Background:
In July 2008, Lathrop/Turner Company and OSHA’s Toledo Area Office in Region V
formed an OSHA Strategic Partnership (OSP) designed to promote safety and health
during the construction of the $105 million, 8,000-seat Lucas County
multi-purpose arena. The arena will host hockey, arena football, basketball
tournaments, and various concerts and other entertainment events in Toledo,
Ohio. The project is expected to be completed in the summer of 2009.
By developing and implementing an effective safety and health management system
(SHMS), the OSP is focusing on identifying and abating key construction industry
hazards to prevent fatalities, injuries, and illnesses during the project. Key
elements of the OSP’s SHMS are to conduct safety and health training and provide
mentoring to all participants.
When the OSP was formed, Toledo Area Office Director, Jule Hovi, stated,
"Working together to share best practices and develop and implement safety and
health training to contractors and construction employees will be the principal
focus of this partnership. If we can provide these employers and their employees
with the knowledge and ability to anticipate, identify and eliminate
work-related hazards, we will get that much closer to eliminating job-related
injuries."
Success Impact:
OSP Promotes Safety and Health in the Industry Through Training
On November 14, 2008, the OSP hosted a free, voluntary, one-day joint
construction training session in northwest Ohio. The training consisted of
classroom and field training on topics such as OSHA’s newly proposed
construction crane standard and proper rigging principles. One of the key
elements of the OSP’s SHMS is to promote safety and health in the construction
industry by offering various trainings throughout the year. Previously, the OSP
also conducted fall protection training which provided information on available
fall protection devices.
The classroom training was conducted by Jeff Ferchen, the Northwest Regional
Sales Manager of the Crosby Group, Inc. who presented proper rigging principles,
appropriate hardware, slings, load calculations, and equipment inspections. The
field training was conducted by Henry Gurtzweiler of Henry Gurtzweiler, Inc. who
provided the class access to the equipment yard and various steel erection
equipment. The Toledo Area Office’s Compliance Assistance Specialist (CAS) and
the Region V construction specialist also attended the training and were
available to answer questions and provide information on safety and health
hazards. Approximately 45 people attended the training.
Lathrop/Turner Company is also responsible for designing and incorporating fall
protection into the roofing industry by making personal fall arrest systems
easily accessible to maintenance personnel. This initiative developed the
standard that numerous tie-off anchorage points are on a roof while work is
being completed which has helped to reduce injuries, illnesses, and fatalities.
Feedback –Training Attendee Testimonials
In an open forum following the training, participants provided very positive
feedback about the training. Examples of some of the attendees’ testimonials
included the following:
"Compared to other rigging training that I have received, this was more on
target to what we do."
"It was a great opportunity to learn from an experienced crane operator."
"The training provided a different perspective."
"The crane training and the rigging training was useful."
The Toledo Area Office immediately began putting the rigging training to
practice. Staff looked out of the window and identified potential hazards
related to installation of a multi-story sign on the corner of a downtown Toledo
bank building.
Partnership Objectives:
The key objectives of the OSP are to reduce employee
exposure to key industry hazards (falls, electrocutions; struck by; caught-in;
caught-between; trenching and excavation and exposure to silica); reduce
illnesses and injuries; and increase and/or improve the number of effective
safety and health management systems (SHMS) implemented.
Origin: OSHA Region V, Toledo Area Office
Partners: Lucas County Board of Commissioners and
Lathrop/Turner Company
Partnership Signed: July 1, 2008
Industry: Residential Construction/23611 and
Commercial/Institutional Construction/23622
Employees: 2,000
Employers: 70
Source and Date: Jule Hovi, Director, Toledo Area
Office; Charles Shelton, Compliance Assistance Specialist, Toledo Area Office;
and Julie Evans, Team Leader, Chicago Regional Office (December 2008)
Status: Open
Classroom training was conducted by Jeff Ferchen, Northwest Regional Sales
Manager with the Crosby Group, Inc. at the Sea Gate Convention Center located
in downtown Toledo, OH.
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A four-hour rigging class for both Compliance Officers and Lathrop/Turner
arena project partners was conducted. OSP contractors that attended included:
OCP Construction, Lathrop/Turner Corp., Henry Gurtzweiler and Mosser
Construction.
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A "hands-on" field presentation and training was conducted at Henry
Gurtzweiler, Inc. in Toledo, Ohio. Henry Gurtzweiler provided a 60-ton lattice
boom mobile crane for demonstration and provided a certified crane operator to
share basic crane inspection guidelines. |
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