Partnership Overview:
At the time of signing, the National Park Service (NPS) had experienced the highest employee injury and illness rates of all Department of Interior (DOI) bureaus.  Recognizing this problem, the NPS approached the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) asking for help in improving the employee safety and health programs at establishments with high lost time case rates (LCTR).

Participating Facility:

• National Park Service, National Capital Parks, Washington, DC

Partnership Goals:

• Develop and implement an effective safety and health program in accordance with 29 CFR 1960 - Basic Program Elements for Federal Employee Occupational Safety and Health Programs
• Reduce the total case rates for selected park units by three percent per year, while at the same time increasing the timeliness of reporting new injuries and illnesses to the Employment Standards Administration, Office of Workers Compensations Programs, for each agency by five percent per year based on the NPS 5-year average LTCR
• Reduce the LTCR for selected park units sector by 10 percent per year
• Identify and correct the primary causal factors in employee injuries and illnesses, in particular those behind the top three causes of injuries and illnesses
• Improve employee productivity and quality of life by providing safe and healthful occupational environments
• Improve the safety and health program to become qualified and eligible to participate in the Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP)

Partnership Results:
This Park's total case rate decreased from 15.6 in 1999, the first year of the Partnership, to 13.2 in 2003, a 15% reduction. The lost time case rate decreased in the same time period by 63%.

Partnership Overview:
In 1999, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) entered into a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) with the Department of Defense (DOD), Department of Transportation (DOT), and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) regarding ship disposal in the United States.  The purpose of the MOA was to establish a pilot program for DOD to oversee the disposal of ships economically while protecting the environment and ensuring a safe workplace.  This Partnership agreement continued to support the program initiated for DOD in the MOA. The contract winner for ship scrapping in the Philadelphia Naval Business Center, Metro Machine Corporation, is entering into this Partnership with the OSHA Philadelphia Area Office to continue its efforts to identify, incorporate, and disseminate best practices for the ship dismantlement industry.

Partnership Goals:

• To determine effective methods and techniques to improve the safety and health of workers engaged in ship disposal
• To share best practices throughout an industry that has historically been one of the most dangerous in the United States
• To reduce the total Rate of Days Away From Work, Restricted, or Transfers (DART) by 4% annually

Partnership Objectives:
The primary goal of this Partnership was to prevent accidents, injuries, and fatalities resulting from work related to ship disposal in the Philadelphia OSHA Area Office's jurisdiction.  A secondary goal was to cooperate with the Navy in determining the most effective methods to incorporate safe working procedures in ship disposal operations.

Participants agreed to abide by the requirements of the Ship Disposal Safety and Health Partnership.  In acknowledgment of the participating employer's commitment to ensure worker safety and health, OSHA agreed to provide Metro Machine Corporation with recognition, assistance in a wide range of activities, and various incentives.

This Partnership offered the opportunity to study the accident and injury experience of ship disposal, document the unique hazards which must be addressed, and evaluate the special needs of employees in such highly hazardous operations.

Partnership Results:
Written safety and health procedures have been implemented and improved as of the 2004 review. These procedures are constantly being updated as Metro Machine implements innovative means and methods from its short term experience in the ship dismantlement business. Metro Machine has acted on numerous safety recommendations made during the initial evaluation. This Partnership's DART rate decreased by 23 percent.

Partnership Overview:
On November 11th, 1998, the Philadelphia Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Area Office investigated a fatality in which a worker fell from a telecommunication tower. During this investigation, it was identified that many of the communication towers in the Philadelphia area are over 30 years old and the industry had experienced more than 30 fatalities in the past five years. The towers have sources of electrical and non-ionizing energy. This industry must contend with the hazards that can result in injuries that include: falls from excessive heights from towers and/or ladders, electrocutions, and non-ionizing radiation exposures.

This Partnership was consistent with OSHA's long-range efforts to develop a business/labor/government collaborative approach to safety management allowing for the better use of OSHA resources while providing innovative options for safety management.

Participating Facilities:

• KYW/WPSG, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• NBC 10 WCAU, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• WPVI ABC, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• WTXF Channel 29 FOX, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Partnership Goals:

• To prevent all accidents, injuries, and fatalities resulting from work to/from the telecommunication towers in the Philadelphia OSHA Area Office's jurisdiction, while developing an industry/labor/government collaborative approach that will provide encouragement to the companies utilizing telecommunication towers to improve their safety and health performance

Partnership Results: 
At the end of the Partnership, this agreement covered 9 sites, positively impacting 39 employees through completion of Pre-work Communication Tower Safety and Health Checklists. All hazards were abated prior to employee exposure, and there was no injuries or illnesses reported. The Partnership has held contractors responsible to ensure that its employees are protected 100% of the time while engaged on towers covered under the Partnership.

There was a training course held in April 2003 provided by contractors involved with the Partnership to train OSHA personnel on the Pennsylvania Partnership and the telecommunications industry, and this was attended by the Partners' employees, subcontractors, and union representatives.

At the conclusion of this Partnership, The Communication Structure Partnership (#274) was developed because several companies involved in this Partnership wanted to expand the Partnership to all communication structures in the state of Pennsylvania.

Partnership Overview:
This Partnership aimed to reduce injuries, illnesses and fatalities in the construction industry, to leverage the resources of the Pittsburgh Area Office, thus having a much broader impact, to promote "Drug Free" workplaces, and to recognize those general contractors with proven track records in safety and health.

Expected outcomes included: focusing Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) limited enforcement activity on contractors who have little or no regard for the safety and health of their employees; developing evaluation criteria for a model contractor safety and health program; reduction of injury and illness rates at affected worksites, and mentoring of other contractors in the Pittsburgh Area by the Master Builders' Association (MBA) and participating contractors.

The Partnership provided incentives to participating employers who voluntarily improve their safety and health performance. Incentives included special recognition from OSHA's Pittsburgh Area Office, removal from the programmed inspection list for 12 months following successful completion of a verification inspection, limited scope inspections and reduced penalties and recognition.

Participating Facilities:

• Dick Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Mascaro Construction Company, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Massaro Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Rycon Construction, Inc., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Partnership Goals:
The goal of the Partnership was to develop an innovative Greater Pittsburgh construction industry/labor /government collaborative that will encourage Pittsburgh contractors to:

• Improve their safety and health performance by reducing their Lost Workday Injury and Illness (LWDII) rate by 3% per year over the life of the Partnership
• Assist them in reaching that goal
• Leverage OSHA's limited resources by providing incentives for contractors who agree to work to reduce injuries and illnesses on their work sites
• Promote and encourage employers to establish "Drug Free" workplaces, and
• Recognize contractors with exemplary safety and health programs

Partnership Results:
During the 2002 review period, the combined Partnership participants' LWDII rate was 64% lower than the national average for the construction industry, and the combined participants' recordable incident rate was 32% lower than the national average for the construction industry. In the 2003 review period, the 4 participants had 99 active construction sites. The LWDII rate for all the participants combined during this period was 3.0. The incident rate for all the participants combined during this period was 7.8. Participants have identified and corrected a variety of hazards throughout their various jobsites. Participants have utilized in-house audits and inspections to document the areas where corrective actions have been taken.

The Pittsburgh Area Office personnel had been involved in "Pre-Construction Meetings" with Turner/P.J. Dick/ATS and Mascaro Construction Company. The meetings were designed to share and review all safety and health concerns and precautions to be taken by contractors while working at sites.

Partnership Overview:
The agreement between the Delaware Contractors Association and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) intended to accomplish the following: 1.) Decreased serious injuries, illnesses, and fatalities for participating contractors and improvement of existing safety and health programs; 2.) Provision of incentives to construction contractors that voluntarily participate in the Construction Health and Safety Excellence (CHASE) program and demonstrate implementation of effective safety and health programs; and 3.) Not in any way affect employees' ability to exercise rights under the OSH Act and OSHA regulations, including walk-around rights.

Participating Facilities:

• Bancroft Construction Company, Wilmington, Delaware
• Diamond Materials, Wilmington, Delaware
• Eastern States, Wilmington, Delaware
• Ernest Di Sabatino & Sons, Inc., New Castle, Delaware
• George & Lynch, Inc., Dover, Delaware
• Harmony Construction, Newark, Delaware
• Mumford & Miller, Middletown, Delaware

Partnership Goals:

• To reduce, by 3 percent annually, the number of injuries, illnesses and fatalities affecting participant employers, with an emphasis on reducing injuries and fatalities resulting from those hazards that are the four leading causes of death on construction sites (falls, struck-by, caught in/between and electrocutions)
• To increase the number of general and specialty contractors who implement effective safety and health programs and provide effective safety and health training for management, supervisors, and employees
• To recognize those contractors with exemplary safety and health programs and effective site-specific safety and health plans

Partnership Results:
This Partnership has had a proactive impact on the safety and health of employees engaged in the construction trades and has created a positive working relationship between OSHA and construction trades in the State of Delaware and organized labor. This Partnership covered construction sites ongoing in the State of Delaware, with 6 sites being evaluated and impacting approximately 86 employees. Both members received verification inspections and had no recorded incidents in any of the four focus categories of falls, struck by, caught between, or electrocution. Both firms were considered the construction manager for the ongoing projects.

Partnership Overview:
This Partnership was developed jointly by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and South Tidewater Association of Ship Repairers, Inc. (STASR).  The common objective and goal of the agreement was to provide a safe and healthful work environment for employees engaged in shipyard employment activities in the Hampton Roads, Virginia Area, and to help prevent serious accidents within the industry through increased training and implementation of enhanced safety and health programs.

STASR is a trade association conducting shipyard employment with over 125 member companies with 30,000 employees representing all trades involved in the industry.  STASR and OSHA believed that maintaining a focus on safety and health saves lives, time and dollars.  The impact of accidents leads to employee deaths, injuries, equipment damage, worker's compensation rate increases, insurance increases, down time, increases in temporary employee costs, fines, criminal and civil penalties.  A focus on the importance of safety is one objective that OSHA and STASR members have in common.

Participating Facilities:

• AEPCO Marine, Virginia Beach, Virginia
• Associated Naval Architects, Portsmouth, Virginia
• Atlantic Ordnance & Gyro, Inc., Norfolk, Virginia
• Davis Boat Works, Inc, Newport News, Virginia
• Earl Industries, Norfolk, Virginia
• George G. Sharp, Virginia Beach, Virginia
• Marine Hydraulics International, Inc., Norfolk, Virginia
• Metro Machine Corporation, Norfolk, Virginia
• Moon Engineering Company, Inc., Portsmouth, Virginia
• Norfolk Shipbuilding & Drydock Corporation, Norfolk, Virginia
• Norfolk Ship Repair & Drydock, Inc., Norfolk, Virginia
• Oceaneering/CLT, Chesapeake, Virginia
• Pure Water Technologies, Inc., Norfolk, Virginia

Partnership Goals:

• Maintain comprehensive safety and health programs, by the use of a self-assessment program
• Obtaining and maintaining a total Loss Work Day Injury and Illness Rate (LWDII) below the current shipyard average rate of 10.7 for the 1999 year
• Develop criteria to be used for safety and health training.

Partnership Results:
This Partnership's LWDII of 11.2 is below the Bureau of Labor Statistics' rate of 17.2 for the Ship Repair industry. This Partnership's Lost Time Incidence Rate (LTIR) of 2.2 was also below the industry average of 3.9. The Partnership covered 13 Employers.

Partnership Overview:
This Partnership between the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Mascaro Construction and its subcontractors encouraged and assisted those working on the Erie Federal Court House construction project to improve their safety and health performance, strove for the elimination of serious accidents in the construction industry, and recognized contractors with exemplary safety and health management systems.

Partnership Goals:

• Develop, implement and maintain effective comprehensive safety & health programs in accordance with 29 CFR 1926, OSHA interpretations & guidelines, American National Standards Institute (ANSI) and OSHA multi-employer policy
• Reduce the Lost Workday Injury and Illness (LWDII) rate by 3% per year for the duration of the project
• Reduce the Days Away from work, Restricted activity and Transfers rate (DART) of 5% per year for the entire project
• Identify and correct primary causal factors in employee injuries and illnesses, in particular the top three causes of injuries and illnesses
• Improve training of workers and contractors on specific safety and health hazards inherent in this project on a regular basis

Partnership Results:
The injury and illness rate from July through the end of 2002 was 17.53. Partners took an aggressive re-education, re-training and enforcement stand on how to work safely. The result yielded dramatic improvement for 2003, when the rate was reduced to 6.79. The DART rate decreased from 3.89 in 2002 to 2.26 in 2003, and was below the national average.

All on site employers have improved their safety and health management systems through this Partnership. Training has been an important aspect of this success, with employers spending extra time on problem areas that were causing lost time injuries. OSHA provided 4 hours of on-site training on fall protection, scaffolds and ladder safety, which was well received. Contractors have identified and addressed the primary causes of job injuries and have retrained all employees on the how to perform jobs safely. Mascaro's safety director conducts weekly walk-arounds at the job site and performs a hazard assessment and abatement review. The subcontractors are required to correct any deficiencies noted and to ensure that hazards are abated.

Partnership Overview:
This Partnership covered the construction of the addition to the Prettyman U.S. Courthouse. All contractors at the site were covered by the agreement. The Partnership encouraged contractors to improve their safety and health performance, focused on the most serious construction hazards, and provided recognition for contractors with outstanding safety and health management systems.

Participating Facilities:

• Allegheny Millwork, Crofton, Maryland
• Brisk Waterproofing, Capitol Heights, Maryland
• Centex Construction, Arlington, Virginia
• Hunt & Walsh Painting, Manassas, Virginia
• James Myers Company, Beltsville, Maryland
• Manganaro MidAtlantic, LLC, Beltsville, Maryland
• National Fire Protection, Rockville, Maryland
• PCC Construction, McLean, Virginia
• Singleton Electric, Washington, District of Columbia
• Stromberg Sheet Metal, Beltsville, Maryland

Partnership Goals:
Develop an effective safety and health management program that will:

• Improve their safety and health performance by reducing their Lost Workday Injury and Illness (LWDII) rate by 10% per year over the life of the Partnership
• Assist them in the elimination of serious accidents in the construction industry
• Leverage Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) limited resources by providing incentives to participating contractors who voluntarily improve their safety and health performance
• Develop a cooperative approach to safety management
• Recognize those contractors with exemplary safety and heath programs

Partnership Results:
Site contractors' employees were required to undergo a thorough safety orientation when they began work at the site. Management personnel also underwent extensive safety and health training provided by Centex and their participating Partnership contactors.

