OSHA Strategic Partnership Program<< Back to Region IV

  1. PURPOSE/SCOPE

    This Partnership was developed jointly by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the Georgia Tech Research Institute Onsite Consultation Program (Georgia Tech) and Brasfield & Gorrie, LLC (B&G). The common objective and goals of the partnership are to reduce injuries and illnesses, increase safety and health training, to sharing of best work practices and to increase the number employers with safety and health management systems. This Partnership is consistent with OSHA's long-range efforts to develop a contractor/government partnership approach to safety management. It allows for better use of OSHA resources and innovation in safety management and also encourages more participation in the safety process from the construction community.

    To facilitate the goal of reducing occupational related fatalities and serious injuries within the construction industry, OSHA, Georgia Tech and B&G will implement a Partnership under the OSHA Strategic Partnership Program (OSPP). This Partnership covers the Wellstar Paulding Hospital Project in Hiram, Georgia. This project will consist of an eight-story, 300,000 square foot (sf) hospital and atrium structure, as well as an 80,000 sf medical office building scheduled for completion on January 31, 2014

    By combining their efforts, skills, knowledge and resources OSHA, B&G and Georgia Tech expect to reduce exposure to hazards and thereby decrease the possibility of serious injuries and fatalities at the Wellstar Paulding Hospital Project.

  2. IDENTIFICATION OF PARTNERS

    The Partnership participants will include:
    • OSHA
    • Brasfield & Gorrie, LLC
    • Georgia Tech Onsite Safety and Health Consultation Program

  3. GOALS AND MEASUREMENTS

    The primary objective of this Partnership is to create a working relationship that focuses on preventing work-related fatalities, controlling or eliminating serious workplace hazards, and establishing a foundation for the development of an effective safety and health program. The goals employed to achieve these results will include the following:

    GOAL STRATEGIES MEASURES
    Reduce the total number of injuries and illnesses cases by 10 percent, thereby providing a safe and healthful work environment for employees at the Project. a) Reviewing the OSHA 300 data of the partnership participants.

    b) Calculating the employer's TCIR and Days away from work, restricted, or job transferred (DART) 1rates.
    c) Comparing this data with the baseline rates for the agreement.    		 a) This goal will be measured by the number of companies participating in the partnership, which reduce their TCIR and DART rates below the baseline for the partnership.

    b) Baseline will be based on the 2010 BLS Rates for Non-Residential Construction NAICS 2362, which is 2.9 and 1.3
    Effectively control workplace hazards by increasing the number of construction companies with safety and health management systems. Methods to evaluate the partner's performance in this area will include the implementation of comprehensive safety and health management systems, employers that establish effective safety and health management systems Measure the number of participants that develop and implement effective safety and health management systems as a result of participating in the Partnership, compared to the baseline for the agreement. The baseline will be established during the initial year of the agreement.
    Increase the number of employees, employers and supervisors that are provided effective safety and health training, such as the OSHA 10-hour course and relevant Competent Person and user level training. a) Evaluation of the employers that establish effective safety and health training programs.

    b) Evaluation of the employers that provide employees with OSHA 10-hour/ OSHA 30-hour training and appropriate Competent Person and user training.    		 a) Measure the number of employers with effective safety and health training programs.

    b) Measure the number of managers, supervisors and employees provide with OSHA 10-hour/ OSHA 30-hour and competent person and user training, compared to the baseline for the agreement. The baseline will be established during the initial year of the agreement.
    Continually improve safety and health at the worksite by ensuring that best practices are shared with all subcontractors. a) OSHA will evaluate the number of inspections and types of violations issued to partnership members.

