Region 3 - Alliance Annual Report - March 28, 2014


ANNUAL ALLIANCE REPORT
PITTSBURGH AREA OFFICE
THE IRONWORKER EMPLOYERS ASSOCIATION OF WESTERN PA INC.
March 28, 2014

  1. Alliance Background

    Date Signed:

    3-11-03

    Date Renewed:

    Last Renewal 3-22-13

    Alliance Overview:

    The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Pittsburgh Area Office and the Ironworker Employers Association of Western Pennsylvania, Inc. (IWEA) aligned to foster and maintain an open line of communication with each other for the meaningful exchange of information on promoting OSHA compliance and Industry best practices in the Construction Industry and to understand the rights of workers and the responsibilities of employers under the Occupational safety and Health Act.

    Implementation Team Members

    • Bill Ligetti - Executive Director, IWEA
    • Christopher Robinson - Area Director (AD), OSHA Pittsburgh Area Office
    • Robert Carroll - Compliance Assistance Specialist (CAS), OSHA Pittsburgh Area Office
    •  
  2. Implementation Team Meetings

    • April 26, 2013 - Conference Call
    • June 12, 2013 - Conference Call
    • August 9, 2013 - In-person - Greentree, PA
    • December 6, 2013 - Conference Call
    • January 10, 2014 - In-person - Greentree, PA
    • March 25, 2014 - In-person - Greentree, PA

     

  3. Activities and Products

    Evaluation Period

    March 30, 2013 to March 29, 2014

    Alliance Activity

    April 25, 2013 - Member company representatives attended the annual Mid-Atlantic Safety and Health Alliance (MASHA) Safety and health Conference. AD presented an OSHA update. AD and CAS met with representatives and discussed safety and health issues and concerns.

    May 31, 2013 - CAS met with Ironworkers Local #3 Apprenticeship Coordinator and instructors. Information on heat stress, fall protection and local fatality statistics were provided. In addition, safety and health issues and concerns were discussed.

    June 27, 2013 - A pre-construction meeting was conducted via a conference call with member company representative and union representative relating to structural steel fall protection interpretations.

    August 9, 2013 - CAS met with Executive Director and provided information on the upcoming GHS requirements, web resources and implementation dates. In addition, the fall protection and heat protection campaigns were discussed. In addition, upcoming construction projects in the area were reviewed.

    January 7, 2014 - A pre-construction meeting was conducted via a conference call with a member company relating to fall protection interpretations relating to Subpart M and their application on a particular jobsite.

    January 10, 2014 - The Executive Director and CAS participated in reviewing packets of a variety of construction jobs that had been submitted for upcoming safety awards. This effort assisted in the recognition of companies and employees that have maintained safety excellence at particular jobsites. In addition, this activity enables OSHA to obtain "Best Practice" information on steel erection construction jobsites.

    February 6, 2014 - AD and CAS presented an OSHA update at an OSHA 30 hour course held at the Ironworker Local #3 Apprenticeship School.

    Throughout this evaluation period, the CAS has e-mailed safety alerts on product defects relating to Guardian Protection self retracting lifelines, MSA fall protection products with Yoke snaphooks, and a Genie Boom Lift series.

    The Ironworkers Employers’ Association of Western Pennsylvania has periodic Safety and Risk Committee meetings throughout the year. These meetings not only work on planning future events, they act as a forum to exchange safety and health technical information and best practices. In addition, IWEA provides safety educational opportunities throughout the year for members on related industry practices.

    The Ironworkers Employers’ Association of Western Pennsylvania is represented on the union joint apprenticeship and journeymen upgrade committee of the Ironworkers Local #3. The Association accomplishes this by appointing contractor members and the Executive Director to the committee. This committee is responsible for providing skilled construction workers through apprenticeship and training programs. Safety and Health information is promoted, supported and conveyed through these programs. The committee also reviews funding, liability, disciplinary and other joint management/labor functions.

    Billl Ligetti, IWEA Executive Director, and member company representatives have called throughout the year for general discussions on OSHA standards/ policy/interpretations and requests for OSHA handouts/publications.

    Alliance Products

    The IWEA’s website posted information and links to safety alerts, and OSHA’s heat stress, fall protection, and GHS webpages. The IWEA website has a safety section, referencing the alliance. The website also posts and maintains various past safety and health information (i.e. OSHA news releases, safety bulletins, product recalls, etc.) as resource material for its members. The website lists electronic links to various government, labor organizations, and contractor associations.

  4. Results

    The activities and information provided were well received. The Bill Ligetti, Executive Director, and member representatives of the safety and health outreach activities/communications found the information valuable in assisting them in promoting and improving their safety and health efforts. In addition, OSHA representatives found the shared information valuable in expanding their knowledge base on the implementation of good safety practices on steel erection construction jobsites.

    Type of Activity (Conference, Training, Print and Electronic Distribution, etc.) Number of Individuals Reached or Trained
    Mid-Atlantic Safety and Health Alliance Annual Safety and Health Conference 50
    IWEA Website 1200
    Pre-Construction & Technical Information Meetings 75
    Ironworker Local #3 - OSHA 30 hour 15
    TOTAL: 1340

    The working relationship between the Alliance Signatories and the feedback on the Alliance continues to be extremely positive.

  5. Upcoming Milestones

    The Alliance continues to look at future opportunities in providing information for affected parties. The Alliance Signatories will continue to work together to address the safety and health needs of the affected parties.

Report Prepared by: Bob Carroll, CAS Pittsburgh Area Office

For more information, contact the Office of Outreach Services and Alliances at 202-693-2340 or go to www.osha.gov.