Background:
Recognizing the need for a safe and healthy work
environment for employees performing work during the reconstruction of
Interstate 64, Gateway Constructors and OSHA’s Region VII’s St. Louis Area
Office formed an OSHA Strategic Partnership (OSP) in April 2007. The primary
goals of the OSP are to maintain injury and illness rates that are below the
Bureau of Labor Statistics’ (BLS) national average for the construction industry
without any fatalities, increase safety and health training, and to implement
effective safety and health management systems (SHMS). The 2008 evaluation
revealed that the OSP has 32 employers participating which impacted over 450
employees within the construction industry. The OSP is scheduled to conclude
December 2010.
Success Impact:
Training Increases and Injury and
Illness Rates Decline - total case incident rate (TCIR) and the Days Away,
Restricted and Transfer (DART)
During the second year this OSP continued to reduce injury and illness rates in
the construction industry. The combined project 2007 and 2008 Total Case
Incident Rate (TCIR) and the Days Away, Restricted, and Transferred (DART) rate
are 2.53 and 1.62 respectively. These rates are 57 and 50 percent respectively
lower than the BLS national average for 2007. The table below presents the TCIR
and DART data collected from the first two years of the Gateway Constructors
Partnership when compared to the 2007 BLS industry national average.
| Years |
Hours Worked |
Total Classes |
TCIR |
#
of Days Away from work Restricted and Transferred Activity Cases |
DART |
|
2007 |
833,662 |
12 |
2.87 |
5 |
1.20 |
|
2008 |
1,145682 |
13 |
2.26 |
11 |
1.92 |
| Total |
1,979,344 |
25 |
2.53 |
10 |
1.62 |
|
2007 BLS National Average for (NAICS 2373) |
|
|
5.9 |
|
3.2 |
One of the OSP key goals is to promote safety and health by increasing training
opportunities for OSP participants. During 2008 approximately 320 employees and
90 supervisors received almost 3100 hours of safety and health training.
Training covered a wide range of topics including: lead, silica, fall
protection, supervisor training on core safety systems and the “Stop/Top
program, as well as the OSHA 10-hour course.
Partnership Objectives:
The key objectives of the OSP are to: Implement a fall protection plan where
work is being performed six feet or more above a lower surface; develop a
comprehensive inspection system that will cover a variety of construction
hazards; offer and conduct training for employers and employees to help them
properly identify and abate hazards; and require all contractors and
subcontractors to develop and implement safety and health management systems.
Origin: Region VII, St. Louis Area Office
Partners: Gateway Constructors; Fred Weber Inc. and 30 active
subcontractors on site through April 2008
Partnership Signed: April 27, 2009
Industry and NAICS Code/s: Highway, Street, and
Bridge Construction (2373)
Employees: 450
Employers: 32
Source and Date: Jacalyn Wheeler, Region VII OSPP
Coordinator/August 2009
Status: Open
|
Back to Top
Printing Instructions