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ALLIANCE CLOSE-OUT REPORT

OSHA - OMAHA AREA OFFICE

THE METRO OMAHA BUILDERS ASSOCIATION

NEBRASKA WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT – OSHA CONSULTATION

February 15, 2009
  1. Alliance Background

    Date Signed:

    February 15, 2007

    Overview

    This Alliance was developed in order to address a significant problem in the residential construction industry. The Metro Omaha Builders Association (MOBA) serves as an advocate to over 700 area home builders, building material suppliers, and other related service providers involved in the residential construction sector. Through their vast network OSHA, MOBA, and Consultation intended to provide information, guidance, and access to training resources that would help home builders protect employees and subcontractors. Specific attention was focused on preventing exposure to fall hazards, electrocution hazards, and other hazards associated with the residential construction industry. Emphasis was also placed on increasing access to information and training of the Spanish-speaking workforce in this sector.

    Implementation Team Members
     
    Barbara Byrd
    Executive Director    		 Metro Omaha Builders Assn.
    Bill Hetzler
    Executive Director    		 OSHA Consultation
    Mike Connett
    Compliance Officer    		 OSHA
    Steve Jordan
    Compliance Officer    		 OSHA

    Reporting Period

    02/15/2008 – 02/15/2009
     
  2. Implementation Team Meetings

    All contact during this evaluation period was conducted via e-mail.
     
  3. Events and Products

    Training and Education

    Events: The Omaha Area Office representatives conducted one training session for MOBA members, focusing on residential fall protection, ladder safety, and electrical safety. This session was attended by home builders and their sub-contractors.

    02/27/08    MOBA office    4 companies represented

    Outreach and Communication
    Events: The Omaha Area Office CAS provides information via e-mail to the MOBA representative, which is then forwarded throughout the MOBA membership. Information includes such things as regulatory updates, safety and health bulletins, fatality updates, newsletters, and training schedules that may be pertinent to the MOBA members.
     
  4. Conclusions

    At its inception, this alliance appeared to provide access into a hard to reach sector of the construction industry. Residential contractors have always been difficult to reach in an organized fashion. Although MOBA representatives entered into the agreement with good intentions, when it came time to coordinate outreach activities, they experienced the same frustrations that OSHA historically has, with a lack of interest and participation. Additional training opportunities were proposed by OSHA, but never came to fruition. Attempts to drive training down into the lower tiers of residential contracting, including the Spanish-speaking contractors, were unsuccessful. In retrospect, the Metro Omaha Builders Association did not have the influence necessary, within the residential construction community, to drive such an ambitious undertaking. The partnership was concluded on February 15, 2009.
     
Report Prepared by: Doug Fletcher, OSHA-Omaha Area Office, Compliance Assistance Specialist