I. PURPOSE/SCOPE
This partnering agreement was developed jointly by Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(OSHA), the Georgia Institute of Technology Onsite Safety and Health Consultation Program (Georgia
Tech) and CDI Contractors, LLC (CDI). The common objective and goals of the agreement are to reduce
injuries and illnesses, increasing safety and health training, sharing of best work practices,
increasing the number employers with safety and health management systems, and compliance with
applicable OSHA standards and regulations.
To facilitate the goal of reducing occupational related fatalities and serious injuries within the
construction industry OSHA, Georgia Tech and CDI, will implement an agreement under the OSHA
Strategic Partnership Program (OSPP). This agreement will address the prevention of the workplace
injuries, illnesses and fatalities, as well as the development and implementation of effective
safety and health management systems.
This agreement will cover the Village at Riverwatch Open Air Lifestyle Center Mall Project in
Augusta, Georgia. The project will consist of 11 buildings, including 2 large retail anchor stores
on 127 acres. A different general contractor, who is not participating in this agreement, will
construct the Belks anchor store. Additionally, tenant-finish contractors will not fall under this
partnership (unless otherwise specified). Building construction will start in October 2006 with the
grand opening of Mall scheduled for March 2008.
By focusing its efforts and utilizing the skills, knowledge and resources of OSHA, CDI and Georgia
Tech expect to reduce exposure to hazards and thereby decrease the possibility of serious injuries
and fatalities at the Village at Riverwatch Construction Project.
II. IDENTIFICATION OF PARTNERS
This Partnership is consistent with OSHA’s long-range efforts to develop a contractor/ government
partnership approach to safety management. It allows for better use of OSHA resources and innovation
in safety management and encourages more participation in the safety process from the construction
community. The partners in this agreement will include: The Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA), Atlanta-East Area Office; CDI Contractors, LLC; and the Georgia Institute of
Technology Onsite Safety and Health Consultation Program
III. GOALS AND MEASUREMENTS
The primary objective of this partnership is to create a working relationship that focuses on
preventing work-related fatalities, controlling or eliminating serious workplace hazards, and
establishing a foundation for the development of an effective safety and health program. The goals
employed to achieve these results will include the following:
- GOALS
Participants in this Partnership will strive to:
- Reduce the total number of injuries and illnesses cases by 10 percent, thereby providing a safe
and healthful work environment for employees at the Project.
- Continually improve safety and health at the worksite by ensuring that best practices are shared
with all subcontractors.
- Increase the number of employees, employers and supervisors that are provided effective safety
and health training, such as the OSHA 10-hour course.
- Effectively control workplace hazards by increasing the number of construction companies with
safety and health management systems.
- MEASUREMENTS
CDI will serve as the primary data collector for this agreement. Outcome measures compiled under
this agreement will include:
- The measurement system will use OSHA recordable injuries and illnesses to determine the Days
Away, Restricted or Transferred Rate (DART), Days Away Case Rate (DACR) and Total Case Injury and
Illness Rate (TCIIR) for the site compared to the average for the construction industry nationally.
Rates for fall and amputation injuries will also be tracked and computed.
- Activity measures shall include the applicable number of employers, supervisors, and employees
trained. CDI will maintain the records of the 30-hour and 10-hour training certifications. All
contractors will be required to conduct weekly toolbox talks, or participate in CDI’s weekly
training sessions. The time, place, attendees and topics/hazards discussed shall be documented.
- CDI will track and evaluate the number of subcontractors with effective safety and health
management systems.
- On a monthly basis CDI will collect data to analyze the number of hours worked, number of
injuries, illnesses and fatalities, and the number of serious violations found as a result of onsite
audits, jobsite inspections, and OSHA inspection activity.
- CDI will maintain records of the jobsite safety and health inspections, including the total
number of hazards identified and corrective action (accomplished by the general contractor and by
each subcontractor). The jobsite inspections reports will indicate the number of hazards observed,
corrective actions, as well as safety and health management system improvements.
- The site will also maintain a record of the number of disciplinary actions, which involved
individuals who do not fully comply with CDI’s safety philosophy. The tools for tracking these
actions may include the near miss incident reporting system and the safety audits.
- Actions specific to NFPA 70E and work on live electrical, such as training records, PPE
availability and use, and permits.
- Measurement factors will be compiled monthly by CDI and at the conclusion of the project. CDI
will ensure that the information is provided to OSHA for the annual partnership evaluation report.
IV. MANAGEMENT AND OPERATION
- CDI will:
- Establish a jobsite safety committee, consisting of a representative of all contractors on site,
implement the safety committee’s Zero Injury Philosophy, in that all accidents are preventable and
unnecessary, and a comprehensive safety and health management system, which includes:
- Management commitment and employee involvement;
- Hazard analysis;
- Hazard control;
- Arrangement of training assistance for other stakeholders on site.
