ANNUAL ALLIANCE REPORT
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
and the
National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)
May 8, 2009

1. Alliance Background

   Date Signed

   May 8, 2003

   Dates Renewed

   October 18, 2005

   June 7, 2007

   Evaluation Period

   May 8, 2008 - May 7, 2009

   Overview

   Through the Alliance, OSHA and NAHB are providing members and others in the residential construction industry, including non-English and limited English speaking workers and trade contractors, with information, guidance, and access to training resources to help them protect the health and safety of workers. In addition, the organizations are working together to address fall, electrical, struck-by, and caught in/between safety hazards.

   Implementation Team Members

   OSHA:

   Michael Buchet

   Office of Construction Services (OCS), Directorate of Construction (DOC)

   Eric Lahaie

   Office of Outreach Services and Alliances (OOSA), Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs (DCSP)

   Bill Parsons

   OCS, DOC

   Rob Swick

   OOSA, DCSP

   Danezza Quintero

   OCS, DOC

   Elizabeth (Bea) Way

   OOSA, DCSP

   NAHB:

   Kevin Cannon

   Safety Specialist

   Rob Matuga

   Director, Labor, Safety & Health Regulatory Affairs

2. Implementation Team Meetings

   July 8, 2008 Implementation Team Meeting
   November 5, 2008 Implementation Team Meeting
   March 25, 2009 Implementation Team Meeting

3. Results

   1. Events and Products

      Training and Education Goal

      • Work with OSHA to provide expertise to develop training and education programs for the residential construction industry, including non-English and limited English speaking employees and trade contractors, regarding fall, electrical, struck-by and caught in/between safety hazards and to provide expertise in communicating such information, in English, Spanish and/or other languages, to employers and employees in the industry.

        OSHA Construction Outreach Training Programs for Residential Construction

        Through the OSHA and NAHB Alliance, NAHB is developing an OSHA 10-Hour Outreach Training Program for Residential Construction and an OSHA 30-Hour Outreach Training Program for Residential Construction. NAHB has shared preliminary draft outlines of the training programs with OSHA for review and feedback. When completed, the training programs will have modules which can be varied depending on the interests of the audience. Complete drafts of the programs are expected to be completed in the fall of 2009.

      Outreach and Communication Goals

      • Work with OSHA to provide expertise in developing information on the recognition and prevention of workplace hazards, and to provide expertise in developing ways of communicating such information in English, Spanish and/or other languages (e.g., print and electronic media, electronic assistance tools, and OSHA’s and NAHB’s Web sites) to employers and employees in the residential construction industry.

        OSHA Residential Construction Industry Safety and Health Topics Page

        The following NAHB representatives continue to participate on the OSHA Residential Construction Industry Safety and Health Topics page’s editorial board:

        • Rob Matuga, National Association of Home Builders
        • Connie Wilhelm, Home Builders Association of Central Arizona, NAHB, Phoenix, AZ

        The Topics page, which was posted to the OSHA Web site in August 2004, is a product of the OSHA and NAHB Alliance.

        OSHA and NAHB Alliance Web page

        OSHA is continuing to update the OSHA and NAHB Alliance Web page that is posted on the OSHA Web site. It includes the OSHA and NAHB Alliance agreement, renewal agreements, news releases, information on activities and events, and milestones and successes.

        Publications and Newsletters

        Information and news releases on the OSHA and NAHB Alliance’s activities appeared in publications, including NAHB’s Nation’s Building News and OSHA’s Alliance Quarterly Review. For more information regarding the articles, please see the “Alliance Program Reach” table.

      • Speak, exhibit, or appear at OSHA’s or NAHB’s conferences, local meetings, or other events such as the NAHB International Builders Show.

        2009 International Builders Show, January 19-23, 2009, Las Vegas, Nevada

        Veneta Chatmon, Exhibits and Meeting Specialist, Office of Communications, staffed the OSHA exhibit booth at the 2009 International Builders Show, January 19-23, 2009, in Las Vegas, Nevada. During the event, OSHA provided attendees with compliance assistance and cooperative program materials including the OSHA and NAHB Alliance Activities Summary. In addition, on January 21, 2009, Danezza Quintero presented “OSHA Trenching and Excavation Safety” to 30 residential construction industry safety and health professionals. More than 75,000 residential construction industry representatives attended the event.

      • Share information among OSHA personnel and industry safety and health professionals regarding NAHB’s best practices and effective approaches and publicize the benefits of implementing safety programs and best practices through outreach by NAHB and through OSHA- or NAHB-developed materials, training programs, workshops, seminars, and lectures.