    b) B&G will continuously monitor worksites by conducting audits identifying and correcting serious hazards.    		 Measured by monitoring the number of participants that experience OSHA enforcement inspections, which result in citations with penalties. A comparison will be made between the number of previous OSHA inspections and hazards identified.
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    1Days Away from work, Restricted, or job Transferred (DART) rate: This includes cases involving days away from work, restricted work activity, and transfers to another job. It is calculated based on (N / EH) x (200,000) where N is the number of cases involving days away, and/or restricted work activity, and/or job transfer; EH is the total number of hours worked by all employees during the calendar year; and 200,000 is the base number of hours worked for 100 full-time equivalent employees. For example: Employees of an establishment including management, temporary, and leased workers worked 645,089 hours at this worksite. There were 22 injury and illness cases involving days away and/or restricted work activity and/or job transfer from the OSHA 300 Log (total of column H plus column I). The DART rate would be (22 / 645,089) x (200,000) = 6.8

  4. MANAGEMENT AND OPERATION

    1. Brasfield & Gorrie, LLC will:

      1. Establish a jobsite safety walk team, consisting of a representative of all primary contractors on site, in order to develop a value and awareness that all accidents are preventable and unnecessary, as well as a comprehensive safety and health management system, which includes:

        1. Management commitment and employee involvement;
        2. Hazard analysis;
        3. Hazard control; and
        4. Arrangement of training assistance for other stakeholders on site.
      2. Mentor subcontractors in safety and health management systems. Subcontractors shall include all multi-tiered subcontractors that arrive for work on the site.

      3. Where the potential for airborne silica exposure exists, require the use of wet cutting, or soft cutting techniques and/or dust collection system and, when employee exposure levels require, mandatory use of approved respiratory protection. Where the potential for air borne silica exposure exist, personal air monitoring will be conducted to assess employee exposure levels. Where the potential for other health issues exist (i.e., carbon monoxide, lead, or large-scale use of chemicals in the building interior during floor finishing), B&G will coordinate with the subcontractor responsible for creating the hazard and ensure that air monitoring is accomplished to assess employee exposure levels. Sampling results will be compiled and tracked by B&G.

      4. Have the authority to enforce safety rules and regulations. This authority will include provisions to hold contractors and employees accountable and the ability to remove a contractor's employees and supervision from the job site, if necessary.

      5. Ensure that a risk assessment is performed by a competent person on all fall hazards. The probability and severity of occurrence for each identified hazard will be evaluated to eliminate or reduce the risk through engineering or administrative controls to a level as low as possible.

        1. Critical risk will not be tolerated. No work will be performed until action is taken to reduce the level of risk to as low as reasonably feasible.

        2. Bricklayers performing overhand bricklaying and related work above lower levels must be adequately protected. No controlled access zone will be allowed. No warning-line system or safety monitoring system will be used onsite.

        3. All personnel exposed to a fall greater than 6 feet shall conform to B&G's 100 percent tie-off for all employees with fall exposure at heights at six feet or greater. (See site specific Safety and Health Plan.)
      6. To the extent feasible, serious ergonomic hazards will be identified and corrected.

      7. Ensure that ground fault circuit interrupters (GFCI) are used to protect all electrical circuits that are used for work. All contractors will ensure that employees are protected by the use of a GFCI at all times.

      8. The Superintendent and on site Independent Safety Manager will serve as a point of contact, monitor safety and health at the site and its progress toward achievement of the Partnership goals.

      9. B&G's Superintendent and the onsite Safety Manager will ensure that daily Safety Audits are conducted (since this is a multi-employer worksite and all workers are to work together on safety issues). B&G, upon request from the subcontractor, will review subcontractors daily log books, note any hazards found, and then review them with all safety committee members at the weekly coordination/Subcontractor meeting.

      10. Conduct and document job site safety meetings/toolbox talks on a weekly basis.

      11. Submit monthly accident reports to the safety committee, including first aid, injury, property damage and near miss reports.

      12. Coordinate and conduct a comprehensive site audit on a weekly basis, led by B&G's Superintendent. Safety Committee and Subcontractor Members will participate in the site safety audit. If non-compliant activity or hazards are discovered, immediate correction is required. B&G will document the corrective action taken and share this information with OSHA and Georgia Tech during the monthly update meetings.

