Region 7 News Release: 09-720-KAN
June 30, 2009
Contact: Rich Kulczewski
Phone: 303-844-1302

U.S. Department of Labor's OSHA partners with Kansas Contractors Association and the Associated General Contractors of Kansas

WICHITA, Kan. -- Ensuring the highest level of employee safety and health is the goal of a new joint partnership among the Kansas Contractors Association (KCA), the Associated General Contractors of Kansas (AGC of Kansas) and the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) area office in Wichita.

This partnership, which also includes the Kansas Department of Labor-Division of Industrial Safety and Health, is expected to increase the number of construction companies that implement effective safety and health programs, and to place emphasis on reducing the number and severity of injuries, illnesses and fatalities affecting participating contractor members.

"This partnership not only showcases a commitment to the value of safety and health shared by the KCA and AGC of Kansas, but also acts as a force multiplier to the advancement of OSHA's mission to promote the safety and health of America's working men and women," said Charles E. Adkins, OSHA's regional administrator in Kansas City, Mo.

The partnership will serve as a model to construction companies and others by demonstrating how to implement a strong safety and health program while developing criteria for model contractor safety and health programs. The partnership is scheduled to run for a period of five years.

For more information about this partnership, call OSHA's Wichita Area Office at 316-269-6644. Additional information about OSHA's Strategic Partnership Program is available at http://www.osha.gov/dcsp/partnerships/index.html.

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 580 strategic partnerships since the program began in 1998.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, OSHA's role is to promote safe and healthful working conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, outreach and education. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.

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