Job safety analyses were required from all contractors on a timely and regular basis. All participating contractors incorporated progressive disciplinary programs into their safety and health management systems. Centex held jobsite safety meetings and performs regular safety audits that involve submitting questionnaires to employees and lower-level management personnel. The site safety program also allowed for and encouraged employee involvement in reporting hazards, developing abatement strategies, and in performing site inspections.

Partnership Overview:
This Partnership agreement was developed jointly by the United States Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration Harrisburg Area Office (OSHA), the Prime Contractors on the York County Judicial Center project and the County of York.  The common objective and goal of this program is to develop a contractor/owner/government collaborative approach that will encourage all construction contractors to improve their safety and health performance, assist them in doing that, strive for the elimination of serious accidents in the construction industry, and to recognize those contractors with exemplary safety and health programs.  The specific impetus behind the agreement is to provide a safe and healthful work environment for workers engaged in construction activities in the York County Judicial Center over the next two years.  Expected outcomes of this program include: developing criteria for a model multi-employer worksite safety and health program which specifically identifies the responsibilities of each Contractor; making safety and health materials available to all Contractors onsite; achieving participant recordable illness and injury rates below the national average for the construction industry; and focusing OSHA enforcement activity on those Contractors who have little or no regard for the safety and health of their workers.  The agreement provides incentives to participating Contractors who voluntarily improve their safety and health performance.  Incentives will include special recognition from OSHA and focused and reduced enforcement efforts by OSHA.

Participating Facilities:

• Encompass Construction, Boston, Massachusetts
• Kinsley Construction, Inc., York, Pennsylvania
• McClure Company, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
• ThyssenKrupp Elevator Corporation, Norristown, Pennsylvania

Partnership Goals:

• Develop, implement, and maintain effective comprehensive safety and health programs in accordance with 29 CFR Part 1926
• Achieve participant recordable illness and injury rates below the National average for the construction industry by keeping the Total Case Incidence Rate (TCIR) below the national average for SIC 1540, which was 8.8 for year 2000
• Further reduce this level of recordable injuries annually by at least 3% for the duration of the Partnership
• Identify and correct primary causal factors in worker injuries and illnesses, in particular those behind the top four causes of construction injuries: falls, struck-by and caught-in incidents and electrocution which are the focused four construction hazards

Partnership Results:
Since the initiation of the Partnership, approximately 268 employees from 20-25 contractors have worked on the site. The Partnership has achieved a low number of recordable injury cases of 10 and a Lost Work Day Frequency rate of 0.63 with a Lost Work Day Severity rate of 6.29 based on 317,874 man hours worked for the respective SIC code. Twice daily site inspections were conducted by the prime contactors on site. In addition, a joint inspection is conducted monthly by designated representatives from the contractors on site.

Partnership Overview:
This Partnership covered the construction of the Washington D.C., U.S. Capitol Visitor Centerover a 2 year period, and will be adopted by all contractors at the site.  The U.S. Capitol Visitor Centeris a 580,000 square foot three story underground construction project under the East Plaza and grounds of the Capitol, with a vehicle access tunnel underneath Constitution Avenue. The project also included the improvement of the East Plaza and the completion of the Capitol Square Perimeter Security Project. Activities at the site included site demolition, slurry wall construction, excavation, caissons, site utilities, concrete frame, structural steel deck, waterproofing, and tunnel construction. Over the life of the construction project, the Prime Contractors employed approximately 250 individual construction trade persons at peak construction.

The goal of this Partnership was to develop a contractor/government relationship that would encourage Washington D.C. area construction contractors to improve their safety and health performance, assist them in doing that, strive for the elimination of serious accidents in the construction industry, and to recognize those contractors with exemplary safety and health programs.  Expected outcomes of the Partnership included focusing OSHA enforcement activity on those contractors who have little or no regard for the safety and health of their employees; developing criteria for a model contractor safety and health program; and making new safety and health materials available to all contractors.  The Partnership provided incentives to participating contractors who voluntarily improve their safety and health performance. Incentives included special recognition from OSHA such as limited scope inspections and reductions in penalties; opportunities for reduced insurance premiums; and recognition from organizations forming the Partnership.

Partnership Goals:

• Achieve participant recordable illness and injury rates below the National average for the construction industry by keeping the Total Case Incidence Rate (TCIR) below the national average for SIC 1540, which was 8.8 for year 2000
• Further reduce this level of recordable injuries annually by at least 3% for the duration of the Partnership
• Identify and correct primary causal factors in worker injuries and illnesses, in particular those behind the top four causes of construction injuries: falls, struck-by and caught-in incidents and electrocution which comprise the focused four construction hazards

Partnership Results:
The Partnership was used as a model for all contractors at this project. The general contractor assisted with and encouraged contractor development of safety and health management systems, reduction in serious accidents, and recognition of exemplary safety and health performance.

Safety inspection activity was a priority for this Partnership. A designated full-time safety officer and safety team performed inspections along with the safety director. The insurance carrier for the site performed the inspections as well. The superintendent performed inspection work as a part of daily routine work tasks. This Partnership saw a reduction to 3.2 for the total number of injuries and illnesses at the site compared to the industry TCIR rate of 8.8.

Partnership Overview:
This Partnership covered the construction of the HQ2 International Monetary Fund Office Building.

The goal of this Partnership was to develop a contractor/government relationship that would encourage Washington D.C. area construction contractors to improve their safety and health performance, assist them in doing that, strive for the elimination of serious accidents in the construction industry, and to recognize those contractors with exemplary safety and health programs.  Expected outcomes of the Partnership included focusing OSHA enforcement activity on those contractors who have little or no regard for the safety and health of their employees; developing criteria for a model contractor safety and health program; and making new safety and health materials available to all contractors.  The program provided incentives to participating contractors who voluntarily improve their safety and health performance. Incentives included special recognition from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) such as limited scope inspections and reductions in penalties; opportunities for reduced insurance premiums; and recognition from organizations forming the Partnership.

Partnership Goals:

• Achieve participant recordable illness and injury rates below the National average for the construction industry by keeping the Total Case Incidence Rate (TCIR) below the national average for SIC 1540, which was 8.8 for year 2000
• Further reduce this level of recordable injuries annually by at least 3% for the duration of the Partnership
• Identify and correct primary causal factors in worker injuries and illnesses, in particular those behind the top four causes of construction injuries: falls, struck-by and caught-in incidents and electrocution which comprise the focused four construction hazards

Partnership Results:
During the final year of the project, the TCIR rate reduced by almost 80 percent, from 11.64 to 2.49.  The Days Away from work, Restricted activity and Transfers (DART) rate also reduced by 57 percent, from 2.91 to 1.25.  Also, the project's DART rate was 2.39, which is 37 percent below the national average for the construction industry, 3.8.  The reductions during the final year of the project is attributed to Clark Construction Company's ongoing efforts to target particular areas of concern including personal protection equipment, back strains, and head injuries. Employee interviews during a verification inspection showed that Clark has been successful in involving all of the project's subcontractors in their efforts to develop an exemplary safety culture and was very responsive to the employees' individual safety and health concerns.

Partnership Overview:
This Partnership covered the construction of the United States Postal Service (USPS) Philadelphia Processing & Distribution Center a 937,000 square foot 4 story structure, located in southwest Philadelphia along Lindbergh Avenue between Suffolk and 74th Streets.  During the construction project, approximately 500 individual construction tradepersons were employed at peak construction.  The work included: site construction, concrete, masonry, structural steel, metal, wood and plastics, thermal and moisture protection, doors and windows, finishes, specialties, equipment, furnishings, special construction, elevator, mechanical, electrical, and fixed mechanization.

The goal of this Partnership was to develop a contractor/government relationship that would encourage Washington D.C. area construction contractors to improve their safety and health performance, assist them in doing that, strive for the elimination of serious accidents in the construction industry, and to recognize those contractors with exemplary safety and health programs.  Expected outcomes of the Partnership included focusing Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) enforcement activity on those contractors who have little or no regard for the safety and health of their employees; developing criteria for a model contractor safety and health program; and making new safety and health materials available to all contractors.  The program provided incentives to participating contractors who voluntarily improve their safety and health performance. Incentives included special recognition from OSHA such as limited scope inspections and reductions in penalties; opportunities for reduced insurance premiums; and recognition from organizations forming the Partnership.

Partnership Goals:

• Achieve participant recordable illness and injury rates below the National average for the construction industry by keeping the Total Case Incidence Rate (TCIR) below the national average for SIC 1540, which was 8.8 for year 2000
• Further reduce this level of recordable injuries annually by at least 3% for the duration of the Partnership
• Identify and correct primary causal factors in worker injuries and illnesses, in particular those behind the top four causes of construction injuries: falls, struck-by and caught-in incidents and electrocution which comprise the focused four construction hazards

Partnership Results:
During the final year of the project, the TCIR reduced by 44 percent, and the Days Away, Restricted, or Transferred (DART) rate reduced by 30 percent.  This was a result of the general contractors' implementation of several jobsite policies to address and lower the rates of strains, sprains, slips, trips and falls which were attributed to the higher rates during an earlier evaluation period.  The contractors also took steps to examine recordable cases for trends.  For example, during inclement weather, designated access and egress routes were cleared and maintained, and housekeeping along with general clean-up were now required in all active work areas prior to beginning work.

Partnership Overview:
At the time of signing, advances in telecommunications and an increasing dependence on wireless communication and broadcast services fueled the construction of communication structures throughout the country.  With this unprecedented growth, the communication structure industry and the safety and health community expressed concerns about work practices and the health and safety of communication structure workers.  Additionally, traditional Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) inspection andenforcement activity had resulted only in a limited number of communication structure sites being identified for interventions. 

In 1997, OSHA established the Tower Task Force to address the concerns of this industry.  OSHA developed CPL 2 - 1.36, Interim Inspection Procedures During Communication Tower Construction Activities, dated March 26, 2002. This document provided for uniform enforcement of OSHA regulations and policies for this industry.  These collaborative efforts assisted in identifying hazards, implementing safe work practices and fall protection strategies, and communicating safety and health messages related to this high-risk industry. 

In an effort to further encourage safe working practices during communication structure erection, Region III determined that a Partnership with contractors working on communication structures, and owners, will lead to increased employee protection.  This will result from OSHA's increased visibility among the contractors working on communication structures and owners, and will help to enhance the cooperative relationship between the partners.

The Partnership was available to any contractor working on communication structures, or communication structure owner, who operated within the States of Pennsylvania or Delaware, and who met the criteria provided in the Partnership Agreement. 

Expected outcomes included fostering an environment of mutual understanding and respect between the three parties, developing a working arrangement which will include standards training by OSHA, implementation of safety and health programs by contractors working on communication structures, and evaluation of worksite conditions by communication structure owners.  Reduction of employee accidents and fatalities in the communication structure erection industry was an expected outcome of this Agreement.

Partnership Goals:

• Reduce injuries, illnesses, and fatalities through a cooperative relationship between contractors working on communication structures, owners, and OSHA
• Develop, implement, and maintain effective comprehensive safety and health programs specific to the communication structure erection industry
• Establish check lists for use on site that will ensure a high degree of attention to the primary cause of employee injuries
• Reduce employee injuries and accidents, with a goal of achieving participant recordable illness and injury rates below the National average for the communication structure erection industry by keeping the Total Recordable Incidence Rate (TCIR) below the national average for SIC 1790, which was 7.6 for 2000
• Further reduce the TCIR annually by at least 4% each year of the Partnership
• Identify potential causes of injuries, appropriate remedies, and ensure clarification of any OSHA standards which impact on employee exposures to hazards
• Hold periodic meetings open to all partners to discuss potential causes of injuries, methods to increase the effectiveness of the Partnership, and for the purpose of clarifying OSHA's applications of standards
• Provide for formal employee training; 30 hours for competent persons, and 10 hours for all other employees

Partnership Results:
Even though there was a high degree of interest in the Partnership among owners and contractors, the industry was unwilling to work with OSHA and there was little interest in participating.  As a result, this Partnership was terminated.

Partnership Overview:
In a cooperative effort to foster safe and healthful worksites and meet Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) strategic goal of improving the safety, health and well-being of the nation's workforce, OSHA, the Pennsylvania/OSHA Consultation Program at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, the Lehigh Career & Technical Institute, and Warehouse, Storage, Distribution and Transportation Industries and their employees located primarilywithin the Lehigh and Northampton counties agreed to establish a Partnership to reduce the number of injuries and illnesses resulting from events or exposures within the workplace, assure compliance with the most frequently cited OSHA standards for their industry, and promote the integration of business with vocational-technical schools.  The primary goal of the Partnership was to prevent accidents, injuries, and fatalities resulting from work activities within the warehousing storage distribution and transportation industry employers that reside primarily in Lehigh and Northampton counties.  

