Alliance -- An OSHA Cooperative Program<< Back to Region V


 
I. Alliance Background

Date Signed: September 23, 2005

Overview

To educate, share best practices, address near misses, and share accident information with all construction trades on the Ohio-Health Dublin Hospital Project.

Implementation Team Members

Chris Matthewson and Howard Eberts (Compliance Assistance Specialists)-OSHA
Todd Smith (Safety Director)-Elford Construction Co.
Pat McMillian (Safety Director)-Gilbane Construction Co.
Joe Motil (Site Safety Officer)-Elford-Gilbane Dublin Hospital

II. Implementation Team Meetings

All meetings were held on site and at each meeting employees’ input and safety and health suggestions were discussed.

February 22, 2006: Quarterly Alliance Meeting
May 3, 2006: Quarterly Alliance Meeting
August 30, 2006: Quarterly Alliance Meeting
November 29, 2006: Quarterly Alliance Meeting
March 28, 2007: Quarterly Alliance Meeting
June 27, 2007: Quarterly Alliance Meeting & Safety Appreciation Luncheon
October 3, 2007: Final Alliance Meeting

III. Activities and Products

Evaluation Period.

This report covers September 23, 2005 to September 23, 2007.

Alliance Activity.
  • Training and Education

    Compliance Assistance Specialist met with the safety coordinators prior to all quarterly safety meetings to decide the topic. Near misses, accidents, and safety suggestions were all reviewed to ensure the topic was relevant for this project. The quarterly safety meetings were co-taught by the CAS and the Safety Coordinator.

    All suggestions from the workers on site were reviewed and were added to the monthly safety meetings. For example, workers suggested that during the next safety meeting there should be a discussion about ladders and scaffold safety.

    During this alliance, photographs were taken showing best practices implemented by the contractors. These photos were added to a Power Point presentation describing the safety and health successes of this alliance. The Power Point presentation was shared with the contractors to help them improve safety on this job site and others.
     
  • Outreach and Communication

    Elford-Gilbane Construction Co. is the general contractor for this project.

    Banners and bulletin boards that illustrate the importance of safety and health are displayed throughout this jobsite. A Safety Appreciation Luncheon was held on June 23, 2007.
     
  • Promoting the National Dialogue on Safety and Health

    During the course of the alliance, Elford-Gilbane promoted the alliance, as well as safety and health issues during internal safety meetings and also at public conferences held with other organizations.

Alliance Products.
  • Training and Education

    CAS provided training at Dublin Hospital jobsite office trailers during the quarterly alliance meetings. On an average ten sub-contractors attended these quarterly meetings. These sessions focused on written safety and health programs, JSAs, and recent fatalities/accidents. Best practice photos were discussed with all the sub-contractors at these training sessions.
     
  • Outreach and Communication

    CAS developed and presented an OSHA update at every quarterly meeting to educate the contractors on site. These updates were designed to be used as a quick and easy reference. Extra copies were left with the site safety officer to distribute on the job site.

    Twelve near misses were investigated by site safety officer, sub-contractor, and site foreman to ensure the root causes were found and corrected.

    One of the positive results of this alliance was the creation of the Silver Dollar Award. If the site safety officer sees employees going above and beyond dealing with safety, they are rewarded with a silver dollar. Anyone who has received a silver dollar that month is entered into a monthly raffle for a gift certificate. (See additional information below.)
     
  • Promoting the National Dialogue on Safety and Health

    Same as above.

IV. Results

The following is an overview of safety related activities related to the Ohio Health Dublin Methodist Hospital Project from October 2005 thru September of 2007. (Although the Alliance officially ended September 23, 2007, the hospital was still in the final changes of completion and was scheduled to open in November, 2007.)

1. Site Specific Safety Orientations are presented on a daily basis to all workers upon arrival on site. As of September 23, 2007, 1242 individuals had received the Elford/Gilbane Project Work Rules Safety Orientation presentation.

2. As of September 30, 2007 the project has reached a combined 623 days and approximately 735,000 man hours without a lost time accident.

3. A total of 18 Incident Reports were received from on site contractors. The Project has seen 8 Recordable and 1 Lost Time accident. (The single Lost Time accident occurred when a concrete worker slipped and did not return to work.) Twelve Near Miss accidents were witnessed and reported.

4. Considering the natural fluctuation of manpower on construction projects, an estimated daily workforce would suggest a range of 150 – 225 workers on site daily. This number reflects virtually all trades being present with an estimate range peaking slightly lower and higher.

5. On several occasions, various on site training was performed either for the benefit of individual contractors or on behalf of all on site personnel. The different types of training included:

* Fire Prevention & Extinguisher training by the Washington Township Fire Department.
* Power Industrial Truck instruction through a local contractor equipment supply company.
* Mandatory Scaffold Training as part of the projects contractual documents allowing only such trained workers to access and perform activities on a three story high scaffold working platform.
* Participated in OSHA On – Site Consultants Air & Noise monitoring program.
* Powder Actuated Tool education through the instruction of a Hilti Tool representative.
* On site mandatory drug testing and substance abuse education (contractor specific).
* Display and demonstrations of the newest line of power tool equipment from sales representatives of a local contractor supply company.

Additional training conducted and individuals reached are included in the table below.
 
