Alliance Between Region II Buffalo, New York Area Office and Lehigh
Construction Group Provides Construction Safety Training to Thousands of
Students in Western New York
More than 8,000 students in western New York have been trained in
construction safety and health as the result of the Alliance between the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Region II Buffalo, New
York Area Office and Lehigh Construction Group. Signed on May 15, 2003 and
renewed for a second time on April 4, 2007, the Alliance’s goal is to
provide future members of the construction industry with training on the
fundamentals of construction safety and health. The training has been
provided to students at high schools, vocational and technical schools,
Board of Cooperative Educational Services (BOCES) schools, and local
colleges with construction courses.
Through the Alliance, Gordon DeLeys, OSHA’s Compliance Assistance Specialist
(CAS) in the Buffalo Area Office, worked with Thomas Glomb, Vice President
of Lehigh Construction Group, to develop a joint training presentation that
would appeal to high school and college students who plan to enter the
building trades. During the two to three hour class on the “focus four”
construction hazards (fall, electrocution, caught-in, and struck-by), Mr.
DeLeys focuses on OSHA’s construction standards and the recognition of these
hazards. Mr. Glomb provides a construction company owner’s perspective,
including how to establish a safety culture and the legal and financial
costs associated with workplace fatalities and injuries. He also highlights
the human cost of workplace fatalities and injuries, including the difficult
task of having to notify a family if one of their own has been killed or
injured on the job.
Mr. DeLeys and Mr. Glomb also present this information to local students as
part of the OSHA 10-hour Outreach Training Program construction course. For
example, an OSHA 10-hour construction course was provided to students in the
Construction Design and Engineering curriculum at Erie Community College in
May 2008 and to students in the Electrical/Electronic Service Department at
Alfred State University of New York College of Technology in March 2008. One
of the goals of this training is to make these students aware that safety
and health considerations should be incorporated into a project’s estimates
and design costs.
In addition, the OSHA 10-hour construction course was provided to students
and contractors on the Seneca Nation of Indians reservations in Salamanca
and Irving, New York through the Alliance. For example, the Alliance
participants provided this course in March 2008 for 45 students who were
engaged in a casino construction project. The class was such a success that
a second OSHA 10-hour construction course was held at the Irving, New York
reservation in July 2008.
Through the Alliance, representatives from Lehigh Construction Group
attended a Region II kickoff event on April 21, 2008 in support of OSHA’s
2008 Teen Summer Job Safety Campaign. The event took place at a residential
construction site in Batavia, New York where students from the Genesee
Valley BOCES school were building a house as part of their curriculum. The
event was covered by the morning shows from the local NBC and CBS television
stations.
“OSHA and Lehigh remain committed to cooperative and proactive efforts to
improve safety and health in the construction industry in western New York,”
said Arthur Dube, Director of OSHA’s Buffalo Area Office. “Providing the
newest construction employees with a strong foundation in safety and health
will pay off in fewer injuries, greater productivity, and safer workplaces.”
“Lehigh is committed to working with OSHA to educate youth in western New
York on hazards typically found on construction sites and the safe practices
that can be implemented to reduce or eliminate the hazards,” said Thomas
Glomb. “Young workers often want to make a good first impression on the job,
are willing to take risks, and have a perception that they are invincible,
but usually have little or no on-the-job safety training. This can lead to
injuries to themselves or others. The awareness training provided through
this Alliance is therefore extremely important for these inexperienced
employees.”
For more information on this Alliance, contact
Gordon DeLeys.
--As of August 2008.
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OSHA's Region II Alliance With the Voluntary Protection Programs
Participants' Association Trains over 600 Employees at a Family Health and Safety Fair
| Signed in July 2005, the Alliance provides young employees, immigrant
employees, including Hispanics, and others with information, guidance, and access to training
resources to help protect their safety and health, particularly by reducing and preventing
exposure to the most common hazards encountered in both construction and general industry. |
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics, 5,703 workers were killed on
the job in 2006. Commented Diana Cortez, Area Director, Region II Tarrytown, New York Area Office,
"One contributing factor is that the employees do not know how to recognize unsafe conditions and
what action to take to avoid them or have them corrected. In order to impact the employees' future
safety and health, I believe we need to instill awareness of hazards in all employees--including
young employees. By also reaching out and educating the future workforce, we significantly impact
our ability to eliminate workplace accidents."