Participating Facilities:

• Walgreens Company, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania
• Americold Logistics, Fogelsville, Pennsylvania
• Bridgestone Firestone Northeast Distribution Center, Allentown, Pennsylvania

Partnership Goals:

• Reduce the number of injuries, accidents and near misses resulting from "contacts with objects" (hazards associated with unsafe operation of powered industrial trucks), from "overexertion" (hazards associated with ergonomic issues, including unsafe lifting activities), and from "falls" (same level falls and fall hazards to a lower level) by 4% a year, within this industry group
• Reduce participating Partnership members Workers Compensation costs
• Develop a system for the early identification and correction of the focused hazards, which have resulted in serious injuries and fatalities within these industries
• Reduce the number of serious hazards within this industry group
• Develop and implement an effective comprehensive safety and health program specific to the warehouse, storage and distribution industry and in accordance with the Safety and Health Program Management Guidelines, issued on January 26, 1989
• Provide safety and health training and technical assistance on existing and new OSHA regulations, focusing on the primary cause(s) of injuries within the industry
• Improve the site's safety and health program to become qualified and eligible to participate in the Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) of the PA/OSHA Consultation Program at IUP and/or OSHA's Voluntary Protection Program (VPP).  For companies not yet eligible for either of these programs a "Jump Start Mentoring Program" may be established, by facilitating the assignment of mentors or through additional outreach and communications with OSHA and/or PA/OSHA Consultation
• To provide assistance and promote resources that will address the needs of non-English speaking and other hard-to-reach employees, where appropriate

Partnership Objectives:

• Develop an initiative to improve safety and health performance by reducing the Lost Workday Injury and Illness (LWDII) rate or Days Away from work, Restricted activity and Transfers (DART) rate of participating employers by 4% per year over the life of the Partnership
• Identify within the participating members worksites, if anything other than the primary causal factors, contact with objects, over exertions and falls, are contributing to injuries and illnesses, and if so, develop a strategy to control or eliminate those hazards
• Reduce employers' worker compensation costs
• Aid in the development of a workplace Motor Vehicle safety program or facilitate in a mentoring process for those who have not yet developed such a program
• Promote and encourage employer usage of the PA/OSHA Consultation Program to assist in workplace hazard recognition
• Recognize those members with exemplary safety and health programs

Partnership Results:
Initial efforts to work on the hazards affecting the warehousing industry proved to be promising.  While the Participants discussed these hazards and their solutions, no concrete steps were taken in this Partnership.  However, such efforts continued in later versions of the relationship.  See #733: Warehousing Logistics and Material Handling Partnership.

Partnership Overview:
The Partnership covered the two-phase reconstruction project of the Taylor Street Bridge over Brookland Avenue, CSXT and METRO Railroads in Northeast Washington, District of Columbia.  The reconstruction called for the complete demolition and disposal of the existing bridge superstructure and substructure as well as the replacement of an existing retaining wall along adjacent Puerto Rico Avenue.  The replacement structure will reduce the existing 5-span structure of 486 feet in length with a 2-span structure measuring 294 feet.  The overall span was shortened through the use of a Mechanically Stabilized Earth Wall approach at the eastern end of the structure, which had originally been constructed as an elevated roadway in anticipation of the construction of the "North-Central Freeway". 

The goal of this Partnership was to develop a contractor/government collaborative approach that would encourage Washington D.C. area construction contractors to improve their safety and health performance, assist them in doing that, strive for the elimination of serious accidents in the construction industry, and to recognize those contractors with exemplary safety and health programs.

Expected results included focusing OSHA enforcement activity on those contractors who have little or no regard for the safety and health of their employees; developing criteria for a model contractor safety and health program; and making new safety and health materials available to all contractors.  The Partnership provided incentives to those contractors who voluntarily improved their safety and health performance.  Incentives included special recognition from OSHA such as limited scope inspections and reductions in penalties; opportunities for reduced insurance premiums; and recognition from organizations forming the Partnership.

Partnership Goals:

• Achieve a Total Case Incidence Rate (TCIR) below the National average for the construction industry by maintaining the TCIR below the agreed upon baseline of 6.6 and to further reduce this level of recordable injuries annually by at least 4% for the duration of the Partnership
• Identify and correct primary causal factors in worker injuries and illnesses, in particular those behind the top four causes of construction injuries; falls, struck-by and caught-in incidents, and electrocution which comprise the focused four construction hazards

Partnership Results:
The construction project experienced a TCIR of 4.67, which was approximately 30 percent below the established baseline rate.  Cherry Hill Construction, Inc. provided safety training on CPR and first aid, and also provided specialized training for workers performing burning, cutting, and welding of metal beams.

Partnership Overview:
This Partnership covered activity at the Saint Paul Homes Project site where Mistick Construction built a 330,000 square foot three story structure with a partial basement. The goal was to develop a contractor/government collaborative approach that would encourage construction contractors to improve their safety and health performance, assist them in doing so, strive for the elimination of serious accidents in the construction industry, and recognize those contractors with exemplary safety and health programs.

Expected outcomes included focusing Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) enforcement activity on area contractors who have little or no regard for the safety and health of their employees, developing criteria for a model contractor safety and health program, and making safety and health materials available to all contractors.

The Partnership provided incentives to participating contractors who voluntarily improve safety and health performance. Incentives included special recognition from OSHA such as limited scope inspections and penalty reductions, opportunities for reduced insurance premiums, and recognition from organizations forming the Partnership.

Partnership Goals:

• Develop, implement, and maintain effective comprehensive safety and health programs in accordance with OSHA's 1989 Safety and Health Program Management Guidelines
• Achieve participant recordable illness and injury rates below the National average for the construction industry by maintaining the Days Away, Restricted or Transferred (DART) rate below the industry average, which was 3.4 for year 2002
• Identify and correct primary causal factors in worker injuries and illnesses, in particular the top four causes of construction injuries: falls, struck-by and caught-in incidents, and electrocution

Partnership Results:
The Partnership achieved its goal of reducing its DART rate, which was 0.4, well below the 3.4 rate as established by the agreement.  Also, the serious injuries reduced more than four percent on an annual basis as there were no recordable incidents in both 2005 and 2006.  Compliance Assistance Specialists provided technical assistance on fall protection, scaffolding, aerial lifts, electrical hazards, asbestos, and recordkeeping.

Partnership Overview:
The Skirkanich Hall Project at the University of Pennsylvania covered the construction of a 58,000 square foot seven story cast in place concrete superstructure, including the penthouse level, with a full basement.  Over the two year life of the construction project, contractors employed approximately 125 individual construction tradespersons at peak construction. The complete work will included site construction, concrete, masonry, miscellaneous metal, casework, lab equipment, thermal and moisture protection, doors and windows, finishes, specialties, equipment, furnishings, special construction, elevator, mechanical, and electrical work.

The goal was to develop a contractor/government collaborative approach that would encourage construction contractors to improve their safety and health performance, assist them in doing so, strive for the elimination of serious accidents in the construction industry, and recognize those contractors with exemplary safety and health programs.  Expected outcomes of the Partnership included focusing Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) enforcement activity on area contractors who have little or no regard for the safety and health of their employees; developing criteria for a model contractor safety and health program; and making safety and health materials available to all contractors.

The Partnership provided incentives to participating contractors who voluntarily improved their safety and health performance. Incentives included special recognition from OSHA such as limited scope inspections and reductions in penalties; opportunities for reduced insurance premiums; and recognition from organizations forming the Partnership.

Partnership Goals:

• Develop, implement, and maintain effective comprehensive safety and health programs in accordance with OSHA's 1989 Safety and Health Program Management Guidelines
• Achieve participant recordable illness and injury rates below the National average for the construction industry by maintaining the Days Away, Restricted, or Transferred (DART) rate  below the industry average, which was 3.4 for year 2002
• Identify and correct primary causal factors in worker injuries and illnesses, in particular the top four causes of construction injuries: falls, struck-by and caught-in incidents, and electrocution (OSHA's focused four construction hazards) and a primary health hazard associated with construction Silica

Partnership Results:
At the completion of the Partnership, the goals of reducing the DART rate by at least 4 percent from the baseline rate of 2.35 and maintaining the Total Case Incidence Rate (TCIR) below the national average for SIC 1540 which was 3.4 for 2002 were met.  The DART rate of 2.35 was reduced to 0 during this rating period and the DART for the duration of the jobsite was reduced 68% to 0.75.  The TCIR rate of 2.35 was reduced to 0 during this rating period and the TCIR for the duration of the jobsite was reduced 68% to 0.75.

The successful reductions in the injury and illness rates are attributed to Skanska's, the General Contractor of the project, emphasis on safety and health training.  Skanska provided safety orientation to approximately 340 employees who worked at this site at some time.  Also, fall protection training was provided to approximately 80 employees engaged in poured in place concrete activities. In addition, the Emergency Action Plan training was provided to all employees during orientation, and Skanska provided training to employee representatives on how to properly conduct site safety audits.

Partnership Overview:
The Penn-Del-Jersey Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association, Inc. (PDJNECA) and International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Union (IBEW) Locals have worked together to develop programs and procedures for rational and peaceful dispute resolution and improving safety and health, training of apprentices and journeymen, employment and benefit programs, and other programs for the benefit of the industry, its workers, and the general public. For over 65 years, PDJNECA/IBEW labor - management partnerships have provided their respective members and the construction industry with model programs designed to meet industry specific needs in Pennsylvania and Delaware. The PDJNECA/IBEW partners are pleased to expand their umbrella of partnership to extend the hand of cooperation and consideration to the Pennsylvania and Delaware Area Offices of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) by participating in a Partnership tailored to furthering safety and health in the electrical construction industry. The PDJNECA/IBEW partners continued to work together to develop harmonious relationships aimed at promoting the well being of labor while improving the economic and financial interests of the industry.

Participating Unions:

• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 81, Scranton, Pennsylvania
• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 98, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 126, Collegeville, Pennsylvania
• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 143, Harrisburg, Pennsylvania
• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 163, Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania
• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 229, York, Pennsylvania
• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 313, New Castle, Delaware
• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 375, Allentown, Pennsylvania
• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 380, Collegeville, Pennsylvania
• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 607, Shamokin, Pennsylvania
• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 654, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 743, Reading, Pennsylvania
• International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers, Local 812, Williamsport, Pennsylvania

Partnership Goals:

• Decrease the participating firms' employee injury and illness rates by 4% per year over the life of the Partnership
• Develop an industry standard checklist designed to exceed OSHA requirements and should be used when working with energized circuits
•  Decrease workers compensation costs for participating contractors and decrease workers lost time due to injuries
• Increase the implementation of effective contractor safety and health programs
• Increase accessibility to quality safety and health training and education, thereby raising safety and health awareness for both employees and contractors
• Provide a leadership role for the entire industry
• Utilize OSHA as a proactive resource: to provide leadership in the development and implementation of safety and health programs, to provide advice and training regarding workplace hazards, and to advise participants of current regulations and interpretations of pertinent standards
• Increase the number of electrical workers who have been trained in the OSHA 10 and 30 Hour courses

Partnership Objectives:
Working as partners and associates, the parties were committed to achieving measurable, meaningful improvements in electrical worker safety and health through the following blueprint:

• Through cooperation and respect, build an open and continuous communication channel amongst OSHA, the PDJNECA, IBEW, and participating firms
• Actively research, share and implement the top safety and health programs for electrical workers, which include technology, innovations and best practices that provide measurable improvement in electrical worker safety and health
• Continuously develop, build and share effective safety and health programs specifically for electrical workers
• With help from the Local and National Joint Apprenticeship and Training Committee (NJATC), develop and build improved, effective, meaningful safety and health training programs specific enough for the  trade, yet broad enough to be effective in every facet of the  diverse industry
• Continue to recognize and promote electrical worker safety and health excellence

Partnership Results:
At the end of this Partnership, membership increased to 8 participating employers, representing 410 employees. The closeout evaluation report showed that 410 employees and supervisors received almost 6,000 hours of training. The training included NFPA-70E courses and arc flash safety. A minimum of one supervisor per participating employer was required to attend a Train the Trainer course to ensure that the members are capable of providing in-house training. As part of maintaining effective safety and health management systems, the members performed 520 self-inspections where 780 hazards were identified and corrected.

Partnership Overview:
The Neighborhood Transformation Initiative Program involved the removal of dangerous buildings throughout the city of Philadelphia. Hill International, Inc. was the city of Philadelphia Program Manager for the Neighborhood Transformation Initiative Program. In this capacity, Hill was responsible for working with the administration and City Council to plan targeted demolition areas, preparing detailed bid packages for bidding out demolition work through the City's standard procurement process, working closely with inspectors and other staff of the City's Department of Licenses and Inspections, and overseeing the demolition work in the field. The demolition program proceeded based on three guiding principles: (1) conduct the demolition in a safe, orderly manner; (2) minimize community disruption; and (3) structure bid documents to decrease costs and meet goals for community participation.  The work included: residential demolition, site clearing, waterproofing, stuccoing, and landscaping.

The goal of this Partnership was to develop a contractor/government collaborative approach that would encourage demolition contractors to improve their safety and health performance, assist them in doing so, strive for the elimination of serious accidents in the construction industry, and recognize those contractors with exemplary safety and health programs.  The Partnership was conducted at numerous NTI sites over a one year period, and was applied to all contractors at the sites.  Expected outcomes of the program included: focusing Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) enforcement activity on area contractors who have little or no regard for the safety and health of their employees; developing criteria for a model contractor safety and health program; and making safety and health materials available to all contractors.

The Partnership provided incentives to participating contractors who voluntarily improved their safety and health performance. Incentives included special recognition from the OSHA such as limited scope inspections and reductions in penalties; opportunities for reduced insurance premiums; and recognition from organizations forming the Partnership.

Partnership Goals:

• Prime Contractors will develop, implement, and maintain effective comprehensive safety and health programs in accordance with OSHA's 1989 Safety and Health Program Management Guidelines and the Demolition Safety Procedures found in Appendix A of the Partnership Agreement
• Achieve participant recordable illness and injury rates below the National average for the construction industry by maintaining the Days Away, Restricted or Transferred (DART) rate below the industry average, which was 3.8 for year 2002
• Identify and correct primary causal factors in worker injuries and illnesses, in particular the top four causes of construction injuries: falls, struck-by and caught-in incidents, and electrocution (OSHA's focused four construction hazards)

Partnership Results: 
This Partnership involved 27 employers representing 207 employees.  According to the closeout evaluation, the Partnership's Total Case Incidence Rate (TCIR) for 2007 was below the average for their respective industry.  