        National Safety Council 2008 Congress and Exposition, September 19-26, 2008, Anaheim, California

        On September 24, 2008, Lee Anne Jillings, Deputy Director, DCSP; Ron Pilla, Vice President Valcourt Building Services, Sealant Waterproofing and Restoration Institute; and Rob Matuga presented an Alliance-developed technical session entitled "Safety and Health Resources - Tools for the Construction Industry" to 30 safety and health professionals. The presentation featured information on NAHB best practices and how, through the Alliance Program, they are shared with OSHA personnel and industry safety and health professionals.

      • Promote and encourage NAHB’s members’ participation in OSHA’s cooperative programs such as compliance assistance, the Voluntary Protection Programs, and the On-site Consultation Program and its Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program.

        NAHB as an OSHA Challenge Administrator

        During the reported period, OSHA and NAHB discussed the possibility of NAHB serving as an OSHA Challenge Administrator. A final decision had not yet been made as of the end of the reporting period.

      • Work with other Alliance participants on specific issues and projects such as fall, electrical, struck-by and caught in/between safety hazards that are addressed and developed through the Alliance Program.

        2009 North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week, May 3-9, 2009

        On May 3-9, 2009, NAHB and 57 other Alliance Program participants supported 2009 NAOSH Week. Sponsored annually by the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), an Alliance Program participant, and the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE), the Week focuses on the importance of preventing injuries and illnesses in the workplace. The theme for 2009 NAOSH Week was "Safety Means Always Coming Home." To help support the week NAHB distributed information about 2009 NAOSH Week to its membership. In addition, Rob Matuga attended the 2009 NAOSH Week kick-off ceremony on May 4, 2009, at the Department of Labor in Washington, DC.

      • Encourage NAHB’s state and local associations and members to build relationships with OSHA’s Regional and Area Offices to address health and safety issues, including fall, electrical, struck-by and caught in/between safety hazards.

        OSHA and NAHB Regional, Area Office and State Plan State Alliances

        The following OSHA Area Offices and NAHB Chapter Alliances continued to operate during the current reporting period:

        • OSHA Region I, Springfield, Massachusetts Area Office (OSHA), and the Home Builders Association of Western Massachusetts (HBAWM), signed March 10, 2008. Through the Alliance, OSHA and HBAWM are working together to provide HBAWM members and others with information, guidance, and access to training resources that will help them protect employees' health and safety, particularly in reducing and preventing exposure to falls, struck-by, caught in or between, and electrical hazards in the construction industry.

        • OHSA Region V, Columbus, Ohio Area Office (OSHA), and the Central Ohio Homebuilders Safety Alliance (COHSA), signed and Alliance on December 11, 2007. Signatories of the Alliance are:

          • M/I Homes
          • Beazer Homes
          • Maronda Homes
          • Bob Webb Homes
          • Rockford Homes
          • Dominion Homes
          • Romanelli & Hughes Building Company
          • Homewood Corporation
          • Westport Homes of Ohio

          Through the Alliance, OSHA and COHSA are working together to provide home builders and others within the residential construction and home building industry information, guidance, and access to training resources in both English and Spanish that will help control hazards related to fall, struck-by, crushed-by, electrical and other hazards in the workplace.

        • OSHA Region VII, Wichita, Kansas Area Office (OSHA); Kansas Department of Labor OSHA 21(d) Consultation Project (Consultation) and NAHB's Topeka Home Builders Association (THBA), signed September 19, 2007. Through the Alliance, OSHA, Consultation and THBA are working to provide THBA members and others with information, guidance, and access to training resources that will help them protect employees’ health and safety, particularly in reducing and preventing exposure to fall, struck-by, caught in or between, and electrical hazards.

        • OSHA Region VII, Omaha, Nebraska Area Office (OSHA), the Metro Omaha Builders Association (MOBA), and Nebraska Workforce Development’s OSHA Consultation Program (Consultation), signed February 15, 2007. Through the Alliance, OSHA, Consultation and MOBA are working to provide MOBA’s members and others with information, guidance, and access to training resources that will help them protect employees’ health and safety, particularly in reducing and preventing exposure to fall hazards, electrocution hazards, and other hazards associated with the residential construction industry.

        • Michigan Occupational Safety & Health Administration (MIOSHA) and Michigan Association of Home Builders (MAHB), signed April 17, 2006. Through the Alliance, MIOSHA and MAHB are working to with the 35 local home builders associations throughout Michigan to promote MIOSHA CET Division safety and health hazard surveys and to endorse and support safety and health training opportunities with emphasis on fall protection, excavation, and other critical areas through the local associations to the MAHB membership.