To reach out to Hudson Valley and greater New York City area employers and employees and their
families, the OSHA Region II and the Voluntary Protection Programs Participants' Association Region
II Chapter (VPPPA Region II Chapter) Alliance along with the Region II Tarrytown, New York Area
Office and the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) (a certified OSHA Education Center offering
safety and health training courses) co-sponsored a Family Health and Safety Fair in White Plains,
New York, on September 16, 2007. The Fair featured workshops, health information and screenings,
demonstrations and activities.
Over 600 attendees were trained during the Fair's many workshops offered by the 22 volunteer safety
and health trainers from professional organizations including RIT and local companies. These
included:
- Eleven workshops on safety and health topics presented to employers and employees in English
and Spanish.
- Six workshops on restaurant, retail and landscaping safety and health hazards tailored for
youth workers.
Many training sessions consisted of a combination of slide presentations and
hands-on training, and many workshops were repeated throughout the day.
In addition to the workshops, the Fair had an area for the 60 exhibiting organizations to set up
their booths and displays. More than 20 members of the local fire and police departments provided
safety demonstrations and information on topics such as seat belt use, bike helmet use, and hands-on
fire extinguisher demonstration with a controlled fire. They also displayed fire trucks, a hazardous
materials response truck and a variety of emergency equipment. In booths staffed by health
professionals, fair attendees were able to receive eye exams (Figure 1) and to be screened for
diabetes, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), blood pressure, and cholesterol. Physicians in a
health van also performed medical exams. Some attendees discovered that they were diabetic, needed
glasses or had high blood pressure and were referred to their doctors for treatment.
To ensure that the Fair was successful, the Alliance and RIT obtained the support of community
organizations and safety and health professionals from New York and New Jersey who volunteered their
time and expertise in various ways from marketing the event to presenting workshops and staffing
booths. The local chapters of the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) and the Chambers of
Commerce were the source of many volunteers. Other volunteers came from local fire and police
departments; from national, state and local health organizations; and from manufacturers of
construction equipment, a toy store chain and a professional soccer team. The volunteers created and
distributed flyers, posters and invitations to employers and employees encouraging them to bring
their families and publicizing the activities and entertainment of interest to their children. They
posted a banner on the front of the Westchester County Center (Figure 2), where the fair was held,
for 6 weeks prior to the Fair. Volunteers' in-kind contributions included thousands of dollars in
marketing and printing costs and overtime and travel expenses.
According to Ms. Cortez, "The purpose of our Fair was to educate and inform the workforce of today
as well as the workforce of tomorrow about how to prevent workplace accidents to reduce injuries,
illnesses and fatalities." Ms. Cortez noted that many attendees stated that they learned about
potential workplace safety and health hazards and methods of correcting them. For example, some of
the attendees did not know about the need to use fall protection when working on swinging or pump
jack scaffolds. Others learned what type of personal protective equipment they should be using and
said that they would be asking their employers for what they needed at their worksites.
For more information about the Fair, contact
Diana Cortez.
Figure 1. Eye Examination |
Figure 2. Banner for Fair |
-- As of March 2008.
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Region II Working With Community-Based Organizations to Improve Safety
and Health for Hispanic Employees in Staten Island, New Jersey
Improving the health and safety of Hispanic employees in Staten Island, New Jersey through helping
them recognize safety is the goal of the OSHA Region II Avenel, New Jersey Area Office, Project
Hospitality Inc. and El Centro de Hospitalidad
Alliance
signed March 4, 2005. The Alliance focuses
on preventing exposure to hazards in the landscaping and construction industries, such as falls from
elevation; electrical; struck-by and caught-between; sprains and strains, cave-ins; lacerations; and
trauma caused by machinery, tools and improper lifting techniques.
"OSHA health and safety Alliances are part of U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao's ongoing efforts
to improve the health and safety of employees through cooperative partnerships," said Patricia K.
Clark, OSHA's Regional Administrator. "Our goal is to advance safety and health awareness within
Staten Island's Hispanic worker community."
Through the Alliance, OSHA, Project Hospitality Inc. and El Centro de Hospitalidad are developing
and delivering Spanish-language safety and health training to El Centro de Hospitalidad members and
other Hispanic day laborers. In addition, the Alliance participants are distributing
Spanish-language safety and health materials to Hispanic day laborers and at Project Hospitality and
El Centro de Hospitalidad meetings and other community forums.