- Mentor subcontractors in safety and health management systems. Subcontractors shall include all
multi-tiered subs that arrive for work on the site.
- (Where the potential for airborne silica exposure exists) require the use of wet cutting, or soft
cutting techniques and/or dust collection system, and when needed, the mandatory use of approved
respiratory protection. To the extent feasible, personal air monitoring will be conducted to assess
employee exposure levels. Where the potential for other health issues exist (i.e., carbon monoxide,
lead, or large-scale use of chemicals in the building interior during floor finishing), CDI will
coordinate with the subcontractor responsible for creating the hazard and ensure that air monitoring
is accomplished to assess employee exposure levels. Sampling results will be compiled and tracked by
CDI.
- Have the authority to enforce safety rules and regulations. This authority will include
provisions to hold contractors and employees accountable and, if necessary, remove contractor
employees, supervision from the job site.
- Ensure that a risk assessment is performed by a competent person on all fall hazards. The
probability and severity of occurrence for each identified hazard will be evaluated to eliminate or
reduce the risk through engineering or administrative controls to a level as low as possible.
- Critical risk will not be tolerated. No work will be performed until action is taken to reduce
the level of risk to as low as reasonably feasible.
- Bricklayers performing overhand bricklaying and related work above lower levels must be protected
as described above. No monitor system will be allowed.
- Workers on the face of formwork or reinforcing steel must be protected from falling by personal
fall arrest systems, with the use of a positioning device, and/or lanyards.
- To the extent feasible, serious ergonomic hazards will be identified and corrected.
- Ensure that ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCI) are used to protect all electrical circuits
that are installed for work. All contractors will ensure that employees are protected by the use of
a GFCI at all times.
- (CDI’s Superintendent and Safety Director) Oversee safety and health at the site, to serve as a
point of contact, and oversee the partnership goals.
- (CDI’s Superintendent and Safety Director) ensure that daily Safety Audits are conducted. Since
this is a multi-employer worksite and all workers are to work together on safety issues, CDI, upon
request, will review subcontractors daily log books, and note any hazards found, and then review
them with all committee members at the weekly coordination/Subcontractor meeting.
- Conduct and document job site safety meetings/toolbox talks on a weekly basis.
- Submit monthly accident reports to the partners, including first aid, injury, property damage
and near miss reports.
- Coordinate and conduct a comprehensive site audit on a weekly basis, led by CDI’s
Superintendent. Safety Committee/Subcontractor Members will participate in the site safety audit. If
non-compliant activity or hazards are discovered, immediate correction is required. CDI will
document the corrective action taken and share this information with OSHA and the Georgia Tech
Onsite Consultation Program during the monthly update meetings.
- Allow OSHA access to the site during inspection activities (verification as well as unprogrammed
activities such as fatalities and employee complaints).
- Audit the partnership and make recommendation for improvement.
- Share the results of jobsite inspections and information concerning select near misses with all
workers. Select near misses and daily safety audits will be discussed during Tool Box Talks.
- Ensure that no employees are allowed to work directly below a suspended load except for:
employees engaged in the initial connection of steel; employees necessary for hooking or unhooking
the load. The following criteria must be met when employees are allowed to work under the load:
materials being hoisted shall be rigged to prevent unintentional displacement; hooks with
self-closing safety latches or their equivalent shall be used to prevent components from slipping
out of the hook; all loads shall be rigged by a qualified rigger. Appropriate use of tag lines will
be utilized to prevent work below suspended loads.
- Require the use of appropriate personal protective equipment. Hardhats are mandatory, and eye
protection will be worn whenever operations present potential eye injury from physical, chemical, or
radiation agents. Employees working at night shall wear high-visibility reflective clothing.
- Ensure that all signs and warnings will be posted in English and Spanish, as well as any other
appropriate languages.
- OSHA will:
- Participate, to the extent resources permit, in the weekly Partnership Committee/Subcontractor
meetings, but will not participate in the walk around inspection, except that the verification
visits may be scheduled as part of the weekly walkaround inspection, at the discretion of the Safety
Director for CDI Contractors.
- Serve as a resource and liaison for partnership participants and also assist with safety and
health training, as resources permit.
- Give priority to the construction project when technical assistance is needed.
- Audit the monthly reports/documents and make recommendations for improvements in the meeting
Partnership goals.
- Conduct inspections in accordance with section VI of this partnership.
- SUBCONTRACTORS will:
- Appoint a representative to the site Safety Committee responsible for resolving job safety
matters and serving as a liaison to CDI’s Superintendent.
- Conduct jobsite safety inspections for those employees under their control. This will be in
addition to the general inspections that are to occur daily. If non-compliant activity or hazards
are discovered, immediate correction is required. Documentation of abatement methods and
verification must be submitted to CDI’s Safety Director.
