Region 5 News Release: 09-444-CHI
April 29, 2009
Contact: Scott Allen or Brad Mitchell
Phone: 312-353-6976

U.S. Labor Department's OSHA, Illinois Department of Commerce and River City Construction LLC establish partnership
Construction workers safety and health is focus during Scott Air Force Base project

PEORIA, Ill. -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Onsite Safety and Health Consultation Program of the Illinois Department of Commerce and Economic Opportunity, and River City Construction LLC in Peoria have developed a partnership to focus on the safety and health of all construction workers during the Scott Air Force Base construction project.

"We believe this partnership will foster a working relationship that will ensure employers develop effective safety and health programs, and make employees aware of work hazards and ways to prevent serious injuries," said Nick Walters, OSHA's area director in Peoria.

River City Construction Co. LLC is the lead contractor during the U.S. Transportation Command construction project at Scott Air Force Base in Belleville, Ill. The $93.6 million, 180,000 square-foot building project will house the U.S. Transportation Command, the U.S. Army Military Surface Deployment and Distribution Command, and the Defense Intelligence Agency, and is expected to be completed in the summer of 2010.

The partnership requires each organization to contribute to the development of training sessions and materials to improve workplace safety and health. The groups will share resources and information to raise awareness of and commitment to construction safety.

OSHA's Strategic Partnership Program is part of the agency's ongoing efforts to improve the health and safety of employees through cooperative relationships with trade associations, labor organizations, employers and employees. More than 1.4 million employees and nearly 28,000 employers across the United States have participated with OSHA in more than 585 strategic partnerships since the program began in 1998.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthful workplace for their workers. OSHA's role is to promote the safety and health of America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual process improvement in workplace safety and health. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.

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