For example, representatives of the Alliance attended a Hispanic safety fair sponsored by Project
Hospitality, Inc. in Staten, Island, New Jersey on April 10, 2005 that was attended by more than 225
Hispanic employees. At the fair, OSHA staff distributed copies of the Agency's Spanish-language
safety and health materials and answered the attendees' questions. In addition, OSHA staff from the
Avenel, New Jersey Area Office delivered four Spanish-language safety training sessions to more than
250 day laborers on June 21 and July 20, 2005 and on January 25 and July 19, 2006, at the El Centro
headquarters in Staten Island. The training sessions focused on hazards in landscaping, including
falls from elevation; excavation hazards; and hazards in construction, including electrical,
struck-by and caught-between.
According to Mike Yarnell, Compliance Assistance Specialist, OSHA's Region II Avenel, New Jersey
Area Office, no day laborer belonging to El Centro has suffered a fatal injury since the Alliance's
signing.
The OSHA Region II, Project Hospitality, Inc. and El Centro de Hospitalidad Alliance will be renewed
in the spring of 2007.
For more information on the OSHA, Project Hospitality, Inc. and El Centro de Hospitalidad Alliance
and its activities, please contact Mike Yarnell at 732-750-3270.
-- As of March 2007.
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Region II Alliance Trains Teachers to Help Protect Young Workers
Providing New Jersey public school teachers and administrators with occupational safety and health
information and training to protect students and other young workers and to promote on-the-job
safety and health is the focus of an Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Region II
Alliance. The agreement, signed on October 31, 2005, with four Region II Area Offices, the U.S.
Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division (WHD), the New Jersey Department of Education, the New
Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, the University of Medicine and Dentistry of
New Jersey and the Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences Institute1, formalized the
signatories' ongoing efforts.
Through the Alliance, OSHA staff, with assistance from the Alliance's other members, are providing
basic safety and health and hazard awareness training to New Jersey cooperative education and
structured learning experience teachers and apprenticeship coordinators, and other school
administrators. The training, known as the OSHA 10 Plus Program, includes OSHA's 10-Hour General
Industry Outreach Program, information on youth-related employment laws and New Jersey's public
school safety and health procedures. For example, WHD representatives provide information on the
other youth-related employment requirements, such as activities young workers are prohibited from
doing on the job (e.g., operating powered industrial equipment, slicing machines, etc). The
Program's materials focus on retail, fast food and other industries that typically employ young
workers. Since Alliance was signed October 31, 2005, the OSHA 10 Plus Program has been conducted 16
times throughout the state with more that 400 teachers taking the class.
During the training, the participants also learn how they can use OSHA's Web site to determine if
potential employers have any OSHA citations before placing students with the businesses. In
addition, the teachers and school administrators are instructed on how to identify safety and health
hazards that might impact students; such as a leaking ceiling that could cause mold and violate New
Jersey's indoor air quality standard. The course also provides information about New Jersey's public
sector On-site Consultation Program, including how to request a free and confidential consultation
visit to address workplace safety and health concerns. "The auditors can share information about the
On-site Consultation Program and its benefits with school principals and superintendents across New
Jersey," according to Lou Lento, Compliance Assistance Specialist (CAS) in the Region II Hasbrouck
Heights, New Jersey Area Office.
In addition to providing the OSHA 10 Plus Program, the Alliance encourages school personnel to
enroll in the Agency's train-the-trainer programs; OSHA 500 Trainer Course in OSHA Standards for
Construction and OSHA 501 Trainer Course in OSHA Standards for General Industry. The courses are
presented to school personnel at the Atlantic OSHA Training Center, free of charge, through New
Jersey's Safe Schools Program. According to Mr. Lento, 21 teachers that participated in the OSHA 10
Plus Program completed the construction course and are authorized to teach the OSHA 10 Hour
Construction Outreach Program. Another 29 teachers completed the general industry train-the-trainer
course and are authorized to teach the OSHA 10-Hour General Industry Outreach Program. As a result,
teachers who were trained through the Safe Schools Program have taught the OSHA 10 Hour General
Industry Outreach Program to 77 students and the OSHA 10 Hour Construction Industry Outreach Program
to 377 students.
"This Alliance works," according to Mr. Lento. "The Alliance's members realize the importance of
providing training to America's future workforce. In addition, organizations such the American
Society of Safety Engineers, the NJ Industrial Safety Committee, the Northern NJ Federal Safety &
Health Council, labor unions, and volunteers from the safety and health community all answered the
call to provide resources and assistance."
For more information about this Alliance, contact
Lou Lento, CAS.
-- As of December 2006.
____________________________________________
1Region II's Hasbrouck Heights, Parsippany, Avenel and Marlton Area Offices; the U.S.