Almost 150 employees and supervisors received over 600 hours of training which included demolition safety, fall protection, electrical hazards, scaffolding, and accident reporting. As a result of this Partnership, all of the employers improved their safety and health management systems. Two example of this are where some of the participants worked with site safety management to develop and implement new types of fall protection measures and the development of a standardized orientation power point presentation including the NTI/OSHA safety requirements that was distributed for use by all contractors. Finally, the partners performed approximately 1000 self-inspections and identified and corrected 693 hazards.

OSHA recognized that the demolition industry as a whole is an inherently danger element prompting the Philadelphia Area Office to approach the City of Philadelphia to partner for the duration of the project. To determine the effectiveness of this Partnership, national and local inspection statistics were obtained for the Demolition industry for the years of 2004 through 2006 to determine the effectiveness of the Partnership as a whole. These statistics reflect the pervasiveness of the continued identification of serious safety and health hazards which were reflective in the 305 OSHA inspections conducted nationally.

As a result of the inspections, 84 or 27% were found to be in compliance. During this same time frame, OSHA's Philadelphia Area Office conducted 27 inspections in this SIC code 11 of which were a direct result of the current NTI Partnership. These inspections resulted in a 91% rate of in compliance. Violations found on only 1 of the 11 inspections conducted. Additionally, while the National inspection data reflects that the 305 inspections resulted in the issuance and sustaining of a total of 778 violations or 3.52 violations per inspection, the NTI Partnership Inspections show a rate of .73 per inspection. Additionally, of the 305 inspections, 13 were prompted by accidents/fatalities including 8 unfortunate fatalities. While the injury/illness data presented above reflects an above national average rate, it should be noted that during the duration of the NTI Partnership, the participants demolished a total of 2,558 homes/structures with no fatal accidents.

Partnership Overview:
This project consisted of the demolition of 1300 linear feet of the existing wharf and the construction of a new wharf at the Dundalk Marine Terminal. The replacement structure is 25ft wider and has double the cargo capacity. The work involved the excavation of 15,000 cubic yards of material, 106 soil anchors, driving 1,100 twenty and twenty-four inch precast piles, dredging 38,000 cubic yards of material from the berths and disposing of it at Hart-Miller Island, and placing 11,000 cubic yards of new concrete. There was a combination of 50 union and non-union employees employed throughout the duration of construction.

The objective was to develop a contractor/government collaborative approach that would encourage area construction contractors to improve their safety and health performance, assist them in doing that, strive for the elimination of serious accidents in the construction industry, and to recognize those contractors with exemplary safety and health programs. Expected results of the program included focusing Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) enforcement activity on those contractors who have little or no regard for the safety and health of their employees; developing criteria for a model contractor safety and health program; and making new safety and health materials available to all contractors.

The Partnership provided incentives to those contractors who voluntarily improved their safety and health performance.  Incentives included special recognition from OSHA such as limited scope inspections and reductions in penalties; opportunities for reduced insurance premiums; and recognition from organizations forming the Partnership.

Partnership Goals:

• Achieve Total Case Incidence Rate (TCIR) below the National average for the construction industry by maintaining the total recordable cases per 100 full time workers below the agreed upon baseline of 6.6 and to further reduce the Days Away, Restricted or Transferred (DART) Rate by 4% annually for the duration of the Partnership
• Identify and correct primary causal factors in worker injuries and illnesses, in particular those behind the top four causes of construction injuries; falls, struck-by and caught-in incidents, and electrocution (focused four construction hazards.)

Partnership Results:
This Partnership ran in tandem with a Cooperative Compliance Agreement between Cianbro Corporation and the Maryland Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH). OSHA intervention began late in the project where Maritime activity was near completion.  However, for the duration of OSHA's involvement, 70 training sessions were provided to the supervisors and employees at the worksite covering subjects such as weekly safety meetings, orientation, personal protection equipment (PPE), fall training, 30 hour courses, and water rescue.  The entire project, during its duration, experienced a TCIR rate of 2.85, which is well below the established baseline of 6.6. 

Partnership Overview:
This cooperative effort fostered safe and healthful worksites and met the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) strategic goal of improving the safety, health, and well-being of the nation's workforce. Pepperidge Farm, Inc., Downingtown, Pennsylvania plant, located approximately 35 miles west of Philadelphia in Chester County, is the company's oldest bakery. Producing frozen cakes, pastries, and bread products, the plant employed approximately 425 non-union employees at the time of the Partnership.

The primary goal of this Partnership was to develop a cooperative relationship that would assist the Pepperidge Farm, Inc.'s Downingtown Plant in improving its safety and health performance and strive for the reduction of work-related injuries and illnesses associated with ergonomic risk factors. Expected outcomes of this Partnership included reducing work-related musculoskeletal injuries and illnesses at Pepperidge Farm, Inc.'s Downingtown Plant by 4% per year, fostering outreach and communication within the safety profession, and promoting the national dialogue on workplace safety and health.

Participating Facility:

• Pepperidge Farm Downingtown Plant, Downingtown, Pennsylvania

Partnership Goals:

• Develop, implement, and maintain a program geared toward reducing exposure to hazards associated with ergonomic risk factors
• Reduce work-related illnesses and injuries resulting from ergonomic risk factors by 4% per year
• Foster outreach and communication among safety professionals
• Promote the national dialogue on workplace safety and health in order to help forge innovative solutions and reduce ergonomic risk factors

Partnership Results:
As the primary goal of Agreement was to reduce injuries and illnesses from ergonomic risk factors by 4% per year, and this Partnership far exceeded this goal. The OSHA 300 logs reviewed for evaluation purposes confirmed an overall reduction of 18% in recordable musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs) between 2006 and 2007. For the duration of the Partnership, the Pepperidge Farm - Downingtown Plant's recordable MSDs decreased significantly, from 29 in 2004 to 9 in 2007 representing 69% reduction. As a whole, the plant's Total Case Incidence Rate (TCIR) for the duration of the Partnership reduced by 65% as the TCIR went from 11.23 (43 cases) in 2004 to 4.04 (15 cases) in 2007. Additionally, the Days Away, Job Restrictions or Transfers rate (DART) reduced 10%, from 3.65 in 2004 to 2.69 in 2007.

Partnership Overview:
Metro Machine Corporation, the contract winner for ship scrapping in the Philadelphia Business Naval Center, and the International Brotherhood of Boilermakers, Local 2000 entered into a Partnership with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to identify, incorporate, and disseminate best practices for the ship scrapping industry, historically, one of the most dangerous industries in the United States. This Partnership also was to strive to identify and develop improved training techniques, foster employee cooperation, and implement effective written safety and health programs for ship dismantlement operations. The partners aimed to further reduce the total Rate of Days Away From Work, Restricted, or Transfers (DART) by 4%, annually, for the duration of Partnership.

Partnership Goals:

• Determine effective methods and techniques to improve the safety and health of workers engaged in ship disposal and to share best practices throughout an industry that has historically been one of the most dangerous in the United States
• Identify and develop improved training techniques and work practices, foster employee cooperation, and develop and implement effective written safety and health programs
• Reduce the total Rate of Days Away From Work, Restricted, or Transfers (DART) by 4% annually, for the duration of this Partnership, from a baseline of 24.1% established during the previous agreement

Partnership Results: 
During the course of the Partnership, multiple best practices in the ship breaking industry were identified.  They include:

• Fall Protection: Require the use of fall protection during all phases of ship breaking. Cutlines are designed to leave approximately a four foot bulkhead as a safety feature for fall protection. Temporary stanchions with wire rope are erected as soon as a module is removed to act as fall protection where bulkhead sections must be completely removed. Temporary stanchions are also used to guard deck openings where equipment has been removed.
• Respirator Use: Require the use of supplied air respirators by all burners and fire watches with an exception for fire watches stationed in the drydock remote from burning taking place aboard ship. On a semi-annual basis, respirator inspections and fit tests of all employees' respirators should be performed in addition to random spot checks during daily safety inspections.
• Annual Physical: Require all employees to have an annual physical incorporating all of the physical examination requirements specified for pre-placement and periodic examinations specified by the Lead and Cadmium Standard in addition to the Asbestos Standard.
• Relationship with the Navy Fire Department: Maintain an open relationship with the Navy Fire Department by keeping the Fire Chief posted on work activities going on within the facility.  Also, participate in rescue drills with the fire department.
• Evacuation Drills: Conduct evacuation drills on a quarterly basis.  All persons working aboard ships should be required to evacuate the ship and muster in the area their time sheets are kept for roll call and should be considered complete only when all supervisors are able to report all employees as present and accounted for.
• Shower time: Require all employees working in areas that exceed the Permissible Emission Limits (PELs) for Lead, Cadmium or Asbestos to shower for a minimum of 20 minutes after conclusion of a day's work.
• Specialized Daily Safety Inspections: the Partnership developed a detailed 9-page check sheet daily for each ship in the facility and it is organized by work activities and is designed to incorporate all safety requirements applicable for that activity.  A copy of each completed inspection checklist should be forwarded to the Plant Manager, Environmental Safety and Health (ES&H) Manager and Foreman for review and action.
• Cable Cutting: the Partnership developed an alternative compliance method for cutting of asbestos and Polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB) containing shipboard electrical cable after working closely with the Philadelphia Area and Region III OSHA Offices to ensure the cutting of shipboard cable is conducted in complete compliance with 1915.1001

Partnership Overview:
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) joined with representatives from Dunn/Intech as well as the United States Postal Service (USPS) Philadelphia Processing and Distribution Center to develop a common vision and commitment to provide employees a safe and healthful environment during the construction of the USPS vehicle maintenance facility. This project was located at the USPS Philadelphia Processing Vehicle Maintenance facility along 74th Street and Brewster Avenue.

The objective was to develop a contractor/government collaborative approach that will encourage construction contractors to improve their safety and health performance, assist them in doing that, strive for the elimination of serious accidents in the construction industry, and recognize those contractors with exemplary safety and health programs.

Expected outcomes included: focusing OSHA enforcement activity on area contractors who have little or no regard for the safety and health of their employees; developing criteria for a model contractor safety and health program; and making safety and health materials available to all contractors.  The Partnership provided incentives to contractors who voluntarily improved their safety and health performance. Incentives included special recognition from OSHA, e.g., limited scope inspections and reductions in penalties; opportunities for reduced insurance premiums; and recognition from organizations forming the Partnership.

Partnership Goals:

• Develop, implement, and maintain effective comprehensive safety and health programs in accordance with OSHA's 1989 Safety and Health Program Management Guidelines
• Achieve participant recordable illness and injury rates below the National average for the construction industry by keeping the Days Away, Restricted, or Transferred (DART) rate below the most recently published national average for Nonresidential Building Construction, which was 3.1 for year 2003
• Further reduce this level of injuries by at least 4%, annually, for the life of the agreement, and to facilitate OSHA's goal of reducing fatalities by 3% annually
• Identify and correct primary causal factors in worker injuries and illnesses, in particular the top four causes of construction injuries: falls, struck-by and caught-in incidents, and electrocution (OSHA's focused four construction hazards)

Partnership Results:
This was a short term Partnership having a projected duration of fourteen months.  The construction was completed in thirteen months.  For this project, approximately 40,000 hours of training were provided to 225 employees and supervisors on subjects including orientation, aerial lifts, and roof fall protection.  As a result of the efforts, 15 safety and health management systems of the contractors working on the project were either implemented and/or enhanced.

Partnership Overview:
Clark Construction Company, the general contractor, and approximately 80 subcontractors were involved in the construction of a two million square foot complex that consists of two towers. The towers will contain a central linear atrium that will extend the full height of the buildings to skylights above. The towers were constructed over two levels of below-grade parking that is able to accommodate one thousand vehicles. The complex was constructed directly above a subway tunnel, approximately 17 feet below the lowest point of the excavation, and an active 14' x 14' active sewer main.

The objective of the Partnership was to develop a contractor/government collaborative approach that will encourage Washington Metropolitan Area construction contractors to improve their safety and health performance, assist them in doing so, strive for the elimination of serious accidents in the construction industry, and recognize those contractors with exemplary safety and health programs.  Expected outcomes of the program include developing criteria for a model contractor safety and health program and making safety and health materials available to all contractors.

The Partnership provided incentives to participating contractors who voluntarily improved their safety and health performance. Incentives included special recognition from the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), limited scope inspections and reductions in penalties; opportunities for reduced insurance premiums; and recognition from organizations forming the Partnership.

Partnership Goals:

• Develop, implement, and maintain effective comprehensive safety and health programs in accordance with OSHA's 1989 Safety and Health Program Management Guidelines
• Achieve participant recordable illness and injury rates below the National average for the construction industry by keeping the Days Away, Restricted, or Transferred (DART) rate below the most recently published national average for Nonresidential Building Construction, which was 3.1 for year 2003
• Further reduce this level of injuries by at least 4%, annually, for the life of the agreement, and to facilitate OSHA's goal of reducing fatalities by 3% annually
• Identify and correct primary causal factors in worker injuries and illnesses, in particular the top four causes of construction injuries: falls, struck-by and caught-in incidents, and electrocution (OSHA's focused four construction hazards)

Partnership Results:
At the end of the Partnership, the project recorded Total Case Incidence Rate (TCIR) and DART rates of 2.27 and 1.21 respectively.  Both are well below the established baselines, the 2003 BLS Industry averages.  This was achieved by effective implementation of a safety and health management system developed by Clark Construction and adopted by 35 contractors working on the project.  The management of the system was aided by the over 20,000 hours of training provided to its employees through sessions including: project safety orientation, fall protection, suspension scaffolding, scissor lift, material handling and proper lifting techniques, stretch and flex, tool box talks, air monitoring utilization and material hoist training.