      13. Audit the Partnership and make recommendation for improvement.

      14. Share the results of jobsite inspections and information concerning near misses with all workers. Near misses and daily safety audits will be discussed during Tool Box Talks.

      15. Ensure that no employees are allowed to work directly below a suspended load except for: employees engaged in the initial connection of steel protected by safety netting and debris liner; and employees necessary for hooking or unhooking the load. The following criteria must be met when employees are allowed to work under the load: materials being hoisted shall be rigged to prevent unintentional displacement; hooks with self-closing safety latches or their equivalent shall be used to prevent components from slipping out of the hook; all loads shall be rigged by a qualified rigger. Appropriate use of tag lines will be utilized to prevent work below suspended loads.

      16. Require the use of appropriate personal protective equipment. Hardhats are mandatory. Employees on site shall wear high-visibility reflective clothing. A 100 percent eye protection program will be implemented. Operatives handling glass will wear gloves.

      17. Ensure that all signs and warnings will be posted in English and Spanish, as well as any other appropriate languages.

      18. Implement an effective Heat Illness prevention Program to educate workers about the hazards of working outdoors in the heat and steps needed to prevent heat-related illnesses. This program should utilize tools such as OSHA's Heat Safety Tool Smartphone App and the Employer's Guide to Using the Heat Index.
    2. Subcontractors will:

      1. Appoint a representative to the site Safety Committee responsible for resolving job safety matters and serving as a liaison to B&G's Superintendent. Every prime subcontractor will have a person available to participate in the safety committee. Participation in this committee will consist of, but will not be limited to, participation in the Project Team Safety Walkthroughs and monthly safety update meetings.

      2. Conduct jobsite safety inspections for those employees under their control. This will be in addition to the general inspections that are to occur daily. If non-compliant activity or hazards are discovered, immediate correction is required. Documentation of abatement methods and verification must be submitted to B&G on site Safety Manager.

      3. Participate in the monthly Safety Committee/Subcontractor meetings and safety audits. If non-compliant activity or hazards are discovered, immediate correction is required. Abatement methods and verification must be submitted to B&G's onsite Safety Manager, who will document the correction taken and share this information during the monthly update meetings.

      4. Share the results of jobsite inspections with all workers by posting them in the project office.
    3. OSHA will:

      1. Participate, to the extent resources permit, in the monthly Partnership Committee/Subcontractor meetings, but will not participate in the walk around inspection, except that the verification visits may be scheduled as part of the weekly walk around inspection

      2. Serve as a resource and liaison for Partnership participants and also assist with safety and health training, as resources permit.

      3. Give priority to the construction project, as resources permit, when technical assistance is needed.

      4. Audit the monthly reports/documents and make recommendations for improvements in meeting Partnership goals.

      5. Conduct inspections in accordance with section VIII of this Partnership.

      6. Conduct the annual partnership evaluation report in accordance with section VI of this Partnership.
    4. GTRI's On-site Consultation Program will:

      • Give priority consideration to requests for services to small contractors who are engaged in work at the project.
  5. SAFETY AND HEALTH MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

    B&G will use its system to collect and analyze injury and illness trends (including near-miss incidents) by all contractors performing work at the site. This data will be used as a tool to ensure continual safety and health improvement at the site. B&G will effectively manage this Partnership by implementing a comprehensive jobsite safety and health management system, which will include:

    1. B&G will complete a risk assessment prior to exposing employee to potential safety and health hazards. This will be accomplished by the use of a Job Safety Analysis (JSA) risk assessment form.

    2. Work with OSHA, Georgia Tech and committee members to provide the resources to conduct initial monitoring for ALL toxins, carcinogens, or hazardous substances currently emphasized by OSHA and which present inhalation hazards, such as silica, lead, cadmium, and/or isocyanates. Employee exposures will be assumed and respiratory protection worn until the results of the initial monitoring studies are received and demonstrate no exposure problems or prior surveys show no hazard exists. B&G will endeavor to ensure that no work with these materials will occur, thus preventing any exposure. B&G will request periodic evaluation visits by its insurance company's Industrial Hygienist and Georgia Tech.