Department of Labor, Wage and Hour Division, Southern New Jersey and Northern New Jersey District
Offices; the New Jersey Department of Education, Division of Education Programs and Assessment,
Office of Vocational-Technical, Career and Innovative Programs; the New Jersey Department of Labor
and Workforce Development, Division of Wage and Hour Compliance; the University of Medicine and
Dentistry of New Jersey, School of Public Health; and the Environmental and Occupational Health
Sciences Institute.
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Alliance Between OSHA's Region II Syracuse, New York, Area Office, and the Manufacturers
Association of Central New York Brings Safety and Health Training to Small Companies
Educating manufacturers, especially small businesses about workplace safety and health is the focus
of an Alliance between the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) Region II
Syracuse, New York, Area Office and the Manufacturers Association of Central New York (MACNY).
Through their Alliance, signed on March 19, 2004 and renewed on June 13, 2006, OSHA and MACNY are
reaching out to MACNY members with training and mentoring opportunities to help them establish
safety and health programs. The organizations signed the Alliance because close to half of MACNY's
approximately 300 members are small manufacturers with limited resources to devote to implementing
workplace safety and health programs to reduce workplace injuries and illnesses.
According to Anne Kassel, Vice President, Human Resource Services, MACNY, "The purpose of the
Alliance is to provide small manufacturers, that don't typically have the resources the large firms
do, with the tools and support to develop 'world class' safety training, safety support, and safety
programs. Representatives from MACNY get involved by providing safety training, performing mock OSHA
inspections and looking at company records/logs to make sure they are in compliance. Factories that
put safety programs in place can cut their workers' compensation costs and ensure a safe and healthy
working environment for all their workers."
The OSHA and MACNY Alliance recognized the need to provide information to both manufacturing company
owners and employees. As a result, Region II Regional Administrator, Patricia Clark, was asked to
present an OSHA Overview and Update at the quarterly MACNY General Meeting held on April 21, 2004
for approximately 60 company owners and directors. Her message helped to promote OSHA and the value
of workplace safety and health to MACNY's members.
To reach employees responsible for day-to-day safety and health at MACNY companies, the Alliance
offered the OSHA 10-Hour General Industry (GI) Outreach and Training Program at the MACNY
headquarters in Syracuse. Mike Casler, Compliance Assistance Specialist in Region II's Syracuse Area
Office, and MACNY representatives presented the course during 2004 to more than 50 students. "The
course went over really well," according to Mr. Casler. "In fact, the course was so successful that
MACNY hired an instructor from the Rochester Institute of Technology, an OSHA Education Center, to
present the OSHA 501 Train-the-Trainer [Occupational Safety and Health Course for General
Industry]." As a result of the Alliance, MACNY was able to leverage its resources, training eight
MACNY members as trainers, who have presented 10-hour courses to at least 350 additional MACNY
member employees.
Because the Alliance realized there was a need for additional specialized training, OSHA staff and
MACNY representatives presented a series of four half-day seminars to Syracuse-area businesses on
specific workplace hazards affecting the manufacturing industry. A seminar on recordkeeping was
presented on December 16, 2004; industrial hygiene on February 23, 2005; lockout/tag out and hazard
communication on May 18, 2005; and emergency action planning on November 16, 2005. Over 60 attendees
participated in each of the seminars.
Building on the success of its training efforts, in February 2005 the Alliance created a new
mentoring initiative to assist MACNY members that are small businesses in developing effective
safety and health programs. Through the initiative, smaller companies are encouraged to request
assistance from larger MACNY members that have effective safety and health programs and that have
volunteered to serve as mentors. The mentors visit the smaller companies' facilities, identify the
areas of concern and provide guidance on how to implement effective safety and health programs. Mr.
Casler answers technical safety and health questions and provides guidance to the companies but does
not participate in the visits. To date, approximately ten MACNY member companies have requested
mentors.
During the upcoming year, the Alliance will continue to leverage its resources to promote the value
of workplace safety and health to MACNY members, by continuing to provide the 10-hour course and
additional training seminars that address manufacturing industry-related issues and MACNY member
concerns.
For more information about this Alliance and its activities, contact
Mike Casler, the Region II
Compliance Assistance Specialist in Syracuse, NY.
-- As of September 2006.
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Alliance Between Region II OSHA Area Offices and the New York City Office of the Chief
Medical Examiner Address Workplace Fatalities.
