WASHINGTON – The Occupational Safety and Health Administration today issued Recommended
Practices for Safety and Health Programs in Construction to help industry
employers develop proactive programs to keep their workplaces safe. The
recommendations may be particularly helpful to small- and medium-sized
contractors who lack safety and health specialists on staff.
Safety and health
programs encourage finding and fixing workplace hazards before they cause injuries,
illnesses and deaths. Implementing these programs also helps reduce the
financial difficulties these events can cause for workers, their families and
their employers.
Contractors can
create a safety and health program using a number of simple steps that include:
training workers on how to identify and control hazards; inspecting the jobsite
with workers to identify problems with equipment and materials; and developing
responses to possible emergency scenarios in advance.
“The recommendations
outlined in this document will help contractors prevent injuries and illnesses
on their construction sites and make their companies more profitable,” said
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David
Michaels.
The recommended
practices for a safety and health program are flexible and can be adjusted to
fit small and large construction companies handling short-term or multi-year
projects. Working with employees to implement a program can offer other
benefits including improvements in production and quality; greater employee morale;
improved employee recruiting and retention; and a more favorable image and
reputation among customers, suppliers and the community.
These
recommendations are advisory only and do not create any new legal obligations
or alter existing obligations created by OSHA standards or regulations.
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 www.osha.gov.
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