Type of Activity (Conference, Training, Print and Electronic Distribution, etc.) Number of Individuals
Reached or Trained
Actual Affected
February Fork lift 10 100
February OSHA update 20 200
April Fire Protection 30 350
May OSHA update JSA 25 250
June Power actuated tools 10 100
August Scaffold 5 100
August OSHA update Falls 12 125
September JSA 30 300
TOTAL 82 1,425


6. Other significant special activities which are worthy of attention include:

* Required Pre Job Meetings and or a Job Hazard Analysis for setting Air Handler Units, significant excavation work, steam blow offs, and other potentially high risk work activities.
* Several site tours have been given to the Washington Township Fire Department (WTFD) throughout the duration of the project. A sound relationship was built with the WTFD and Elford/Gilbane. Fire department officials attended and participated in a project Safety Appreciation Luncheon and performed dry run fire hose exercises at various stand pipes during construction work hours. A simulated rescue training exercise also took place at the construction sites mechanical building on a Saturday morning. The department would also be notified prior to events which may have caused concern to the general public. One instance was the presence of thick black smoke being released from generators being tested or steam blow offs.
* Site tours were also given to Construction Trade Organizations, regional educators representing local trade schools and career centers, The City of Dublin’s Division of Police and related health care facility professionals.

7. Project Safety Audits were not only performed on a daily basis by the on site Safety Specialist. This service was also acted on throughout the project by the various contractors Safety Officers, Independent Safety Consultants, OSHA, The Ohio Bureau of Workers Compensation, a Construction Trade Organization and the respected Safety Directors from Elford Inc. and The Gilbane Building Company. The Elford/Gilbane Safety Team kept in frequent communication not only with specific project safety issues but by sharing information on matters such as product recalls for fall protection and power tools, unusual accidents and the latest developments concerning workers safety.

8. A Safety Incentive Program was initiated with the premise of helping to promote and encourage workers to make safe work practices part of their daily work activities. Workers would be rewarded with a Silver Dollar when…
* Taking preventive measures which go over and beyond OSHA Standards.
* Continually address safety issues without being directed to do so by the Project Safety Specialist.
* Taking the initiative to correct a safety issue in an employees work area or anywhere on site which was created by another trade or individual.
* Continually demonstrating and advocating safe work practices in the areas of fall protection, fire prevention, excavation procedures, etc.
* Bringing to the attention of the Project Safety Specialist noteworthy, legitimate and unbiased safety issues which are observed on site.
* Creating intuitive safety precautions for daily work practices.

A total of 81 Silver Dollars had been awarded as of September 23, 2007. A job site safety board was utilized for listing the recipients of these awards and to promote worker safety and moral. A safety related question would be posted periodically which would reward the first 5 workers who correctly answered it with a silver dollar. All recipients would then be eligible for a $50.00 gift certificate drawing from a local safety supply company. Various themes on safety awareness would be rotated on the board and would typically be accompanied by photographs of on site workers correctly performing this subject matter.

Elford/Gilbane sponsored two Safety Appreciation Luncheons for all workers on site. Various prizes and gift certificates were raffled off and donated by safety and contractor supply companies, the project’s subcontractors, the Kroger Company and the Washington Township Fire Department. A project specific tee shirt which exhibited a congratulatory safety theme and proclaiming "I helped achieve 519 days and 610,000 hours without a lost time accident" was given to all those in attendance. The president of the Dublin Methodist Hospital, the City of Dublin’s Chief Building Officer, WTFD Fire Marshal and a legislator from the Ohio House of Representatives also attended these functions. OSHA Columbus Area Director, Deborah Zubaty was a keynote speaker at the June 23 Safety Appreciation Luncheon.

OSHA has opened the safety and health communication lines between Elford-Gilbane Construction Co. and other contractors on site. The construction trades believe this is one of the safest jobs they have worked. There have been positive responses from the various trades on this project, regarding how quickly safety and health issues are addressed and corrected. The trades assisted the company’s safety coordinator in collecting photographs of the jobs depicting their best practices.

The alliance has covered all training issues that were suggested by the contractors and workers, keeping safety in the forefront of all discussions.

The CAS worked very closely with Elford-Gilbane Construction Co. and the contractors. The contractors were appreciative that the CAS attended the quarterly safety meetings where he offered his assistance in resolving safety and health issues.
Elford-Gilbane Construction Co. and OSHA believe the alliance has been very beneficial in providing a safe work place for the construction contractors and the sub-contractors. Elford-Gilbane Construction Co. has commented that they are looking forward to another alliance with the Columbus Area OSHA Office. (Attached is a letter from senior management representatives of Elford Inc. and Gilbane Building Company to Deborah Zubaty, Columbus Area Director thanking her and OSHA for the success of the Alliance.)

OSHA’s Columbus Area Office conducted two programmed enforcement inspections during the period of this Alliance. Both inspections were In Compliance.

Below are some comments from the Contractors and Subcontractors on this Project when asked about the impact of the Alliance with OSHA.

"We developed and implemented 15 innovative new safety practices on this job due to the increased awareness."

    Beth Morgan, The Bruner Corporation

"It was nice to have OSHA at safety meetings. It bridged the gap and eased tensions."

    Pat McMillan, The Gilbane Building Company

"The Alliance was effective with OSHA being there. It had an impact on supervisors who were responsible for safety. The camaraderie and cooperation on this job were second to none."

    Peadar Lynch, Mid City Electrical Construction

"Going through an orientation with each worker helped build a positive relationship. There was a family relationship among workers which translated into a genuine concern for individuals and their safety."

    Joe Motil, Elford/Gilbane

V. Upcoming Milestones

    None. The Alliance officially concluded on September 23, 2007.
    Report Prepared by: Howard Eberts, Compliance Assistance Specialist