- Participate in the weekly Safety Committee/Subcontractor meetings and safety audits. If
non-compliant activity or hazards are discovered, immediate correction is required. Abatement
methods and verification must be submitted to CDI’s Safety Director who will document the correction
taken and share this information during the monthly update meetings.
- Share the results of jobsite inspections with all workers by posting them in the project office.
- ON-SITE SAFETY AND HEALTH CONSULTATION PROGRAM will:
Give priority consideration to requests for services to small contractors who are engaged in work at
the project.
V. SAFETY AND HEATLH MANAGEMENT SYSTEM
CDI will use its system to collect and analyze injury and illness trends (including near-miss
incidents) by all contractors performing work at the site. This data will be used as a tool to
ensure continual safety and health improvement at the site. The management of this agreement will be
accomplished by CDI by implementing a comprehensive jobsite safety and health management system
which includes:
- CDI will complete a risk assessment prior to exposing employee to potential safety and health
hazards. This will be accomplished by the use of the CDI Safety Task Assignment (STA) form
(attached).
- Work with OSHA, Georgia Tech and committee members to provide the resources to conduct initial
monitoring for ALL toxins, carcinogens, or hazardous substances currently emphasized by OSHA and
which present inhalation hazards, such as silica, lead, cadmium, and/or isocyanates. Employee
exposures will be assumed and respiratory protection worn until the results of the initial
monitoring studies are received and demonstrate no exposure problems or prior surveys show no hazard
exists. CDI will endeavor to ensure that no work with these materials will occur, thus preventing
any exposure. CDI will request periodic evaluation visits by its insurance company’s Industrial
Hygienist.
- Daily audits will be performed by all contractors on site. In addition, on a weekly basis, a
comprehensive audit of the jobsite will be performed, with a representative of all contractors
currently working on-site as participants. Any hazards found during the audits will be corrected
promptly. When hazards can not be corrected immediately they will be tracked until abatement is
completed. Employees exposed to these hazardous conditions will be informed of the hazard and an
effective interim control measures will be implemented. A record will be kept of all hazards found
during the weekly audits and the number of hazards corrected as a result. (See CDI Daily Safety Log
attached for an example)
- Implement an aggressive Fall Protection Plan to include fall protection in all cases where work
is being preformed 6 feet or more above lower surfaces.
- Ensure employees receive training as follows:
- Supervisory personnel will possess an OSHA 10-hour card or its equivalent. CDI will work with all
subcontractors to provide their safety designee with an OSHA 10-hour card, or its equivalent.
- All employees will receive a site-specific construction safety orientation covering jobsite
safety and health issues, procedures relative to the work being performed, as well as the
requirements outlined in the Partnership Agreement. In addition, employees shall receive training on
the content of the Risk Assessment for operations they will encounter. This may require periodic
retraining of employees on the content of the Risk Assessment as they become relevant due to
entering new phases of construction. This material will be provided by CDI to the Subcontractor’s
designated safety representative for completion.
- Safety and health training will be provided to all workers in a language they understand.
Bi-lingual Instructors will be contracted to perform this training. A list of instructors will be
provided by CDI to all subcontractors to ensure that all workers are effectively trained.
- Other hazard-specific training will be conducted on an as-needed basis.
- Subcontractors can utilize other instructors as long as they can show a valid certification card
showing completion of the course. CDI Contractors has primary responsibility for providing this
training. CDI and/or OSHA as resources allow will provide assistance. CDI plans to hold 10-hr Safety
Training Sessions every 4 months to help train all personnel as schedule allows.
- Subcontractors with written safety and health management systems must submit them to CDI for
evaluation. Companies without safety and health management systems may adopt CDI’s, or develop an
adequate safety and health management system with the assistance of the Georgia Tech Onsite
Consultation Program.
- Ensure health-related issues which occur during the course of the project are adequately
addressed by CDI and/or the affected subcontractors, with the assistance of OSHA as its resources
permit and Georgia Tech. All health-related issues will be discussed monthly during the partnership
meetings.
- An effective hearing conservation program, including noise monitoring and engineering controls,
where possible, will be implemented by CDI Safety Department.
- An effective environmental monitoring program will be implemented to control airborne hazards,
such as silica, and will include personal monitoring, employee training, implementation of
engineering controls where possible, and the use of respiratory protection when necessary. Previous
site-based data will be considered acceptable.
- Ensure compliance with the NFPA 70E when working on live electrical equipment, including training
and the availability and use of personal protective equipment. A permit system will be implemented
whenever work around live electrical systems will be done to ensure the implementation of
appropriate protective measures prior to exposure. The permit form includes requirements for
pre-task review and lock out/tag out procedures to be followed.
- Ensure all equipment capable of amputations is adequately guarded.