The Occupational Health and Safety Administration's (OSHA) Region II Area
Offices including Avenel, New Jersey, Manhattan, Bayside/Long Island,
and Tarrytown, New York and the New York City Office of the Chief Medical
Examiner (NYCOCME) signed an Alliance on October 30, 2003. The Alliance is
promoting a culture of fatality prevention while facilitating the sharing of
best practices and technical knowledge.
The NYCOCME investigates the deaths of individuals in New York City in order to determine the cause of death.
A medicolegal investigator is sent to the scene to gather evidence, an autopsy is conducted by a medical examiner,
and a cause of death is determined. The OSHA/NYCOCME Alliance assists in identifying workplace injuries that may
go unreported, especially those related to falls, struck-by, electrical and caught-in-between. This effort will
serve to help ensure that no workplace fatality goes unreported, which remains a serious issue, particularly among
New York City's large immigrant population.
In order to assist the medicolegal investigators, OSHA is providing training in the form of its 10 hour construction
course. This knowledge allows the investigators to better identify workplace hazards and common workplace injuries,
ultimately leading to more accurate investigations and safer work environments. This training also serves to help
ensure that the investigators practice proper safety techniques in their own work in the field. Thus far, 20 of the
32 investigators at the NYCOCME have received this training.
OSHA has also presented information to the NYCOCME on high fatality hazards, OSHA statistics, and reporting procedures.
By helping the investigators to understand these topics, OSHA is helping to educate the investigators about what kind of
information the Agency has available to assist in determining whether or not a fatality is the result of an accident on the job.
At the same time, the NYCOCME is offering training sessions to OSHA staff members to help them understand how the
medical examiner determines the cause of fatalities. About 35 OSHA staff members have attended a training session
delivered by the NYCOCME.
"We have enjoyed tremendous success from our Alliance with the Medical Examiner's office. They are extremely professional
and share our interest in reducing fatalities. The Alliance is especially helpful in addressing immigrant fatalities,"
said Richard Mendelson, OSHA Manhattan Area Office Director.
For more information on the OSHA/NYCOCME Alliance and its activities, contact
Patricia Jones.
-- As of August 2004.
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Region II's OSHA/CASA Alliance Recognizes the Value of Early Safety and Health
Education for Children of Hispanic Workers.
At center right is Tarrytown Area Office CSHO (and volunteer Fire
Fighter/Chief) Pete West and at right, Hasbrouck Heights CSHO Nancy Diaz
with a group of students and administrators
from the CASA Day Care Center.
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The Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) Region II Hasbrouck
Heights Area Office formed an Alliance on November 17, 2003 with the Community
Action for Social Affairs (CASA), a local organization primarily representing
the Hispanic community in Paterson, NJ. The OSHA Strategic Management Plan calls
for the Agency to identify new and innovative ways to improve the safety and
health of immigrants and other hard-to-reach workers. Region II's OSHA/CASA
Alliance is working towards this goal with innovative safety and health programs
for Hispanic workers and their children.
Through training sessions conducted at CASA's Job Readiness Training Workshops,
CASA and OSHA's Region II Hasbrouck Heights Area Office are working together to
provide safety and health information in Spanish to Hispanic adults entering the
workforce. During the workshops, OSHA focuses on personal protective equipment,
machine guarding, powered and other hand tools, emergency evacuation, bloodborne
pathogens, respirator use and repetitive motion injuries. Thus far 63
participants have been trained.
Recognizing that the children of these workers would benefit from learning about
safety and health at an early age, as well as how OSHA is working to protect
their parents from workplace injuries and illness, OSHA's Region II and CASA are
also offering educational sessions at the CASA Day Care Center. Three classes
were presented covering basic safety and health, along with general child safety
and fire prevention. The youngsters were taught by two OSHA employees; Tarrytown
Area Office Compliance Safety and Health Officer (CSHO) and volunteer fire
fighter/chief Pete West and Hasbrouck Heights CSHO Nancy Diaz. CASA Executive
Director Ilia Villaneuva and Hasbrouck Heights Area Office Compliance Assistance
Specialist Lou Lento coordinated the sessions and thus far 90 children have
received this educational training.
Each youngster participating in the program was given a take home bag containing
OSHA publications, safety coloring books, pencils and an OSHA informational
magnet with the expectation that other family members might be exposed to this
safety and health information at home. Region II and CASA hope that both the
employees and their children will benefit from this program. The parents should
be better able to assure their children that they will be safe at work, and the
children have the opportunity to gain a better understanding that there is a
government agency looking out for both their parents and their own future
safety.
For more information on the OSHA/CASA Alliance and its activities, contact
Tony DeSiervi.
-- As of November 2003.
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