February 15, 2005 · Volume 4, Issue 4
A bi-weekly e-news memo with information, updates, and results from OSHA about safety and health in America's workplaces.

In This Issue FY2006 Budget Request Includes $2.8 Million Increase for OSHA New Safety Card Highlights Safe Trenching Practices ACCSH Travels to Illinois for February Meeting OSHA's Denver Region to Participate in "SafetyFest of the West" Latest National Alliances Focus on Fire, Ergonomic and Severe Weather Hazards OSHA Seeking More VPP Special Government Employees Strategic Partnerships Signed in New York, Atlanta, Chicago Regions VPP Recognition Granted to Sites in New York, North Dakota Regional Alliances Spotlight New Jersey Construction, Wisconsin Concrete Workers Voluntary Protection Programs Activity FY2006 Budget Request Includes $2.8 Million Increase for OSHA      The President's budget request of $467 million for OSHA during FY2006 provides "the resources we need to continue making a positive impact on workplace safety and health," said Jonathan L. Snare, Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA during a briefing in Washington, Feb. 8. The request includes increases in state plan compliance assistance programs and data analysis and performance measurements, and will also fund a planned 37,700 workplace inspections. New Safety Card Highlights Safe Trenching Practices     OSHA has published a new safety information pocket card designed to help ensure safer trenching and excavation practices, while also explaining federal requirements for construction excavation safety. The card outlines required criteria for excavation or trench walls, as well as specific requirements for protective systems. The card is printed in English and Spanish. ACCSH Travels to Illinois for February Meeting    Rosemont, IL is the site for the Feb. 17 meeting of the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health (ACCSH). Agenda items include presentations and discussions on steel erection, slipperiness of metal decking, vanishing oils, and consideration of the draft proposal on confined spaces in construction. Meetings will be held at the Holiday Inn Select O'Hare in Rosemont and begin promptly at 9:30 a.m. ACCSH meetings are open to the public. Details can be found in the Feb. 2 Federal Register. OSHA's Denver Region to Participate in "SafetyFest of the West"    Colorado's construction industry is the focus of the "SafetyFest of the West" training conference scheduled for Feb. 24-25 in Denver. OSHA and several state associations and training organizations are sponsoring the event which will focus on training to front line workers and supervisors in the areas of electrical safety, fall protection, trenching, scaffolding, personal protective equipment, material handling, motor vehicle safety, and more. The event is held in conjunction with the 2005 American Subcontractors Association Trade Show. Latest National Alliances Focus on Fire, Ergonomic and Severe Weather Hazards     OSHA established two new national Alliances Feb. 9. The National Association of Institutional Linen Management (NAILM) joined OSHA to focus efforts on reducing and preventing exposure to fire and ergonomic-related hazards, as well as emphasizing hazardous material and motor vehicle safety. Advancing safety and health for workers in airport operating areas is the impetus behind OSHA's Alliance with the National Air Transportation Association's Airline Services Council (NATA-ASC). The agreement will highlight worker exposures to inclement/severe weather hazards in and around airport cargo and mail ramp areas, and other areas associated with aircraft maintenance operations. OSHA Seeking More VPP Special Government Employees    The Voluntary Protection Programs' (VPP) Special Government Employee (SGE) program was created in 1994 to leverage OSHA's limited resources by using trained safety and health professionals from approved VPP sites to serve as team members on VPP onsite evaluation teams. More than 400 qualified SGEs are serving alongside OSHA safety and health professionals and are gaining perspectives on safety and health best practices, while also being able to network with some of the most qualified safety and health professionals in the country. Individuals from approved VPP sites interested in this exciting program can obtain more information on OSHA's website or call the agency's SGE Coordinator at (202) 693-2213. Strategic Partnerships Signed in New York, Atlanta, Chicago Regions    OSHA's New York Region recently inked two partnerships with business, labor and other government organizations to focus safety and health efforts for construction workers at two major projects in New Jersey: the Cadbury Adams Science and Technology Center Project in Hanover, NJ, a construction development involving 40 subcontractors and more than 150 workers; and the Pfizer Building Construction Project in Parsippany, NJ, impacting more than 200 trade employees. OSHA's Atlanta Region signed a partnership last month with the Florida East Coast Chapter of the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC), while OSHA's Chicago Region signed three separate construction-related partnerships with various labor, management and state organizations, including: the Interstate 74 construction site near Peoria, IL; a "Residential On-Site Safety Initiative" agreement with the Home Builders Association and the Carpenters District Council, both of Greater St. Louis and vicinity; and, finally, a partnership with contractors and labor organizations in the Greater St. Louis area to focus on roofing and siding workers. VPP Recognition Granted to Sites in New York, North Dakota     A retail lumber establishment, tire manufacturer, and an equipment manufacturer were recently recognized by OSHA for excellence in worker safety and health. Curtis Lumber of Granville and Schroon Lake, New York, received another streamer to their VPP "Star" flag in a recent ceremony. Goodyear Chemical in Niagara Falls, NY, and Bobcat Company of Bismarck, ND, were both recently designated VPP "Merit" sites. VPP programs are open to deserving employers in any industry. The program currently represents approximately 1,200 worksites in more than 200 industries. Regional Alliances Spotlight New Jersey Construction, Wisconsin Concrete Workers     Two regional Alliances in New Jersey and Wisconsin were formed recently by OSHA to help protect workers in the construction and ready-mixed concrete industries. OSHA's area offices throughout New Jersey are working with the New Jersey School Construction Corporation (NJSCC) and the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development to foster a culture of safety and health for workers involved in school construction projects. The Wisconsin Ready Mixed Concrete Association (WRMCA) and the state of Wisconsin signed on with OSHA earlier this month to increase safety and health awareness for workers in the state's concrete industry, with particular focus on hazards associated with silica, falls, and ergonomics. Voluntary Protection Programs Activity     The following companies were approved recently for new or continued participation in OSHA's Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP): Region IV: JE Merit Constructors, Inc., Bay St. Louis, MS (New Star); Koch Cellulose/Leaf River Cellulose, New Augusta, MS (New Star); BP America, Inc., Decatur Works, Decatur, AL (New Star); Weyerhaeuser Flint River Operations, Oglethorpe, GA (Cont. Star); Standridge Color Corp., Social Circle, GA (Cont. Star) Region V: Prairie Packaging, Bedford Park, IL (New Merit); United Group Services, Inc., Cincinnati, OH (New Star Demonstration); Monsanto, Agricultural Sector, Centralia, IL (New Star) Region VI: Baxter Healthcare Corp., Mountain Home, AR (Cont. Star); Chevron Phillips Chemical, Cedar Bayou Plant, Baytown, TX (Cont. Star); Dell, Parmer South Building One, Austin, TX (New Star); Tenneco Automotive, Paragould, AR (Cont. Star); Occidental Chemical Corp., Hahnville, LA (Cont. Star); Halliburton Energy Services, DBS Security, Conroe, TX (New Star), and Region VIII: Ball Metal Beverage Container Group, Golden, CO (New Merit). Editor: Bill Wright, OSHA Office of Communications, 202-693-1999