Partnership Overview:
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Slattery Skanska, Inc. agreed to joint implementation of a strategic Partnership covering the construction of the Morrisville Train Storage Yard and Service/Inspection Facility located in Morrisville, Pennsylvania (Bucks County) and owned by the New Jersey Transit Corporation. The train yard construction activities involved the installation of new tracks, an overhead catenary system (OCS), 138 KV electrical transmission towers, new substations as well as upgrades to existing substations, site utilities including: catenary lighting, communications, storm, sanitary and water sewers systems, and general site work such as pavement. The train service and inspection facility included construction of a high bay building which includes concrete track pits, structural steel framing with metal and precast panels and houses posted tracks (elevated) a center platform between the service and inspection tracks and side locomotive roof access platforms. This facility also has bridge and monorail cranes, a wheel truer machine and car progression system, traction sand dispensing system, a mobile platform gantry and a train signaling system.

The objective was to develop a contractor/government collaborative approach that would encourage construction contractors to improve their safety and health performance, assist them in doing that, strive for the elimination of serious accidents in the construction industry, and recognize those contractors with exemplary safety and health programs.  Under the Partnership, the contractors expected that OSHA will acknowledge superior performance by providing timely responses to requests for information and requests for clarification of OSHA standards as resources allow.

This Partnership was expected to result in decreased serious injuries and illnesses and fatalities for the site and improve existing safety and health programs.  It provided incentives to construction contractors that voluntarily participated and demonstrated implementation of effective safety and health programs such as limited scope inspections and reductions in penalties.

Partnership Goals:

• Slattery Skanska will develop, implement and maintain effective and comprehensive safety and health systems in accordance with OSHA's 1989 Safety and Health Program Management Guidelines or its equivalent
• Achieve Participant recordable illness and injury rates below the national average for the construction industry
• Over the duration of the project, achieve a Days Away, Restricted or Transferred Rates (DART) for each Participant that is at least 10% below the respective participant's average rates for the two years prior to entering the Partnership

Partnership Objectives:

• Complete a self-audit and an evaluation of Subcontractors; safety and health programs in accordance with OSHA's 1989 Safety and Health Management Guidelines or its equivalent
• OSHA will evaluate Slattery Skanska and subcontractors' safety and health programs prior to and during the OSHA verification inspection and will observe whether the safety and health management systems in place are adequately protecting employees
• Identify and correct primary causal factors in worker injuries and illnesses
• Establish systems to identify and correct accidents and nears misses
• OSHA will meet at least quarterly with Slattery Skanska to examine the injury and illness experience of the Partnership's participants and to make corrections and adjustments as needed
• DART rates and injury and illness experience will be evaluated through review of the OSHA 300 log and any other relevant accident reports

Partnership Results: 
Skanska's safety management team indicated that safety and health awareness and its' relationship have been enhanced during this Partnership.  Skanska has challenged itself to partner with OSHA on all of its' large projects and is willing to aid OSHA in promoting the safety and health by incorporating all contractors as well as unions into the Partnership process.    

This Partnership had a significant impact on Skanska's implementation of an effective safety and health management system:

• As the project developed, all sub-contractors were encouraged to sign onto the Skanska's Safety and Health Management System which was approved by the owner
• During the project all sub contractors did in fact sign onto and work within the guidelines of the General Contractor's Safety and Health Program, OSHAS 18001 and ISO 14001 Systems
• As the project developed all sub-contractors for each work activity were required to submit to the General Contractor and work with a Construction Plan which included a safety, health and an environmental assessment

The influence of the safety and health management system's implementation enhanced site safety and subcontractor site safety awareness through the life of the Project in the following ways:

• The site's Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) as required by the General Contractor and the owner was worn by all - hardhat, safety glasses, and a High-Visibility Vest
• Fall Protection was required by all above 6'; and
• Ground Fault Circuit Interrupters and a Ground Assured Equipment Program were required by all for all site temporary electric and tools

The evolution on this Project of the Construction Plan helped raise site safety awareness for all.  The construction plans became a constantly evolving document which was written, submitted, tweaked, and audited to capture the ever changing work procedures, work environment, and the safety and environmental assessments.

Partnership Overview:
To facilitate Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) goal of reducing the Days Away, Restricted, or Transferred (DART) rate by 4% each year, OSHA and Barton Malow Company agreed to joint implementation of a Partnership during the construction of the Bayfront Convention Center (BCC) and Sheraton Headquarters Hotel.

In this Partnership, Barton Malow Company and its contractors developed, implemented and maintained effective and comprehensive safety and health management systems and strove to keep the DART rate at the convention center project below the national average, which was 2.8 in 2005. They further strove to reduce this rate by 4% annually during the life of the Partnership. To accomplish these goals, OSHA and Barton Malow worked together to continuously monitor, identify and correct the primary causal factors in injuries, illnesses and near misses.

The objective of this Partnership was to develop a contractor/government Partnership that would encourage construction contractors to improve their safety and health performance, assist them in doing that, strive for the elimination of serious accidents in the construction industry, and recognize those contractors with exemplary safety and health programs.  Under the Partnership, the contractors expected that OSHA will acknowledge superior performance by providing timely responses to requests for information and requests for clarification of OSHA standards as resources allow.

This Partnership was expected to result in decreased serious injuries and illnesses and fatalities for the site and improve existing safety and health programs.  It provided incentives to construction contractors that voluntarily participated and demonstrated implementation of effective safety and health programs such as limited scope inspections and reductions in penalties.

Partnership Goals:

• Barton Malow will develop, implement and maintain effective and comprehensive safety and health systems in accordance with OSHA's 1989 Safety and Health Program Management Guidelines or its equivalent
• Achieve Participant recordable illness and injury rates below the national average for the construction industry
• Over the duration of the project, achieve a DART rate for each Participant that is at least 10% below the respective participant's average rates for the two years prior to entering the Partnership

Partnership Objectives:

• Complete a self-audit and an evaluation of Subcontractors; safety and health programs in accordance with OSHA's 1989 Safety and Health Management Guidelines or its equivalent
• OSHA will evaluate Barton Malow and subcontractors' safety and health programs prior to and during the OSHA verification inspection and will observe whether the safety and health management systems in place are adequately protecting employees
• Identify and correct primary causal factors in worker injuries and illnesses
• Establish systems to identify and correct accidents and nears misses
• OSHA will meet at least quarterly with Barton Malow to examine the injury and illness experience of the Partnership's participants and to make corrections and adjustments as needed
• DART rates and injury and illness experience will be evaluated through review of the OSHA 300 log and any other relevant accident reports

Partnership Results:
At the completion of the Partnership, the project recorded a DART rate of 1.44 for the duration of the Partnership which is well below the established baseline, 2.8 in addition to the 2005 Bureau of Labor Statistics Industry Average for Construction. Furthermore, the DART rate reduced 100% in its second year, from 2.24 to 0.0. Serious injuries were reduced by more than 4% and the goals were met.  To achieve that goal, over 2,000 hours of training were provided to its supervisors and employees.

Partnership Overview:
To facilitate Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) goal of reducing the Days Away, Restricted, or Transferred (DART) rate by 4% each year, OSHA and Clark Construction Group, LLC agreed to joint implementation of a Partnership during construction of the DC Major League Ballpark Project. The open air park is located on a 26-acre plot a mile south of the U.S. Capitol and seats about 41,000.

Clark Construction Group, LLC and its contractors developed, implemented, and maintained effective and comprehensive safety and health management systems and strove to keep the DART rate at the Ballpark Project below the national average, which was 2.6 for the year 2005. The intent of the Partnership was to reduce this rate by 4% annually during the life of the Partnership. To accomplish these goals, OSHA and Clark Construction Group, LLC worked together to continuously monitor, identify and correct the primary causal factors in injuries, illnesses and near misses.

The objective of this Partnership was to develop a contractor/government collaborative approach that would encourage construction contractors to improve their safety and health performance, assist them in doing that, strive for the elimination of serious accidents in the construction industry, and recognize those contractors with exemplary safety and health programs.  Under the Partnership, the contractors expected that OSHA will acknowledge superior performance by providing timely responses to requests for information and requests for clarification of OSHA standards as resources allow.

This Partnership was expected to result in decreased serious injuries and illnesses and fatalities for the site and improve existing safety and health programs.  It provided incentives to construction contractors that voluntarily participated and demonstrated implementation of effective safety and health programs such as limited scope inspections and reductions in penalties.

Partnership Goals:

• Clark Construction Group, LLC will develop, implement and maintain effective and comprehensive safety and health systems in accordance with OSHA's 1989 Safety and Health Program Management Guidelines or its equivalent
• Achieve Participant recordable illness and injury rates below the national average for the construction industry
• Over the duration of the project, achieve a DART for each Participant that is at least 10% below the respective participant's average rates for the two years prior to entering the Partnership

Partnership Objectives:

• Complete a self-audit and an evaluation of Subcontractors; safety and health programs in accordance with OSHA's 1989 Safety and Health Management Guidelines or its equivalent
• OSHA will evaluate Clark Construction Group, LLC and subcontractors' safety and health programs prior to and during the OSHA verification inspection and will observe whether the safety and health management systems in place are adequately protecting employees
• Identify and correct primary causal factors in worker injuries and illnesses
• Establish systems to identify and correct accidents and nears misses
• OSHA will meet at least quarterly with Clark Construction Group, LLC to examine the injury and illness experience of the Partnership's participants and to make corrections and adjustments as needed
• DART rates and injury and illness experience will be evaluated through review of the OSHA 300 log and any other relevant accident reports

Partnership Results:
Over 60 employers and 1,200 employees were involved with the construction of the new Nationals Stadium. In 2007, the Partnership experienced Total Case Incidence Rate (TCIR) and DART rates of 2.31 and .71 respectively. In 2008, the rates reduced to 1.5 and .38 respectively for reductions of approximately 35%. Overall, the Partnership experienced TCIR and DART rates of 2.0 and 0.6 respectively. Both are well below the national averages for the Construction industry.

During the Partnership, over 3,200 supervisors and employees were trained for a total of over 10,000 hours. The training included: aerial lift platforms, fall protection, confined space, hoisting, flag traffic control, hand protection, safety orientation, respiratory protection, powder actuated tools, suspension scaffolds, superintendents briefings, OSHA 10 hour, and weekly tools box meetings. Also, 693 self-inspections were performed and 3,958 hazards and/or violations were identified and corrected/abated.

Partnership Overview:
To facilitate Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) goal of reducing the Days Away, Restricted, or Transferred (DART) rate by 4% each year, OSHA and Corman Construction agreed to the joint implementation of a Partnership during restoration construction of the Frederick Douglass/South Capitol Street Memorial Bridge. The Frederick Douglass Memorial Bridge is a structural steel on concrete structural, 3002 feet long by 75 feet wide. The project was located on South Capitol Street in Southeast Washington DC and crosses the Anacostia River. The owner is the District of Columbia Department of Transportation.

The scope of the work entailed steel repair and steel member strengthening, sidewalk rehabilitation, deck repair, installation of new lighting, repair of the fender system, removal of the Hess petroleum tanks under the bridge, reworking the approaches to the new baseball stadium, re-painting the steel bridge members, milling, re-paving, and marking the newly paved deck. The number of workers on this project ranged between 59 and 100.

The goal of this program was to develop a contractor/government collaborative approach that will encourage construction contractors to improve their safety and health performance, assist them in doing that, strive for the elimination of serious accidents in the construction industry, and recognize those contractors with exemplary safety and health programs.

This agreement between Corman Construction and OSHA was expected to result in decreased serious injuries and illnesses and fatalities for the site and improve existing safety and health programs. It provided incentives to construction contractors that voluntarily participate in the Frederick Douglass/ South Capitol Memorial Bridge Restoration Project Partnership and demonstrate implementation of effective safety and health programs such as limited scope inspections and reductions in penalties.

Partnership Goals:

• Corman Construction, Inc. will develop, implement and maintain effective and comprehensive safety and health systems in accordance with OSHA's 1989 Safety and Health Program Management Guidelines or its equivalent
• Achieve Participant recordable illness and injury rates below the national average for the construction industry
• Over the duration of the project, achieve a DART rate for each Participant that is at least 10% below the respective participant's average rates for the two years prior to entering the Partnership

Partnership Objectives:

• Complete a self-audit and an evaluation of Subcontractors; safety and health programs in accordance with OSHA's 1989 Safety and Health Management Guidelines or its equivalent
• OSHA will evaluate Corman Construction, Inc. and subcontractors' safety and health programs prior to and during the OSHA verification inspection and will observe whether the safety and health management systems in place are adequately protecting employees
• Identify and correct primary causal factors in worker injuries and illnesses
• Establish systems to identify and correct accidents and nears misses
• OSHA will meet at least quarterly with Corman Construction, Inc. to examine the injury and illness experience of the Partnership's participants and to make corrections and adjustments as needed
• DART rates and injury and illness experience will be evaluated through review of the OSHA 300 log and any other relevant accident reports

Partnership Results:
This Partnership, for the duration of the project, did not experience a single incident resulting in zero Total Case Incidence Rate (TCIR) and DART rate. This was due to over 2,500 hours of training provided to the supervisors and employees. Topics included daily crew huddles, which were performed with every crew on the site in addition to weekly ten minute tool box talks conducted with all employees. Orientations were conducted for new workers coming onto the site. Also, 1,385 self-inspections were performed resulting in 375 hazards being corrected or abated.

Partnership Overview:
To facilitate Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) goal of reducing occupationally related fatalities by 3% each year, and reducing the Days Away, Restricted or Transferred (DART) rate by 4% each year, OSHA and Clark Construction Group, LLC agreed to enter into a Partnership for the 51 Louisiana Avenue NW Project.  Now complete, the building has 440,000 square feet Class A office building and an atrium two blocks north of the Capitol Building at the corner of New Jersey Avenue NW and D Street NW in Washington DC.

The objective of this Partnership was to develop a contractor/government collaborative that would encourage construction contractors to improve their safety and health performance, assist them in doing that, strive for the elimination of serious accidents in the construction industry, and recognize those contractors with exemplary safety and health programs.  Under the Partnership, the contractors expected that OSHA will acknowledge superior performance by providing timely responses to requests for information and requests for clarification of OSHA standards as resources allow.