        • Maryland Occupational Safety and Health (MOSH) and the Maryland Home Builders Safety Alliance (MHBSA), signed March 10, 2006. Through the Alliance, MOSH and MHBSA are working to reduce injuries, illnesses, and fatalities in the residential building trades.

        OSHA and NAHB Regional, Area Office and State Plan State Partnerships

        While two Area Office OSHA Strategic Partnerships were closed during the reporting period, two other Partnerships continued to operate:

        • St. Louis Home Builders, signed February 8, 2005
        • Colorado Homesafe, signed September 27, 2005

        Promoting the National Dialogue on Workplace Safety and Health Goal

      • Convene or participate in forums, round table discussions, or stakeholder meetings on issues including: fall, electrical, struck-by and caught in/between safety hazards in the residential construction industry, to help forge innovative solutions and provide input on safety and health issues.

        OSHA Alliance Program Construction Roundtable and Joint Meeting of the Fall Protection and Design for Safety Workgroups

        On September 18, 2008, Kevin Cannon and Rob Matuga joined representatives from the following Alliances participated in the Joint Fall Protection and Design for Safety and Workgroup Meeting:

        • American Industrial Hygiene Association
        • American Society of Safety Engineers
        • Concrete Sawing and Drilling Association
        • Independent Electrical Contractors, Inc.
        • Laborers' Health and Safety Fund of North America
        • National Construction Safety Executives
        • National Fire Protection Association
        • National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
        • National Safety Council
        • Sealant Waterproofing and Restoration Institute
        • Scaffolding Industry Association

        During the meeting, the group discussed common construction-related interests and further refined the promising project ideas developed at the January 2008 Alliance Program Construction Roundtable. The group received updates on the "Design for Construction Safety 2-4 Hour Course," Design for Construction Safety Web Site, and the OSHA 10-Hour Outreach Training Program for Design Engineers. The group also reviewed and provided feedback on the draft "Prevention of Fall Fatalities and Injuries in Construction" slide presentation, received an update on the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health's (NIOSH) Prevention Through Design (PtD) initiative, and discussed a White Paper on a proposed national public awareness outreach campaign focusing on fatalities in the construction industry. In addition, the group formed two new subgroups. The first subgroup will focus on strains/sprains and material handling. The second subgroup will develop case studies and success stories related to design for safety and falls in construction industry. OSHA will work with the group to identify a date for the next OSHA Alliance Program Construction Roundtable Joint Fall Protection and Design for Safety Workgroup meeting in March 2009.

        In addition, on February 24, 2009, Kevin Cannon, joined representatives from the following Alliances participated in the Joint Fall Protection and Design for Safety and Workgroup Meeting:

        • American Fire Sprinkler Association
        • American Industrial Hygiene Association
        • American Pipeline Contractors Association
        • American Society of Safety Engineers
        • Concrete Sawing and Drilling Association
        • Independent Electrical Contractors, Inc.
        • Laborers' Health and Safety Fund of North America
        • National Construction Safety Executives
        • National Fire Protection Association
        • National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health
        • Sealant Waterproofing and Restoration Institute
        • U.S. Army Corps of Engineers

        During the meeting, the group discussed common construction-related interests and received updates on outreach campaigns, including the American Society of Safety Engineer's (ASSE) 2009 North American Occupational Safety and Health Week and the Department of Labor's Teen Summer Job Safety Campaign. The group also received an update from OSHA's Directorate of Construction (DOC), including information on the Advisory Committee for Construction Safety and Health meeting, Susan Harwood Training Grants and OSHA proposed rules, such as the Cranes and Derricks and Confined Space in Construction. DOC also provided an update on the construction-related products being developed such as QuickCards and guidance documents focusing on skylights, night work and electrical safety. ASSE provided an update on the Design for Safety 2-4 Hour Course, the posting of the "Prevention of Fall Fatalities and Injuries in Construction" slide presentation and an upcoming "Safety in Design" Webinar to be offered in July 2009. The "Strains, Sprains and Material Handling" Subgroup provided a draft copy of the "Prevention of Strains, Sprains and Material Handling Injuries in Construction" slide presentation and the "Strains and Sprains Prevention Toolbox Safety Talk" for the group to review and provide feedback. The Subgroup also provided draft copies of the material handling-related safety tips sheets for review and feedback. The "Case Study and Success Story" Subgroup provided draft copies on case studies focusing on designing for safety when working around skylights and parapets. NIOSH presented an update on the Agency's Prevention Through Design (PtD) initiative and how the Roundtable can help support the concept. An overview of a proposed campaign focusing design for safety (DFS) and fall protection issues in the construction industry was presented as a possible future Roundtable project. Lastly, OSHA provided an overview of the Agency's Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP), including information about a program changes and two new ways to participate in VPP: Mobile Workforce and Corporate. OSHA plans to hold the next Joint DFS and Fall Protection Workgroup meeting in the fall of 2009 to review and finalize draft compliance assistance products and to identify other projects and activities to be pursued during the winter of 2009/2010.

