TRADE NEWS RELEASE
Friday, March 22, 2002
Contact: Frank Meilinger
Phone: (202) 693-1999

WASHINGTON - The Occupational Safety and Health Administration today issued a compliance directive for enforcing the new steel erection standard, which became effective January 18, 2002.

"We want to save lives and provide better protection for steel erection workers," said OSHA Administrator John Henshaw, "by directly addressing the hazards that have been identified as the major causes of injuries and fatalities in the industry."

The new guidance assists compliance officers in enforcing the new standard. The directive contains a compliance officer guide with inspection tips, definitions with photos, and a Question and Answer chapter which clarifies certain provisions of the standard.

The directive addresses the standard's key provisions and the "phase-in"of component requirements. OSHA will not apply the component requirements of the new standard to projects where the building permit was obtained before January 18, 2001 or when the steel erection work began on or before September 16, 2001. However, all other requirements will apply.

A draft of the directive was posted on OSHA's web site in November 2001 to provide the public an opportunity to submit informal suggestions. It was finalized after OSHA analyzed more than 400 responses from approximately 70 stakeholders.

The compliance directive on policies and procedures for OSHA's steel erection standards for construction can be found on the OSHA web site.