This Partnership was expected to result in decreased serious injuries and illnesses and fatalities for the site and improve existing safety and health programs.  It provided incentives to construction contractors that voluntarily participated and demonstrated implementation of effective safety and health programs such as limited scope inspections and reductions in penalties.

Partnership Goals:

• Clark Construction Group, LLC will develop, implement and maintain effective and comprehensive safety and health systems in accordance with OSHA's 1989 Safety and Health Program Management Guidelines or its equivalent
• Achieve Participant recordable illness and injury rates below the national average for the construction industry
• Over the duration of the project, achieve a DART rate for each Participant that is at least 10% below the respective participant's average rates for the two years prior to entering the Partnership

Partnership Objectives:

• Complete a self-audit and an evaluation of Subcontractors; safety and health programs in accordance with OSHA's 1989 Safety and Health Management Guidelines or its equivalent
• OSHA will evaluate Clark Construction Group, LLC and subcontractors' safety and health programs prior to and during the OSHA verification inspection and will observe whether the safety and health management systems in place are adequately protecting employees
• Identify and correct primary causal factors in worker injuries and illnesses
• Establish systems to identify and correct accidents and nears misses
• OSHA will meet at least quarterly with Clark Construction Group, LLC to examine the injury and illness experience of the Partnership's participants and to make corrections and adjustments as needed
• DART rates and injury and illness experience will be evaluated through review of the OSHA 300 log and any other relevant accident reports

Partnership Results:
At the completion of the project, which involved 26 contractors and 240 employees, the Partnership, the DART rate for the entire project was 2.9, which is 12% above the BLS National Average for the Construction Industry.  While experiencing a slightly above than average DART rate for the project, a total of 26 Safety and Health Management Systems (SHMSs) were implemented and enhanced.  For the entire duration of the project, a total of 359 employees were trained with over 1000 training sessions conducted, totaling over 2,500 hours.  This included daily pre-work meetings, weekly superintendent briefings, monthly subcontractor meetings, new employee orientations, and weekly tool-box talks.  In addition, the SHMSs were reinforced by almost 250 self-inspections which resulted in over 300 hazards corrected and abated.

Partnership Overview:
This agreement provided a safe and healthful work environment for construction workers at the Samuels and Son Seafood Processing Facility in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania during construction of its new site. The common objective of this Partnership was to develop a relationship that will encourage all construction employers to improve their safety and health performances, assist them in doing so, strive for the elimination of serious accidents in the construction industry, and recognize those contractors with exemplary safety and health programs. 

Expected outcomes of this program included: developing model criteria for a multi-employer worksite safety and health management system which identifies the responsibilities of each subcontractor; making safety and health information available to all subcontractors onsite; achieving participant recordable illness and injury rates below the national average for the construction industry; and focusing Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) enforcement activity on subcontractors who need to improve their safety and health efforts.

Partnership Goals:

• Torcon, Inc. will develop, implement and maintain effective and comprehensive safety and health systems in accordance with OSHA's 1989 Safety and Health Program Management Guidelines or its equivalent
• Achieve Participant recordable illness and injury rates below the national average for the construction industry
• Over the duration of the project, achieve a Days Away, Restricted or Transferred Rates (DART) for each Participant that is at least 10% below the respective participant's average rates for the two years prior to entering the Partnership

Partnership Objectives:

• Complete a self-audit and an evaluation of Subcontractors; safety and health programs in accordance with OSHA's 1989 Safety and Health Management Guidelines or its equivalent
• OSHA will evaluate Torcon, Inc. and subcontractors' safety and health programs prior to and during the OSHA verification inspection and will observe whether the safety and health management systems in place are adequately protecting employees
• Identify and correct primary causal factors in worker injuries and illnesses
• Establish systems to identify and correct accidents and nears misses
• OSHA will meet at least quarterly with Torcon, Inc. to examine the injury and illness experience of the Partnership's participants and to make corrections and adjustments as needed
• DART rates and injury and illness experience will be evaluated through review of the OSHA 300 log and any other relevant accident reports

Partnership Results: 
The construction project of the facility experienced a zero incidence rate for the entire duration.  As part of the contract pre-bid qualifications and prior to work being initiated on this project, Torcon required each subcontractor to submit both corporate and project specific safety plans including job safety analysis for all major tasks associated with the scope of their work.  Additionally, Torcon required that each site subcontractor provide an on-site competent person certifying that they had received an OSHA 10- and 30-Hour construction course.  Finally, each subcontractor was required to perform weekly tool box safety talks which also had to be submitted to the general contractor.

Torcon established weekly job site labor management meetings to review safety and health issues and institute corrective actions as needed.  During the Partnership, thirty-four (34) of these meetings were conducted and an average of nine (9) labor representatives were present at each meeting.

Torcon noted in its close-out meeting with the Philadelphia Area Office that strong support and buy-in from the Building Trades of Philadelphia was a key element to the success of this Partnership.

Partnership Overview:
This Partnership covered the renovation of the exterior of the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the construction of its parking garage and landscaped sculpture garden.  The objective was to develop a contractor/government collaborative approach that would encourage all construction contractors to improve their safety and health performance, assist them in doing so, strive for the elimination of serious accidents in the construction industry, and recognize those contractors with exemplary safety and health programs.  Specifically, this agreement was to provide a safe and healthful work environment for construction workers at the construction site for the duration of the project.

The agreement provided incentives to participating Subcontractors who voluntarily improved their safety and health performance. Opportunities for incentives included an award of participation from OSHA, focused inspections, and deferral from programmed inspections for a period of twelve months following a successful OSHA verification inspection. 

Expected outcomes included the development of model criteria for a multi-employer worksite safety and health program identifying the responsibilities of each subcontractor; ensuring the availability of safety and health information to all subcontractors onsite; the achievement of participant recordable illness and injury rates below the national average for the construction industry; and the availability of the 10-Hour Outreach Training Course for Subcontractor foremen and stewards on the jobsite.

Partnership Goals:

• L.F. Driscoll Company will develop, implement and maintain effective and comprehensive safety and health systems in accordance with Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) 1989 Safety and Health Program Management Guidelines or its equivalent
• Achieve Participant recordable illness and injury rates below the national average for the construction industry
• Over the duration of the project, achieve a Days Away, Restricted or Transferred Rates (DART) for each Participant that is at least 10% below the respective participant's average rates for the two years prior to entering the Partnership

Partnership Objectives:

• Complete a self-audit and an evaluation of Subcontractors; safety and health programs in accordance with OSHA's 1989 Safety and Health Management Guidelines or its equivalent
• OSHA will evaluate L.F. Driscoll Company and subcontractors' safety and health programs prior to and during the OSHA verification inspection and will observe whether the safety and health management systems in place are adequately protecting employees
• Identify and correct primary causal factors in worker injuries and illnesses
• Establish systems to identify and correct accidents and nears misses
• OSHA will meet at least quarterly with L.F. Driscoll Company to examine the injury and illness experience of the Partnership's participants and to make corrections and adjustments as needed
• DART rates and injury and illness experience will be evaluated through review of the OSHA 300 log and any other relevant accident reports

Partnership Results: 
Prior to the signing of the Partnership agreement, the project had a DART rate of 16.0 in July of 2008.  At completion, the rate dropped almost 70% to 5.0.  This was achieved through L.F. Driscoll's commitment to employee safety and health coupled with assistance from OSHA.  First, LF Driscoll required that all site supervisors and employees completed site specific safety orientation training. 

Additionally, two onsite training sessions (confined space entry and concrete post tension) were also conducted. There were requirements imposed on the contractors working at the project.  Each contractor was required to perform and document weekly tool-box talks. Monthly jobsite safety meetings were conducted and were attended by contractor management representatives, site employees and authorized union representatives.

L.F. Driscoll administered the overall Partnership program by reviewing each partnering Subcontractor's safety and health management system, conducting pre-planning meetings for all high risk site activities and establishing a Site Safety Committee which discussed issues regarding safety and health, reviewed accidents, and implemented corrective actions as required. The general contractor also required partnering subcontractor to have designated site competent person having completed the OSHA 10-hour course for the construction industry. Finally, the employer monitored the partnering subcontractors' compliance regarding tool box talks, training verifications, pre-planning meetings, job site permits (i.e. confined space, hot work), and contractor self-audit inspections.

Partnership Overview:
To facilitate Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) goal of reducing occupationally related fatalities by 3% each year, and reducing the Days Away, Restricted or Transferred (DART) rate by 4% each year, OSHA and Continental Building Systems agreed to the joint implementation of a Partnership during the construction of the Christ Temple Church Life and Health Center, which consists of a pre-engineered metal building and an attached two-story traditional steel/concrete structure.

The purpose of this Partnership was to develop a contractor/government collaborative approach that encourages construction contractors to improve their safety and health performance, assists them in doing that, strives for the elimination of serious accidents in the construction industry, and recognizes those contractors with exemplary safety and health programs. Under the Partnership, OSHA was to provide timely responses to requests for information and requests for clarification of OSHA standards as resources allowed.

Participating General Contractor:

• Continental Building Systems, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Partnership Goals:

• Continental Building Systems will develop, implement and maintain effective and comprehensive safety and health systems in accordance with OSHA’s 1989 Safety and Health Program Management Guidelines or its equivalent
• Achieve Participant recordable illness and injury rates below the national average for the construction industry
• Over the duration of the project, achieve a DART rate for each Participant that is at least 10% below the respective participant’s average rates for the two years prior to entering the Partnership

Partnership Objectives:

• Complete a self-audit and an evaluation of Subcontractors; safety and health programs in accordance with OSHA’s 1989 Safety and Health Management Guidelines or its equivalent
• OSHA will evaluate Graycor Industrial Constructors, Inc. and subcontractor’s safety and health programs prior to and during the OSHA verification inspection and will observe whether the safety and health management systems in place are adequately protecting employees
• Identify and correct primary causal factors in worker injuries and illnesses
• Establish systems to identify and correct accidents and nears misses
• OSHA will meet at least quarterly with Graycor Industrial Constructors, Inc. to examine the injury and illness experience of the Partnership’s participants and to make corrections and adjustments as needed
• DART rates and injury and illness experience will be evaluated through review of the OSHA 300 log and any other relevant accident reports

Partnership Results:
The construction project concluded with a DART rate of 0.0, thus exceeding the Partnership’s goal of attaining a rate at least 5% below the 2006 Bureau of Labor Statistics National Average for Construction, 2.7. In addition, Continental Building Systems ensured that every contractor working on the project had an effective safety and health management system based on the OSHA 1989 Guidelines.

Partnership Overview:
To facilitate Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) goal of reducing occupationally related fatalities by 3% each year, and reducing the Days Away, Restricted or Transferred (DART) rate by 4% each year, OSHA and Graycor Industrial Constructors, Inc. agreed to enter this Partnership for the duration of the construction of the USS Clairton "C" Coke Battery Project.

The goal of the Partnership was to develop a contractor/government relationship that will encourage construction employers to improve their safety and health performance, assist them in doing that, strive for the elimination of serious accidents in the construction industry, and recognize those contractors/subcontractors with exemplary safety and health management systems.  This Partnership was expected to result in decreased serious injuries and illnesses and fatalities for the site and improve existing safety and health management systems.  Incentives were provided to construction contractors/subcontractors who voluntarily participated in the Partnership and demonstrated implementation of effective safety and health management systems including opportunities for limited scope inspections and reductions in penalties.

Mobilization began October 2008 and with complete turnover and commissioning expected for June 2011, resulting in a scheduled duration of 33 months.

Participating General Contractor:

• Graycor Industrial Constructors, Inc., Homewood, Illinois

Partnership Goals:

• Develop, implement and maintain effective and comprehensive safety and health programs in accordance with OSHA's 1989 Safety and Health Program Management Guidelines or its equivalent
• Achieve Participant recordable illness and injury rates below the national average for the construction industry
• Further reduce this level of recordable injuries annually by at least 4% for the duration of the Partnership

Partnership Objectives:

• Complete a self-audit and an evaluation of Subcontractors; safety and health programs in accordance with OSHA's 1989 Safety and Health Management Guidelines or its equivalent
• OSHA will evaluate Graycor Industrial Constructors, Inc. and subcontractor's safety and health programs prior to and during the OSHA verification inspection and will observe whether the safety and health management systems in place are adequately protecting employees
• Identify and correct primary causal factors in worker injuries and illnesses
• Establish systems to identify and correct accidents and nears misses
• OSHA will meet at least quarterly with Graycor Industrial Constructors, Inc. to examine the injury and illness experience of the Partnership's participants and to make corrections and adjustments as needed
• DART rates and injury and illness experience will be evaluated through review of the OSHA 300 log and any other relevant accident reports

Partnership Results:
Due to economic reasons, Graycor placed the project on hold since June 2009, and due to the length the project was placed on hold, the project would require a rebid and modifications to the original contract. OSHA and Graycor then determined to terminate the Partnership while leaving the option open to revisit the development of a new Partnership at a future date.  But for the duration the Partnership was active, the project experienced a zero injury rate for the almost 150,000 hours worked.   Graycor, the General Contractor for the project ensured that all of its subcontractors had comprehensive site specific safety plan incorporating the elements of the 1989 Guidelines.  The site safety plan implemented both United States Steel Corporation contractor safety specifications and Graycor's "C" Battery Project specific plan including site specific safety requirements, inspections, training and Drug Free Workplace policy and procedures.  Also a variety of safety training were offered including:  Site specific orientation to include fall protection, hazard communication, excavations, housekeeping, emergency action, ladders/stairways, scaffold, lockout/tagout, PPE, site specific rules, US Steel Cardinal Rules, job site hazards, and railroad safety.  Specialized training was conducted on aerial lifts, confined spaces, and respirators. OSHA provided technical assistance and interpretation of standards on excavation and mobile cranes concerns and also attended quarterly safety meetings.

Partnership Overview:
Pursuing efforts to reduce the total Rate of Days Away From Work (DART rate) by 4% each year, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Clark Construction Group, LLC, signed a Partnership agreement for the construction of the 401 M Street Waterfront Development Project which will cover redevelopment in S.W. Washington, D.C.