    3. Daily audits will be performed by all contractors on site. In addition, on a weekly basis, a comprehensive audit of the jobsite will be performed, with a representative of all contractors currently working on-site as participants. Any hazards found during the audits will be corrected promptly. Items noted on the audit will be annotated on a daily log. When hazards cannot be corrected immediately they will be tracked until abatement is completed. Employees exposed to these hazardous conditions will be informed of the hazard and an effective interim control measures will be implemented. A record will be kept of all hazards found during the weekly audits and the number of hazards corrected as a result.

    4. Implement an aggressive Fall Protection Plan to include fall protection in all cases where work is being performed 6 feet or more above lower surfaces.

    5. Ensure employees receive training as follows:

      1. B&G workers will possess an OSHA 10-hour card and all B&G supervisors will possess an OSHA 30-hour card. B&G will work with all subcontractors to provide their safety designee with an OSHA 10-hour card.

      2. All employees will receive a site-specific construction safety orientation covering jobsite safety and health issues, procedures relative to the work being performed, as well as the requirements outlined in the Partnership Agreement. In addition, employees shall receive training on the content of the Site Specific Safety Plan for operations they will encounter. This may require periodic retraining of employees on the content of the Site Specific Safety Plan as they become relevant due to entering new phases of construction. This material will be provided by B&G to the Subcontractor's designated safety representative for completion.

      3. Safety and health training, including the OSHA 10 and 30 hour courses, will be provided to all workers in a language they understand. Either effective translators or Bi-lingual Instructors will be utilized to perform this training.

      4. Additional hazard-specific training will be conducted on an as-needed basis.

      5. Subcontractors can utilize other instructors as long as they can show a valid certification card showing completion of the course. Subcontractors have primary responsibility for providing this training; however, as resources allow, Georgia Tech will also provide assistance. B&G plans to hold 10-hr Safety Training Sessions every 3 months or as needed to help train all personnel as schedule allows.
    6. Subcontractors with written safety and health management systems must submit them to B&G for evaluation. Companies without safety and health management systems in some cases may be allowed adopt B&G's, and/or when necessary be required develop an adequate safety and health management system with the assistance of the Georgia Tech Onsite Consultation Program or a professional consultant.

    7. Ensure health-related issues which occur during the course of the project are adequately addressed by B&G and/or the affected subcontractors, with the assistance of OSHA as its resources permit and Georgia Tech. All health-related issues will be discussed monthly during the Partnership update meetings.

      1. An effective hearing conservation program, including noise monitoring and implementation of engineering controls, where possible, will be implemented by B&G Safety Department.

      2. An effective environmental monitoring program will be implemented to control airborne hazards, such as silica, and will include personal monitoring, employee training, implementation of engineering controls where possible, and the use of respiratory protection when necessary. Previous site-based data will be considered acceptable
    8. Ensure compliance with the NFPA 70E when working on live electrical equipment, including training and the availability and use of personal protective equipment. A permit system will be implemented whenever work around live electrical systems will be done to ensure the implementation of appropriate protective measures prior to exposure. The permit form includes requirements for pre-task review and lock out/tag out procedures to be followed

    9. Ensure all equipment is adequately guarded
  6. ANNUAL EVALUATION

    The program will be evaluated on an annual basis through the use of the Strategic Partnership Annual Evaluation Format as specified in Appendix C of OSHA Instruction CSP 03-02-002, OSHA Strategic Partnership Program for Worker Safety and Health.

    It will be the responsibility of B&G to gather required participant data to evaluate and track the overall results and success of the Partnership program. This data will be shared with OSHA. It will be the responsibility of OSHA to write and submit the annual evaluation.

