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Electrical Transmission and Distribution Construction Contractors and Trade Associations (#325)

Partners: MYR Group Inc.
Henkels & McCoy, Inc.
Pike Electric, Inc.
Quanta Services, Inc.
MDU Construction Services Group, Inc
InfraSource, Inc.
Asplundh Tree Expert Co.
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)
National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA)
Edison Electric Institute (EEI)
Date Signed: August 20, 2004; Renewed: August 24, 2006; Renewed: September 16, 2008
Contact Information: Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs, (202) 693-2215
Links: Construction Industry
Press Release
Partnership Agreement
Partnership Renewal Agreement

Partnership Background

OSHA renews National Partnership with ET&D Construction Contractors and Trade Associations
OSHA renews National Partnership with ET&D Construction Contractors and Trade Associations. From left to right: John Harp, President and CEO, MDU Construction Services Group, Inc.; Stephen Reiten, President, MJ Electric; T. Roderick Henkels, President and CEO, Henkels & McCoy, Inc.; William A. Koertner, President and CEO, MYR Group, Inc.; Edwin G. Foulke, Assistant Secretary, OSHA; John Wilson, President of Electrical Power and Natural Gas Division, Quanta Services; J. Eric Pike, President and CEO, Pike Electric, Inc.; Don Wilson, Vice President District 10, National Electrical Contractors Association; Jim Tomaseski, Director of Safety and Health, International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers AFL-CIO; Chuck Kelly, Director of Industry Human Resource Issues, Edison Electric Institute.

From left to right: Edwin G. Foulke; Gregory Baxter, OSHA Region VIII Administrator; John Harp; Stephen Reiten; T. Roderick Henkels
From left to right: Edwin G. Foulke; Gregory Baxter, OSHA Region VIII Administrator; John Harp; Stephen Reiten; T. Roderick Henkels

From left to right: William A. Koertner; John Harp; Stephen Reiten; T. Roderick Henkels
From left to right: William A. Koertner; John Harp; Stephen Reiten; T. Roderick Henkels

"Today represents a milestone in the history of the Electrical Transmission and Distribution Industry.... Nothing could be a nobler mission than the one the chartering parties here today, and those who will join us in the future, have or will embark on."
– Mark H. Ayers; IBEW, Director of Construction and Maintenance
OSHA has joined with representatives from the power transmission and distribution industry, as well as trade and labor representatives, to develop a common vision and commitment to provide employees in the electrical transmission and distribution industry (the "Industry") with a safe and healthful workplace, and to demonstrate leadership, responsibility and accountability in furthering worker health and safety.

Partnership Goals

The primary goal of the Partnership is to reduce the number of fatalities, injuries, and illnesses in the Industry. Additionally, the Partnership will aim to:
  1. Perform data analysis as a means to establish causes of fatalities, injuries, and illnesses for electrical work in the Industry.
     
  2. Develop recommended Best Practices to reduce the number of fatalities, injuries and illnesses that directly correspond to the identified causes, as well as any other significant hazards identified by the Partnership.
     
  3. Ensure that the Industry Partners' employees are effectively trained to utilize the established Best Practices.
     
  4. Effectively communicate safety and health Best Practices, and other useful safety and health information, within the Industry.
     
  5. Establish an effective evaluation strategy to ensure that the goals of the OSP are met.
Partnership Strategies and Objectives
 
Partnership goals will be achieved through strategies and objectives that include:
  1. Analyze accident and incident data to identify common causes for fatalities, injuries, and illnesses suffered by linemen, apprentices, and other appropriate job classifications.
     
  2. Develop recommended Best Practices for each identified cause.
     
  3. Develop implementation strategies for each Best Practice and share these strategies among the partners.
     
  4. Identify training criteria for foremen, general foremen, supervisors, linemen, and apprentices, including training to promote industry culture change to place value on safety and health.
Results

During 2007, the Partners made significant progress towards achieving the Partnership's goals. The industry-specific OSHA 10-hour training course developed by the Partners was conducted 338 times providing training to a total of 12,016 employees and supervisors. Additionally, the Partners developed an industry-specific supervisory and leadership outreach training course, which will be provided to foreman and general foremen beginning in 2008. The partners have approved a total of eight best practices and are in the process of implementing them Partnership-wide. (The best practices are available below.)

The Partners' training and best practice development efforts have contributed to a reduction in injuries, illnesses and fatalities for partnering organizations. The Partners' fatality rate has been reduced from 67.24 in 2003 to 24.55 in 2007, a 63.5 percent reduction. The Partners' Total Case Incidence Rate (TCIR) and Days Away, Restricted or Transferred (DART) rate, both of which were above the respective BLS averages for the industry when the partnership began, are now 25.3 and 31.3 percent below industry averages, respectively.

Partnership Approved Best Practices
 
 
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