VI. ANNUAL EVALUATION
The program will be evaluated on an annual basis through the use of the Strategic Partnership Annual
Evaluation Format as specified in Appendix C of OSHA Instruction CSP 03-02-002, OSHA Strategic
Partnership Program for Worker Safety and Health.
It will be the responsibility of CDI Contractors to gather required participant data to evaluate and
track the overall results and success of the Partnership program. This data will be shared with
OSHA. It will be the responsibility of OSHA to write and submit the annual evaluation.
VII. BENEFITS
Participant benefits from OSHA may include:
- Maximum penalty reductions allowed in the OSHA Field Inspection Reference Manual (FIRM) for good
faith and history. When calculating the initial penalty reduction, OSHA may provide an additional
10% reduction for good faith; beyond the 25% reductions provided in the FIRM where the employer, in
implementing the OSP, has taken specific significant steps beyond those provided in the FIRM to
implement the Act and achieve a high level of employee protection (see FIRM, Chapter IV.C.2.1.5
(b)). This additional reduction will not apply to high gravity serious, willful, failure to abate or
repeat citations. In cases where a partner’s total penalty reduction is 100 % or more, the minimum
penalty provisions of the FIRM will apply (see FIRM, Chapter IV.C.2.b).
- In the event that a citation with penalties is issued, the Area Director has the authority to
negotiate the amount of an additional penalty reduction as part of the informal conference
settlement agreement.
- Upon successful completion of one verification inspection within 3 months of the implementation
of this agreement, the site will be excluded from a scheduled General Inspection for twelve months.
- Priority Consultation service and assistance for small employers working on the construction site
from the Consultation program.
VIII. OSHA INSPECTIONS AND VERIFICATION
- Verification Inspections: OSHA will conduct the initial verification inspection no sooner than
three-months after partnership participants formally enter into this agreement. During this period
participants should develop and implement the safety and health management systems required under
this agreement. After this period, OSHA will conduct the initial verification inspection and
annually thereafter. The scope of the verification inspections will include the Focused Inspection
criteria (falls, struck-by, caught-in and electrocution). A compliance officer that is familiar with
the CDI Construction Partnership Agreement will do verification inspections. Employee rights under
the OSH Act will be afforded. During the verification inspections, if OSHA personnel identify
serious hazards that site management refuses to correct, they will make a referral for an
enforcement inspection.
- Complaint/Referral Investigations: This partnership provides for the immediate response to each
allegation of a safety or health hazard brought to its attention by any person. Upon a finding that
an allegation is valid, the employer shall promptly abate the hazard.
- OSHA agrees that a copy of each non-formal complaint/referral related to the work site and filed
with OSHA will be forwarded by fax, or by CSHO, to the CDI Construction Project Management office
onsite. In accordance with applicable law, the name of the complainant requesting confidentiality
will not be revealed. CDI Construction agrees to investigate these complaints, regardless of the
employer involved and provide OSHA with a written response within 5 working days.
- Accident Investigations: Employers engaged in this partnership recognize that OSHA fully
investigates accidents involving a fatality or serious physical harm. If during the course of the
investigation OSHA determines that the incident resulted from violations of the OSHA standards, the
employer will not be afforded partnership incentives.
- Once a verification inspection has been conducted at the site, which reveals that the site has
adequately assessed and/or controlled/prevented employee exposure to hazards at the Village at
Riverwatch Construction Project, then the site can be deferred from programmed inspections for twelve
months, in accordance with the current OSHA Instruction CSP 03-02-002, OSHA Strategic Partnership
Program for Worker Safety and Health.
IX. EMPLOYEE/EMPLOYER RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES
This Partnership does not preclude employees and/or employers from exercising any right provided
under the OSH Act, nor does it abrogate any responsibility to comply with rules and regulations
adopted pursuant to the Act.
X. TERMINATION
It is understood that this agreement shall be in effect until completion of construction activities
at the Village at Riverwatch Construction Site, but in no case longer than three-years. Should any
“signatory” stakeholder choose to withdraw prior to project completion, a written notice shall be
given stating the reason(s) and providing 30 days notice to the other party(s).
If OSHA chooses to withdraw its participation in the partnership, the entire agreement is
terminated. Any party may also propose modification or amendment of the agreement.
Changes to the Partnership Agreement may be implemented if all parties are in agreement that it is
in the best interest of all members involved.
XI. SIGNATURE PAGE
Agreement Signing Date: _____________________
G. T. Breezley, Area Director
Occupational Safety and Health Administration |
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Lloyd Garrison-President
CDI Contractors, LLC
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Trey Flowers-Superintendent
CDI Contractors |
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Michael Cassady-Safety Director
CDI Contractors |
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Randy Self
Vice President
CDI Contractors |
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Daniel Ortiz, CSP
Division Chief/ Program Manager
Georgia Tech Research
Institute Occupational Safety and Health Division |
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