Background:
In May 2007, Clark Construction, LLC and OSHA’s Region
III Baltimore/Washington Area Office signed an OSHA Strategic Partnership (OSP)
for the 51 Louisiana Avenue NW Project. The project consists of building and
connecting a new 440,000 square feet office building to two existing buildings
located at the corner of New Jersey Avenue and D Street, NW, in Washington DC.
These buildings will be connected by a nine-story glass-enclosed atrium.
Work at the site includes site construction, concrete, excavation work, pile
foundation installation, structural steel and miscellaneous metal work, track
work, electrical, masonry, mechanical/plumbing, rebar installation, caissons,
cranes and lifts use, installation, and painting.
The project will take approximately 33 months to complete and will employ close
to 300 construction workers from 17 contractors who are participants. Since the
OSP signing, Clark has joined with OSHA with constructing other projects in the
Washington, DC area such as the Nationals Stadium and the Waterfront
Revitalization Project.
Success Impact:
Injury and Illness Rates Less than BLS National Average - Days Away,
Restricted and Transfer (DART) as Result of Increased Safety and Health Training
The OSP used the 2005 Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) national average rate
(2.6) for the Commercial and Industrial Building Construction industry as their
baseline rate. After the first year, the OSP recorded a Days Away, Restricted
and Transfer (DART) rate of 1.5, which is 42 percent less than the established
baseline (presented in the below table).
| |
DART |
| OSP Baseline Rate (2005 BLS DART Rate) |
2.6 |
| OSP Year 1 |
1.5 |
| Percentage Difference |
-42% |
Extensive Safety and Health Training and Self-Inspections Lead to
Exemplary Safety and Health Practices
The OSP’s reduced DART rate is believed to be directly linked to over 1,528
hours of safety and health training offered to supervisors and employees
conducted by Clark Construction. Training comprised of weekly Superintendent
briefings, monthly sub-contractor safety meetings, project safety orientations,
and weekly tool box talks.
Additionally, 40 comprehensive site inspections with a focus on the top four
construction hazards (falls, struck-by, caught in-between, and electrical), led
to the identification and abatement of over 175 hazards. These 40 inspections
were conducted by Clark’s safety and health managers in addition to 105 audits
conducted by the corporate safety department.
Partnership Objectives:
The key objective of the OSP is to develop a contractor/government collaboration
that encourages construction contractors to improve their safety and health
performance, strive for the elimination of serious accidents in the construction
industry, and recognize those contractors with exemplary safety and health
management systems (SHMS).
Origin: OSHA Region III, Baltimore/Washington Area Office
Partner: Clark Construction, LLC
Participants: Memco, Inc., C.J. Coakley Company, Inc., Calvert Masonry, Capital
Carpet & Furniture, Inc., Chesapeake Sprinkler Company, Clark Concrete
Contractors, LLC, Commercial Hardware, Inc., Delta Painting, Enclos Corporation,
General Woodworking Corporation, Gordon Contractors, Inc., Harmon, Inc., Phist,
Inc., John J. Kirlin, Inc., John Vitale & Sons, Inc., Lorton Contracting
Company, Inc., Mona Electric Group, Inc., Superior Iron Works, Inc., Thyssen-Krupp
Elevator
Partnership Signed: June 2007
Industry: Commercial and Industrial Building Construction (NAICS Code 236220)
Employees: 119
Employers: 20
Source: Joseph Sancomb, Region III, Baltimore/Washington Area Office / May 2008
Status: Open
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