  7. BENEFITS

    Participant benefits from OSHA may include:

    1. Maximum penalty reductions allowed in the OSHA Field Operations Manual (FOM) for good faith and history.

    2. In the event that a citation with penalties is issued, the Area Director has the authority to negotiate the amount of an additional penalty reduction as part of the informal conference settlement agreement, which is consistent with OSHA's current policy regarding this matter.

    3. Priority Consultation service and assistance for small employers working on the construction site from the Consultation program.
  8. OSHA INSPECTIONS AND VERIFICATION

    1. Verification Inspections: OSHA will conduct the initial verification inspection no sooner than two months, but within three months after Partnership participants formally enter into this agreement. During this period participants should develop and implement the safety and health management systems required under this agreement. After this period, OSHA will conduct an annual verification inspection. The annual verification inspection will be conducted as a focused inspection, per the appropriate OSHA guidelines. Compliance officers that are familiar with the Wellstar Paulding Hospital Project Partnership will do verification inspections. Employee rights under the OSH Act will be afforded. During the verification inspections, if OSHA personnel identify serious hazards the scope of the inspection may be expanded.

    2. Complaint/Referral Investigations: This Partnership provides for the immediate response to each allegation of a safety or health hazard brought to its attention by any person. Upon a finding that an allegation is valid, the employer shall promptly abate the hazard.

    3. OSHA agrees that a copy of each non-formal complaint/referral related to the work site and filed with OSHA will be delivered to the Wellstar Paulding Hospital Project Management office by CSHO, or forwarded by fax. In accordance with applicable law, the name of the complainant requesting confidentiality will not be revealed. B&G agrees to investigate these complaints, regardless of the employer involved and provide OSHA with a written response within 5 working days.

    4. Accident Investigations: Employers engaged in this Partnership recognize that OSHA fully investigates accidents involving a fatality or serious physical harm. If during the course of the investigation OSHA determines that the incident resulted from violations of the OSHA standards, the employer will not be afforded partnership benefits and the partnership may be terminated.
  9. EMPLOYEE/EMPLOYER RIGHTS AND RESPONSIBILITIES

    This Partnership does not preclude employees and/or employers from exercising any right provided under the OSH Act, nor does it abrogates any responsibility to comply with rules and regulations adopted pursuant to the Act.

    Ensure employee involvement by establishing an employee safety committee that will meet on a monthly basis to share the results of jobsite inspections, information concerning accidents and near misses, suggestions for improvement and recommendations for training for the general workforce. Management and supervisors will also continue to discuss near misses and daily safety audits during toolbox talks.

  10. TERMINATION

    It is understood that this Partnership shall be in effect until completion of construction activities at the Wellstar Paulding Hospital Project site, but in no case longer than three-years. If any signatory of this Partnership wishes to terminate their participation prior to the established termination date, a written notice of the intent to withdraw must be provided to all other party(s), which provides 30 days notice.

    If OSHA chooses to withdraw its participation in the Partnership, the entire Partnership is terminated. Any party may also propose modification or amendment of the agreement.

    Changes to the Partnership may be implemented if all parties are in Partnership that it is in the best interest of all members involved.

  11. Wellstar Paulding Hospital Project Strategic Partnership

    Agreement Signing Date: _____________________



    12. Christi Griffin
    Acting Area Director,
    Occupational Safety & Health
    Administration (OSHA)
    Reed Weigle
    Senior Project Manager
    Brasfield & Gorrie, LLC.

    Daniel J. Ortiz
    Program Manager, Georgia Tech
    Research Institute's, Safety,
    Health & Environmental
    Technology Division
    John Owen
    Senior Superintendent
    Brasfield & Gorrie, LLCs

    Bobby Graham
    Sr. Safety Manager
    Brasfield & Gorrie, LLC.
    Lisa Capicik
    Regional Safety Manager
    Brasfield & Gorrie, LLC.