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OSHA News Release
2005 - 02/11/2005 - OSHA Forges Partnership with Home Builders Association and Carpenters District Council to Boost Safety for Illinois and Missouri Construction Workers

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Region 7 News Release:    OSHA/ 05-275-KAN
Date: Friday, February 11, 2005
Contact: Norma J. Conrad
Phone: 816-426-5481

OSHA Forges Partnership with Home Builders Association and
Carpenters District Council to Boost Safety for Illinois and Missouri Construction Workers

Kansas City, Mo -- The U.S. Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) recently entered into a partnership with the Home Builders Association of Greater St. Louis, in conjunction with the Carpenters District Council of Greater St. Louis and vicinity, to ensure the safety and health of residential construction workers in Illinois and Missouri.

OSHA health and safety partnerships are part of U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao's ongoing efforts to improve health and safety for workers through cooperative programs.

The Residential On-Site Safety Initiative (ROSSI) partnership with OSHA area offices in St. Louis and Kansas City, Mo., and Peoria, Ill., is designed to limit and check some of the most common workplace injuries and illnesses. A key goal of the partnership is to reduce and prevent the top causes of fatalities identified by OSHA: falls, electrical hazards, moving equipment or machinery, and workers who are caught between equipment. The partnership will increase the number of employers with effective safety and health training and allow OSHA to help employers who need assistance.

A key goal will be to help businesses develop safety and health programs that involve employers and workers in identifying and controlling hazards before they result in injuries. This partnership is a major step to advance that effort.

Under the terms of the partnership, contractors will put safety and health programs into action that require fall protection when employees perform work that is more than six feet above the lower level. The safety programs will enable workers and supervisors to recognize and abate safety and health hazards before work begins. Contractors must conduct regular job site inspections and train all workers on typical residential construction hazards.

Participation in ROSSI is voluntary but carries incentives for those who participate. OSHA will not conduct programmed inspections of partnership members for up to 12 months once an OSHA on-site verification inspection has been successfully completed. OSHA will still conduct inspections in response to reports of imminent danger, an employee complaint, a fatality, or catastrophic accident. OSHA will not cite contractors for other-than-serious violations that are abated during an inspection, and will reduce penalties for other safety and health violations.

Employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthful workplace for their employees. OSHA's role is to assure the safety and health of America's workers by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach, and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual improvement in workplace safety and health. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.


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U.S. Labor Department news releases are accessible on the Internet at www.dol.gov/ebsa. The information in this release will be made available in alternative format upon request (large print, Braille, audio tape or disc) from the COAST office. Please specify which news release when placing your request. Call 202-693-7773 or TTY 202-693-7755.

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