Region 6 News Release: DOL-OSHA-10-112-DAL
Monday, Feb. 22, 2010
Contact: Elizabeth Todd
Phone: 972-850-4710

US Labor Department's OSHA and Scaffold Industry Association form alliance to promote safety and health in construction industry
Agreement aims to protect workers in Louisiana and Texas

HOUSTON -- Enhanced workplace safety for construction workers in the states of Louisiana and Texas is the goal of an alliance signed today by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Scaffold Industry Association (SIA), South Central Regional Chapter in Houston.

"We welcome this opportunity to join with the SIA toward emphasizing employer awareness of hazardous working conditions in the construction industry," said Dean McDaniel, OSHA's regional administrator in Dallas, Texas. "It is hopeful that this cooperative effort will help prevent injuries, illnesses and fatalities."

Under this agreement, partners will work together to develop educational training programs relating to scaffold and fall hazards, as well as applicable American National Safety Institute (ANSI) consensus standards. The agreement also will establish communication methods for providing information to employers and employees in the construction industry.

SIA was established in 1972 to protect and promote the interests of dealers and distributors of access and scaffold equipment and manufacturers of scaffold components. Several members from the South Central Regional Chapter are on the ANSI Mast-Climbing Work Platforms and Transport Platforms committees.

OSHA and the SIA signed a national alliance on Feb. 25, 2008, which resulted in creating the Mast Climbing Work Platform Safety Tip Sheet.

Through the agency's Alliance Program, OSHA works with groups committed to safety and health, including businesses, trade and professional organizations, unions and educational institutions, to leverage resources and expertise to develop compliance assistance tools and resources, and share information with employers and employees to help prevent injuries, illnesses and fatalities in the workplace. OSHA and the organization sign a formal agreement with goals that address training and education, outreach and communication, and promoting the national dialogue on workplace safety and health.

Employers and employees with questions about this or other OSHA alliances or partnerships may call the agency's Houston South office at 281-286-0583 or its Houston North office at 281-591-2438.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to assure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.

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