U.S. Labor Department's OSHA Partners With Erland Construction To Enhance Safety And Health At Mansfield, Mass., Construction Project

Braintree, MA - The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has formed a site safety partnership with Erland Construction of Burlington, Mass., to minimize hazards and enhance worker safety and health during the Covidien West Street construction project in Mansfield, Mass.

"This partnership is designed to encourage, recognize and assist contractors who want to minimize hazards and enhance their safety and health performance," said Brenda Gordon, OSHA's Boston South Area Office director in Braintree. "Through a proactive approach to safety and health, contractors can analyze, identify and eliminate hazardous conditions before they harm workers."

Erland is the general contractor for the project, which will involve the interior demolition and refitting of 777 West St. in the Cabot Business Park and is expected to be completed in April 2010. Under the agreement, Erland will develop a project-specific safety and health plan that will provide a benchmark for subcontractors to meet and exceed. In addition, a qualified safety and health representative will implement and oversee the plan.

Erland also will develop job hazard analyses, track and analyze injury and illness trends, facilitate ongoing safety training, ensure supervisors receive the OSHA 10-hour or 30-hour construction safety courses, hold weekly meetings with subcontractor foremen to discuss safety and health issues, and review job hazard analyses for the coming week's work.

Subcontractors will be expected to provide employees with weekly task-specific safety instructions and conduct weekly safety and health inspections. OSHA will review and evaluate the safety and health plan and compliance, assist in ensuring the delivery of effective training, provide clarification, feedback and input, and periodically attend site safety and health meetings.

Gordon signed the agreement for OSHA. Signing for Erland Construction were Vice President Thomas N. Blesso, Safety Director Alan R. Scott, Project Manager Steven Craft and Field Superintendent Mark Robinson. More than 1.4 million employees and nearly 28,000 employers across the United States have participated with OSHA in more than 585 strategic partnerships since the program began in 1998. For more information about OSHA partnerships in southeastern Massachusetts, contact the compliance assistance specialist in the agency's Boston South Area Office at 617-565-6924.

SOURCE: OSHA