The goals included developing, implementing and maintaining an effective and comprehensive safety and health management system in accordance with OSHA's 1989 Safety and Health Program Management Guidelines or its equivalent and achieving participant recordable illness and injury rates below the national average for the construction industry

The Project included: demolition; sheeting and shoring; bulk excavation; structural foundations; and roadway construction.  Subsequently, the project involved the construction of 8 story buildings; construction of an above ground grocery shell; site work; service roads; landscaping, and plaza work near the Metro Station. The final phase of the project included the demolition of an existing grocery store; hazardous materials abatement; excavation for two levels of below ground parking; interim surface parking; and new service road construction. This project covered 13 acres with 1.2 million feet of structural demolition.

Over the life of the project, 46 contractors working on the project employed approximately 1000 individual construction tradespersons at peak construction.

Participating General Contractor:

• Clark Construction Group, LLC, Bethesda, Maryland

Partnership Goals:

• Develop, implement and maintain effective and comprehensive safety and health programs in accordance with OSHA's 1989 Safety and Health Program Management Guidelines or its equivalent
• Achieve Participant recordable illness and injury rates below the national average for the construction industry
• Further reduce this level of recordable injuries annually by at least 4% for the duration of the Partnership

Partnership Objectives:

• Complete a self-audit and an evaluation of Subcontractors; safety and health programs in accordance with OSHA's 1989 Safety and Health Management Guidelines or its equivalent
• OSHA will evaluate Clark Construction Group, LLC and subcontractor's safety and health programs prior to and during the OSHA verification inspection and will observe whether the safety and health management systems in place are adequately protecting employees
• Identify and correct primary causal factors in worker injuries and illnesses
• Establish systems to identify and correct accidents and nears misses
• OSHA will meet at least quarterly with Clark Construction Group, LLC to examine the injury and illness experience of the Partnership's participants and to make corrections and adjustments as needed
• DART rates and injury and illness experience will be evaluated through review of the OSHA 300 log and any other relevant accident reports

Partnership Results: 
During the first year of the Partnership, the project experienced a DART rate of 1.1 for its 46 contractors and 400 employees.  In reinforcing and improving the Safety and Health Management Systems of the contractors working on the project, about 12,000 hours of training were provided to the employees in addition to 2,000 hours provided to the supervisors and managers.  Furthermore, the site safety and health managers conducted comprehensive inspections of the entire project, along with sub-contractor and supervising management assistance with focused attention to OSHA's top four hazards:  falls, struck-by, caught-in, and electrical.  Also, daily project safety documentation and weekly inspections as well as reviews of monthly checklists, OSHA 300 logs, first aid logs, and project subcontractors monthly experience forms were conducted.

As a result of the Partnership, compared to its first year DART rate, the project experienced a 72% decrease in its second year of the project.  This shows that ensuring all employers and contractors have effective safety and health management systems will produce positive results.  Also, the employers' relationships with OSHA have become more of a team effort as opposed to adversarial relationship, and this has trickled down to the subcontractors as well.

Partnership Overview:
Recognizing the importance of providing a safe and healthful working environment for construction industry workforce, OSHA and the Delaware Contractors Association, Inc. (DCA) signed a three year OSHA Strategic Partnership (OSP) agreement to develop a working relationship that will result in decreased serious injuries; illnesses; and fatalities for participating contractors and improvement of existing safety and health programs. The Delaware Contractors Association is a trade association made up of heavy; highway; commercial; industrial and utility contractors; and suppliers of related products and services.

Partnership Goals:

• Reduce by 4%, annually, the Days Away from Work, Restricted and Transferred Activity (DART) rate affecting each Participant, with an emphasis on reducing injuries and illnesses resulting from the four focused construction hazards: falls, struck-by and caught-in mishaps, and electrocution
• Increase the number of general and specialty contractors who implement effective safety and health training for management, supervisors and employees

Participating Facilities:

• Advanced Specialty Contractors, Aston, Pennsylvania
• Allan A. Myers, LLC, Wilmington, Delaware
• Bancroft Construction, Wilmington, Delaware
• Bear Industries, Georgetown, Delaware
• Diamond Materials, Wilmington, Delaware
• EDiS Company, Wilmington, Delaware
• Enterprise Masonry Corporation, Wilmington, Delaware
• George and Lynch, Dover, Delaware
• Harmony Construction, Wilmington, Delaware

Partnership Objectives:
The objective was to develop a contractor/government OSP that would encourage construction contractors to improve their safety and health performance, assist them in doing that, strive for the elimination of serious accidents in the construction industry, and recognize those contractors with exemplary SHMS. Under the OSP, OSHA was to provide timely responses to requests for information and requests for clarification of OSHA standards as resources allowed. Parties of this agreement expected to decrease the number of serious injuries and illnesses and fatalities at their sites and improve existing SHMS through the provision of incentives to construction contractors that voluntarily participate in the OSP by demonstrating implementation of effective SHMS.

Expected outcomes included the development of criteria for a model multi-employer worksite SHMS with the capability to identify each subcontractor’s responsibilities; making available safety and health materials to all subcontractors onsite; ensuring safety and health were primary considerations in every aspect of projects undertaken; providing visible safety and health leadership; attaining participant recordable illness and injury rates below the national averages for the construction industry; and ensuring that OSHA enforcement activity focused on contractors and subcontractors with little or no regard for their workers’ safety and health.

Partnership Results:
During the second year, the Delaware Contractors Association assisted 8 participating contractors and its 470 employees. The association arranged for over 3,000 hours of training, performed both by OSHA and third-party trainers. A total of 18 training sessions covered various safety subjects including OSHA Recordkeeping, the OSHA 10 & 30 Hour Courses, Preparing for a Pandemic Flu, Scaffolding, First Aid / CPR, Flagger Course, and a Crane Safety Seminar. OSHA Compliance Assistance Specialists also attended monthly safety committee meetings to provide updates on current rules and regulations. OSHA provided technical assistance on Pandemic Influenza, Fall Protection Systems, and significant recent changes to OSHA’s Multi-Employer Citation Policy and also made a presentation to 62 members regarding OSHA’s New Direction with the emphasis on strong enforcement.

According to the Wilmington, Delaware Area office, this OSP created a very positive working relationship between OSHA and the construction trades and companies in the state of Delaware.

Partnership Overview:
Recognizing the importance of providing a safe and healthful work environment for all Pittsburgh Penguins Arena project contractors, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA); PJ Dick Incorporated and Hunt Construction Group, A Joint Venture (JV), signed a two year Partnership agreement covering the construction of a new professional ice hockey and multi-purpose arena.  The Partnership was expected to result in decreased serious injuries; illnesses; and fatalities for participating contractors as they improve their existing safety and health programs. The Partnership required implementation of effective safety and health management systems (SHMS) by each employer and addressed the four focused construction industry hazards, falls, struck-by, caught in/caught between, and electrocutions.

Participating Facilities:

• A.C. Dellovade, Inc., Canonsburg, Pennsylvania
• A.G. Mauro Company, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Allegheny Installations Company, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Athletic & Performance Rigging, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Brayman Construction Corporation, Saxonburg, Pennsylvania
• Canam Steel Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Century Steel Erectors Company, Dravosburg, Pennsylvania
• Cast & Baker Corporation, Canonsburg, Pennsylvania
• Creative Cabinet Systems, Inc., Arcanum, Ohio
• E. F. Marburger & Sons, Inc., Fishers, Indiana
• Engineered Products Inc., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Franco Associates, Carlisle, Pennsylvania
• Graziano Construction & Development  Company, McKeesport, Pennsylvania
• Ground Improvement Services, Merrillville, Indiana
• Ice Builders, Inc., Liverpool, New York
• J. P. Phillips, Inc., Canonsburg, Pennsylvania
• Jadell Minniefield Construction Services, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• L & H Signs, Inc., Reading, Pennsylvania
• Lighthouse Electric Company, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• L S. Brinker Company, Detroit, Michigan
• Marous Brothers Construction, Inc., Cleveland, Ohio
• Mascaro Construction Company, L.P., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• McKamish, Inc., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Mel-Rae, Inc., Elizabeth, Pennsylvania
• Munkittrick, Inc., Wilkinsburg, Pennsylvania
• Noralco Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• MoreTrench American Corporation, Monroeville, Pennsylvania
• Parsons Electric, Media, Pennsylvania
• Patrino's & Ritter , JV, LLC, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Phoenix Roofing, Inc., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• P. J. Dick, Inc., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Pro-McKamish, JV, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Roman Mosaic & Tile Co., Inc., West Chester, Pennsylvania
• Schindler Elevator Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Sidley Precast Group, Youngwood, Pennsylvania
• Simplex Grinnell, LP, Cranberry Township, Pennsylvania
• Staging Concepts, Inc., Minneapolis, Minnesota
• Tri-City Steel, Inc., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Universal Glass and Metals, Inc., Detroit, Michigan
• Wilcox A Design Solutions, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Window Treats, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
• Wyatt, Inc., Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

Partnership Goals:

• Encourage cooperation between OSHA and P.J. Dick and Hunt Construction that will foster a safe work environment at the arena construction project
• Reduce the Days Away from Work, Restricted and Transferred Activity (DART) rate by at least 3 percent annually

Partnership Objectives:
The objective was to develop a contractor/government collaborative approach that will encourage construction contractors to improve their safety and health performance, assist them in doing that, strive for the elimination of serious accidents in the construction industry, and recognize those contractors with exemplary SHMS.  Under the Partnership, OSHA was to provide timely responses to requests for information and requests for clarification of OSHA standards as resources allow. This agreement was expected to result in decreased serious injuries and illnesses and fatalities for the site and improve existing SHMS through the provision of incentives to construction contractors that voluntarily participate in the Partnership by demonstrating implementation of effective SHMS.

Expected outcomes included: developing criteria for a model multi-employer worksite SHMS with the capability to identify each subcontractor's responsibilities; making safety and health materials available to all subcontractors onsite; safety and health is a primary consideration in every aspect of the project; providing visible safety and health leadership; achieving participant recordable illness and injury rates below the national averages for the construction industry; and focusing OSHA enforcement activity on those contractors and subcontractors who have little or no regard for the safety and health of their workers.

Partnership Results:
The construction projected exceeded the goal of reducing its DART rate on an annual basis.  The DART rate for this project period was 11.8% below the project baseline rate of 5.1 and the DART rate for the overall project was 4.5. 

During an enforcement verification visit, OSHA was able to verify that the contractors on site are following the PJ Dick-Hunt comprehensive project safety plan by incorporating all the programs, inspections, and training requirements into their safety and health systems. The provision of training with over 1,000 sessions totaling over 13,000 hours impacting the entire workforce of 1,000 employees was instrumental in ensuring the project met the Partnership's goals. In addition, 50 supervisors and foremen received specialized training.

Self-inspections were also instrumental to the successes of the Partnership.  The partnering employers conducted a variety of inspections including daily inspections, contractor inspections, project inspections, and third-party crane inspections.  This allowed the site personnel to identify and correct hazards in an efficient and prompt manner.  The hazards identified and corrected ranged from a variety of areas to include but not limited to the following:  housekeeping, excavations, fall hazards, cranes, heavy equipment, flammable/combustible materials, slips/trips, heat, and electrical. 

Each contractor reinforced its SHMS through daily self-inspections and over 1,000 hazards were identified and corrected during the project's first year. Through the local Pittsburgh Area Office, OSHA contributed to the Partnership with the provisions of abatement assistance and interpretation of standards on fall protection and excavation. Also OSHA representatives attend quarterly review conferences, meeting with representatives from the Partners, engineering firms, and insurance companies.

The positive experience resulting from this Partnership led to the signing of another Partnership involving P.J. Dick and the Pittsburgh Regional Building Trades Council.

Partnership Overview:
With this two-year Partnership, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Ellwood Crankshaft and Machine, Inc. (Ellwood) agree to work cooperatively to eliminate safety and health hazards at Ellwood’s facility by developing and enhancing its safety and health management system (SHMS).

Participating Facility:

• Ellwood Crankshaft and Machine, Inc., Hermitage, Pennsylvania

• Promote, institute and maintain a safety and health management system based on OSHA’s 1989 Guidelines which incorporates these four basic program elements: Management Leadership and Employee Involvement; Worksite Analysis; Hazard Prevention and Control; and Training;
• Reduce or maintain injury and illness rates to/at levels that would meet eligibility requirements for VPP (3 year average TCIR and DART Rates (or equivalent rates) are below at least 1 of the most recent 3 years BLS rates for the established NAICS code); and
• Encourage Ellwood Crankshaft and Machine’s participation in OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP).

Partnership Objectives:
The objective is to develop a cooperative relationship between OSHA and Ellwood and to assist the facility in creating a SHMS to protect its employees from injuries and illnesses. It is anticipated that routine worker involvement in the day to day implementation of worksite SHMS will be assured, including worker participation in team meetings, job hazard analyses, safety and health program reviews, and accident investigations.

Partnership Results:
By the end of the Partnership, Ellwood took, with OSHA assistance, concrete steps to improve its SHMS. Using the OSHA Challenge Stages tool to perform a gap analysis, Ellwood identified several areas in need of improvement and worked on addressing them. At the mock VPP audit conducted prior to the conclusion of the Partnership, significant improvements were noted, especially with the element of Management Commitment and Employee Involvement. Ellwood expects to submit an application to VPP by the end of 2010.

Partnership Overview:
With this two-year Partnership, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Michael Foods agreed to work cooperatively to eliminate safety and health hazards at Michael Foods' facility by developing and enhancing its safety and health management system (SHMS).