   2. Executive Summary

      OSHA and NAHB continue to work together to develop compliance assistance products and resources to help protect residential construction industry workers from safety hazards such as falls, electrical, struck-by, and caught in/between. During the reporting period, NAHB continued to develop an OSHA 10-Hour Construction Outreach Training Program for Residential Construction and an OSHA 30-Hour Construction Outreach Training Program for Residential Construction.

      In addition, OSHA and NAHB representatives provided their expertise and information through a number of different avenues. For example:

      • NAHB representatives participated in Joint Meetings of the Fall Protection and Design for Safety Work Groups on September 18, 2008, and on February 24, 2009.
      • NAHB members are continuing to serve on the editorial board for the OSHA Residential Construction Industry Safety and Health Topics page, which is a product of the OSHA and NAHB Alliance.
      • OSHA and NAHB representatives presented an Alliance-developed technical session entitled "Safety and Health Resources - Tools for the Construction Industry" at the National Safety Council 2008 Congress and Exposition in Anaheim, California.
      • An OSHA representative staffed the OSHA exhibit booth at the 2009 International Builders Show in Las Vegas, Nevada.
      • NAHB, along with 57 other Alliance Program participants, supported 2009 NAOSH Week. In addition, Rob Matuga attended the kick-off ceremony on May 4, 2009, at the Department of Labor in Washington, DC.

   3. Alliance Program Reach

       

      Type of Activity (Conference, Training, Print and Electronic Distribution, etc.)	Number of Individuals Reached or Trained
      OSHA and NAHB Alliance Web page on the OSHA Web site	36,225
      OSHA Residential Construction Safety and Health Topics page	40,001
      June 30, 2008: “OSHA Has Free, Teen Summer Job Safety Materials,“ Nation’s Building News Online	Data not available
      June 2008: “OSHA campaign focuses on teen summer job safety measures,” Alliance Quarterly Review	300
      September 24, 2008: National Safety Council 2008 Congress and Exposition, Anaheim, California Speakers: Lee Anne Jillings, Ron Pilla, and Rob Matuga presented "OSHA Trenching and Excavation Safety"	30
      October 2008: “Alliance Program Affords OSHA Inspectors - Supplemental Training by Residential Builders,” BNA Occupational Safety & Health Reporter	Data Not Available
      December 10, 2008: “Making Sure Workers Come Home Safely,” The Virginia Engineer	Data Not Available
      January 21, 2009: 2009 International Builders Show, Las Vegas, Nevada Speaker: Danezza Quintero presented " OSHA Trenching and Excavation Safety"	30
      TOTAL	75,586

       

4. Upcoming Milestones

   In the upcoming year, OSHA and NAHB will continue to work together through the Alliance to address construction-related safety hazards, including fall, electrical, struck-by, and caught in/between safety hazards and promote safety in the residential construction industry. NAHB will complete the drafts of the OSHA 10- and 30-Hour Outreach Training Programs for Residential Construction.

   NAHB representatives also will continue to participate on the Alliance Program Construction Roundtable’s Fall Protection and Design for Safety workgroups. In addition, NAHB staff and members will continue to serve on OSHA’s Residential Construction Industry Safety and Health Topics page’s editorial board.

   Further, NAHB will invite OSHA to have an exhibit booth at the 2010 International Builder’s Show, January 19-22, 2010, in Las Vegas, Nevada. NAHB will also promote the activities of the OSHA and NAHB Alliance through publishing articles in its weekly e-newsletter, Nation’s Building News, and updating its Web site to include a specific section to promote the OSHA and NAHB Alliance.

   Lastly, OSHA and NAHB will discuss renewing the Alliance for another 2 years to work together to address construction-related safety and health hazards, including fall, electrical, struck-by, and caught in/between safety hazards, and promote safety in the residential construction industry.

Report prepared by: Rob Swick, Program Analyst, OOSA, DCSP, June 4, 2009.