of health and safety laws.
The Justice and Equality in the Workplace Program is a partnership program that includes the Wage and Hour
Administration, the Consulates General of Mexico, Colombia, Guatemala and El Salvador, the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, The Mexican American Legal Defense and Education Fund and the Office of the Mayor- Immigration and Refugee Affairs.
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Fatal Atlanta Construction Accident Leads to $76,000 OSHA
Penalty For Archer Western
ATLANTA, Ga. --The U.S. Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited Archer Western Contractors and proposed penalties totaling $76,300 following a double fatality at an Atlanta job site.
OSHA began an inspection on May 7 at the R.L. Sutton Water Reclamation Facility construction site where
three workers had been using a formwork system to pour concrete along the rock face of a 200-foot deep shaft. At about 70 feet above the floor of the shaft, part of the formwork and the scaffold to which it was attached collapsed, hurling the workers to the ground. Two were killed and the third employee was hospitalized for severe injuries. A fourth man working at the bottom of the shaft received a broken arm as a result of falling debris.
During the inspection of the accident, OSHA found that 22 of the required 7/8-inch anchors used to secure the formwork system to the shaft wall had been replaced with smaller 5/8-inch anchors, reducing the support capability of the system.
"This employer showed intentional disregard for worker safety," said Andre Richards, OSHA's Atlanta-West area director. "Company officials knew the replacement anchors were smaller than the original ones holding the
formwork together. Yet, no action was taken to correct the hazardous conditions."
OSHA cited Archer Western for a willful violation for failing to properly support and brace the formwork system during the pouring of concrete. A willful citation implies plain indifference to, or intentional disregard of, safety regulations.
An additional serious citation was issued because the company failed to adequately train workers, providing
specific information concerning the hazards associated with using proper formwork parts and materials.
Western Archer has 15 working days to contest OSHA's citations and proposed penalties before the independent Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.
Inspection of the water reclamation facility work site was conducted by OSHA's Atlanta-West area office located at 2400 Herodian Way, Suite 250, Smyrna, Ga.30080-2968; telephone: (770) 984-8700.
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OSHA and Georgia Associated General Contractors
Forge Safety and Health Partnership
Adequate Training for Non-English Speaking Workers Among Goals
ATLANTA -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration will sign a statewide partnership agreement Wednesday with the Georgia Branch of the Associated General Contractors of America to reduce worker injuries, illnesses and fatalities.
"Thousands of construction workers in Georgia stand to benefit from this program," said Cindy Coe Laseter, OSHA's regional administrator in Atlanta.
Contractors in the partnership, known as the Construction Health and Safety Excellence (CHASE) Program, will focus on reducing the four leading causes of fatal accidents at construction sites: falls, being struck by objects, being caught in or between objects, and electrocution.
Participating employers also must adequately train non-English speaking employees.
CHASE is based on three progressive levels of safety achievement: Red, White and Blue. Companies reach the highest Blue level by demonstrating outstanding safety and health accomplishments.
EVENT: Safety Partnership Signing Ceremony
Construction Health and Safety Excellence (CHASE) Program
DATE/TIME: Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2002
11:00 a.m.
LOCATION: Associated General Contractors of America -- Georgia Branch
Headquarters Building
1940 The Exchange (near the I-285 Windy Hill Exit)
Atlanta, Ga. 30339-2002
CONTACT: G.T. Breezley
(770) 493-1801
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