Participating Facility:

• Michael Foods, Klingerstown, Pennsylvania

Partnership Goals:

• Develop, implement, and maintain a SHMS based on OSHA's 1989 Voluntary Safety and Health Management Guidelines incorporating its four elements, Management Leadership and Employee Involvement, Worksite Analysis, Hazard Prevention and Control, and Training
• Reduce or maintain injury and illness rates to/at levels that would meet eligibility requirements for Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) which are maintaining 3-year average Total Case Incidence Rate (TCIR) and Days Away from Work, Restricted and Transferred Activity (DART) rate below at least 1 of the most recent 3 years Bureau of Labor Statistics industry averages for the established NAICS code
• Encourage Michael Foods' participation in OSHA's Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP)

Partnership Objectives:
The objective was to develop a cooperative relationship between OSHA and Michael Foods and to assist the facility in creating a SHMS to protect its employees from injuries and illnesses.  It was anticipated that routine worker involvement in the day to day implementation of worksite SHMS would be assured, including worker participation in team meetings, job hazard analyses, safety and health program reviews, and accident investigations.

Partnership Results:
Michael Foods has submitted its application for Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) participation, bringing the Partnership closer to its goal. During the Partnership, the Harrisburg Area Office provided assistance towards Michael Foods’ goal of developing and maintaining an effective safety and health management system including conducting a gap analysis to identify areas in need of improvement. Also, specific assistance were provided on lockout/tagout, confined spaces, and Process Safety Management.

As Michael Foods focused on improving its safety and health management systems, tangible results were already evident. Its injury and illness rates reduced favorably as they continue to implement with a 37 percent reduction to its TCIR rate compared to its baseline established at the inception of the Partnership. Currently, its rates would enable the site eligible for participation in VPP since its TCIR and DART rates are 35 percent and 58 percent below the national averages for its respective industry.

Philadelphia Area Office (215) 597-4955
or Regional Partnership Coordinator

Partnership Overview:
With this two-year Partnership, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Philadelphia Metal Trades Council, and Aker Philadelphia Shipyard, Inc. (Aker) agreed to work cooperatively to eliminate safety and health hazards at Aker’s facility by developing and enhancing its safety and health management system (SHMS).

Participating Facility:

• Aker Philadelphia Shipyard, Inc., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Partnership Goals:

• Develop, implement, and maintain a SHMS based on OSHA’s 1989 Voluntary Safety and Health Management Guidelines incorporating its four elements, Management Leadership and Employee Involvement, Worksite Analysis, Hazard Prevention and Control, and Training
• Reduce or maintain injury and illness rates to/at levels that would meet eligibility requirements for Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) which are maintaining 3-year average Total Case Incidence Rate (TCIR) and Days Away from Work, Restricted and Transferred Activity (DART) rate below at least 1 of the most recent 3 years Bureau of Labor Statistics industry averages for the established NAICS code
• Encourage Aker's participation in OSHA's Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP)

Partnership Objectives:
The objective was to develop a contractor/government collaborative approach that will encourage construction contractors to improve their safety and health performance, assist them in doing that, strive for the elimination of serious accidents in the construction industry, and recognize those contractors with exemplary SHMS.  Under the Partnership, OSHA would provide timely responses to requests for information and requests for clarification of OSHA standards as resources allowed. This agreement was expected to result in decreased serious injuries and illnesses and fatalities for the site and improve existing SHMS through the provision of incentives to construction contractors that voluntarily participate in the Partnership by demonstrating implementation of effective SHMS.

Expected outcomes included: developing criteria for a model multi-employer worksite SHMS with the capability to identify each subcontractor's responsibilities; making safety and health materials available to all subcontractors onsite; safety and health is a primary consideration in every aspect of the project; providing visible safety and health leadership; achieving participant recordable illness and injury rates below the national averages for the construction industry; and focusing OSHA enforcement activity on those contractors and subcontractors who have little or no regard for the safety and health of their workers.

Partnership Results:
Following the signing of the Agreement, a Compliance Assistance Specialist (CAS) accompanied by a designated mentor conducted an initial evaluation of Aker’s SHMS using OSHA Challenge stages requirements as a guide. Aker’s injury/illness logs and SHMS were reviewed and the findings were used in a Management System Gap Analysis as a starting point to address identified gaps.

After the initial evaluation, the CAS met on a quarterly basis with the Aker Partnership Management Team to review and update the site’s progress with the tools with extra attention on the identified significant gaps. In the first year of the Partnership, Aker took several actions to improve its SHMS. For example, Aker implemented a new hazard tracking system to monitor production area audits and observations. The system has a built in accountability mechanism with a trigger that sends information to both the next level of management and to the facility’s Environmental, Health and Safety department. Through the two years of the agreement, OSHA’s Philadelphia Area Office CAS continued to meet quarterly with the Aker Partnership Management Team (PMT) to review and update the site’s progression through the Challenge Tool Stages and to monitor the site’s injury/illness experience.

Over the duration of the Partnership Agreement the site achieved vast improvements in their SHMS and showed continued commitment to their progression through the Challenge Stages. In the second year of the agreement the employer’s focused on closing the nominal outstanding gaps and becoming intimately familiar with the VPP application process. In the second year, using its abatement schedule and identified strategies from its gap analysis performed at the start of the Partnership, Aker was able to close all of the outstanding gaps. Aker’s 2010 TCIR and DART rates saw marginal increases from 2009, but its three year averages are below the 2009 national averages for its industry, which is a requirement for VPP participation. Additionally, as a result of the agreement, the employer’s in-house safety handbook(s) as well as their contractor’s hand book were updated and re-issued in 2010.

Actions taken to close the identified gaps included training. Aker now provides mandatory training for both their employees and its subcontractors. Also, all new employees and subcontract employees are provided with orientation training. In addition to OSHA mandated training topics including Personal Protective Equipment, Hazard Communications Training, Respirator Training, Hazardous Energy Control, and Confined Space, Aker provides annual training on the principal elements of VPP as well as the employees’ rights under the OSHA Act. Aker also instituted a behavior based training program “Zero Incident Process (ZIP)” which provides for additional accountability for the sites’ supervisory and non-supervisory accountability by seeking out both positive and negative safety observations. The ZIP Program focuses on safety and health issues by recording safety observations through the employer’s internal computer network system.

Additionally, upper management and supervisors also participated in training sessions focused on OSHA’s VPP Program as well as accident investigation and safety observation training. Aker Shipyards Partnership Management Team Union participants also received accident investigation training. The PMT members along with other non-supervisory employees have been effectively trained in “near miss” and accident investigations as well. In the second year, Aker provided additional focused safety & health training for the site’s subcontractors and it was inclusive of Aker’s policy and procedures as well as hazard recognition and reporting.

Partnership Overview:
With this two-year Partnership, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Pratt & Whitney Amercon, Inc. (Pratt & Whitney) agreed to work cooperatively to eliminate safety and health hazards at Pratt & Whitney’s facility by developing and enhancing its safety and health management system (SHMS).

Participating Facility:

• Pratt & Whitney Amercon, Inc., Middletown, Pennsylvania

Partnership Goals:

• Develop, implement, and maintain a SHMS based on OSHA’s 1989 Voluntary Safety and Health Management Guidelines incorporating its four elements, Management Leadership and Employee Involvement, Worksite Analysis, Hazard Prevention and Control, and Training
• Reduce or maintain injury and illness rates to/at levels that would meet eligibility requirements for Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) which are maintaining 3-year average Total Case Incidence Rate (TCIR) and Days Away from Work, Restricted and Transferred Activity (DART) rate below at least 1 of the most recent 3 years Bureau of Labor Statistics industry averages for the established NAICS code
• Encourage Pratt & Whitney’s participation in OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP)

Partnership Objectives:
The objective was to develop a cooperative relationship between OSHA and Pratt & Whitney and to assist the facility in creating a SHMS to protect its employees from injuries and illnesses. The parties anticipated that routine worker involvement in the day to day implementation of worksite SHMS would be assured, including worker participation in team meetings, job hazard analyses, safety and health program reviews, and accident investigations.

Partnership Results:
Pratt & Whitney Amercon took several steps to enhance its SHMS in during the OSP’s term. First, OSHA provided training sessions on the fundamental elements of an effective SHMS and the VPP process. Also, OSHA and Pratt & Whitney performed a gap analysis of the SHMS during the initial phase of the OSP. Throughout the OSP, using the results of the gap analysis with the assistance of a mentor, Pratt & Whitney Amercon modified and enhanced its SHMS. Inspections are now held on a regular basis and root-cause analyses are now used with all incidents, near-misses, and identified hazards. As a result, the site’s injuries and illnesses trended downward during the OSP’s second year and their rates are now well below its industry’s averages allowing the site to apply for VPP. In late 2010, Pratt & Whitney Amercon submitted its VPP application and an onsite inspection took place in March, 2011. At this time, no decision has been made.

Partnership Overview:
With this two-year OSHA Strategic Partnership (OSP), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Quadrant EPP (Quadrant) worked cooperatively to eliminate safety and health hazards at Quadrant’s facility by developing and enhancing its safety and health management system (SHMS).

Participating Facility:

• Quadrant EPP, Scranton, Pennsylvania

Partnership Goals:

• Develop, implement, and maintain a SHMS based on OSHA’s 1989 Voluntary Safety and Health Management Guidelines incorporating its four elements, Management Leadership and Employee Involvement, Worksite Analysis, Hazard Prevention and Control, and Training
• Reduce or maintain injury and illness rates to/at levels that would meet eligibility requirements for Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) which are maintaining 3-year average Total Case Incidence Rate (TCIR) and Days Away from Work, Restricted and Transferred Activity (DART) rate below at least 1 of the most recent 3 years Bureau of Labor Statistics industry averages for the established NAICS code
• Encourage Quadrant’s participation in OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP)

Partnership Objectives:
The objectives were to develop a cooperative relationship between OSHA and Quadrant and to assist the facility in creating a SHMS to protect its employees from injuries and illnesses. It was anticipated that routine worker involvement in the day to day implementation of worksite SHMS will be assured, including worker participation in team meetings, job hazard analyses, safety and health program reviews, and accident investigations.

Partnership Results:
In the first year of the OSP, Quadrant conducted a gap analysis of its SHMS using the required actions from the OSHA Challenge Stage tool. The evaluation included a walk around of the facility to become familiar with the manufacturing processes and their associated health and safety risks with an emphasis on the review of the SHMSs in place to ensure that control over these risks is maintained. The gap analysis findings were reported to the OSP Management Team (PMT).

OSHA provided assistance as it met with the PMT on a quarterly basis to review their progress. During these visits, concerns, questions, and other issues were addressed regarding gap closure or the VPP application process. A result of the site’s efforts toward the implementation of an effective SHMS is the experiencing of incidence rates below its industry averages. The site’s total case incidence (TCIR) and days away, transferred, or restricted (DART) rates were 74% and 61% lower than its corresponding Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) industry averages.

Partnership Overview:
With this two-year OSHA Strategic Partnership (OSP), the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Marlette Homes agreed to work cooperatively to eliminate safety and health hazards at Marlette Homes’ facility by developing and enhancing its safety and health management system (SHMS).

Participating Facility:

• Marlette Homes, Lewistown, Pennsylvania

Partnership Goals:

• Develop, implement, and maintain a SHMS based on OSHA’s 1989 Voluntary Safety and Health Management Guidelines incorporating its four elements, Management Leadership and Employee Involvement, Worksite Analysis, Hazard Prevention and Control, and Training
• Reduce or maintain injury and illness rates to/at levels that would meet eligibility requirements for Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) which are maintaining 3-year average Total Case Incidence Rate (TCIR) and Days Away from Work, Restricted and Transferred Activity (DART) rate below at least 1 of the most recent 3 years Bureau of Labor Statistics industry averages for the established NAICS code
• Encourage Marlette Homes’ participation in OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP)

Partnership Objectives:
The objective were to develop a cooperative relationship between OSHA and Marlette Homes and to assist the employer in creating a SHMS to protect its employees from injuries and illnesses. It was anticipated that routine worker involvement in the day to day implementation of worksite SHMS will be assured, including worker participation in team meetings, job hazard analyses, safety and health program reviews, and accident investigations.

Partnership Results:
With this OSP, Marlette Homes made the commitment to upgrade all of their systems to be eligible for VPP recognition and was very aggressive in modifying and improving their SHMS. During the first year of the OSP, Marlette Homes conducted a gap analysis of its SHMS along with a mentor. This included reviewing and training the OSP Management Team on the elements of an effective SHMS using OSHA’s “Challenge Stages at a Glance” document. Also, a walkthrough of Marlette Homes’ facilities was conducted and several hazards were identified and all of these items were addressed immediately. Systems, including lockout/tagout activities were also evaluated to determine why these issues existed in the first place. Several employees also visited a local company with VPP recognition to learn more about what is required for VPP participation. Marlette Homes has also benefited from its relationship with its mentor, Julie Keich of Armstrong Cabinets, a VPP participant.

In the second year of the OSP, Marlette Homes continued to improve its SHMS. A third-party loss control firm provided training to the employees of Marlette on ‘Recognizing Hazards,’ ‘How to Perform Accident Investigations,’ and ‘How to Run a Safety Committee.’ In addition, corporate representatives provided safety training to the site’s team leaders on ‘Accident Prevention.’ With enhancements and improvements in with its SHMS, the site started to proactively respond to issues raised during visits made by Compliance Assistance Specialists (CAS) from the local OSHA Area Office.

Marlette Homes’ 2010 injury and illness rates reflect the progress it has made with its SHMS. Compared with its 2009 rates, the site was able to reduce its TCIR and DART rates by 75% and 53% respectively in 2010. Also, both 2010 rates were well below the Bureau of Labor Statistics national industry average for its NAICS code, 321991 (manufactured home manufacturing).

Also, Marlette Homes conducted reciprocal plant visits with Armstrong Cabinets, the employer of Marlette’s mentor, Julie Keich, to share and develop best practices and improved VPP strategies. The site also received assistance from another mentor from Coca Cola North America who visited the site to provide assistance.

Towards the conclusion of the OSP’s two-year term, Marlette Homes completed a draft of their VPP application, and it was reviewed by a CAS and the Regional VPP Coordinator. After its review, they provided feedback on identified gaps of which the site will continue to address prior to the submittal of a formal application. The site expects to submit the application in the fall of 2011.