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.

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