Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health (ACCSH)
Action Items/Significant Events
from the 15 - 16 March, 2001 Meeting

SIGNIFICANT EVENTS

ACCSH voted to accept the draft minutes for the September 2000 ACCSH meeting.

The Form 170 Work Group reported that the Form 170 needs to be reformulated in order to capture data that could be useful in targeting, enforcement and accident prevention. In addition, it was shown that filling out the new automated (e.g. heavy use of drop-down, drill down menus) form would be easier, faster, and should reflect the realities of the accident more accurately. The Work Group's recommendation would shrink the form the CSHO fills out from about 66 pages, to about 22 specific questions.

Chairman Krul decided to keep the Form 170 and Data Collection Work Groups separate and active until the next ACCSH, when the topic of merging these work groups would be discussed in more depth.

Noah Connell gave a Standards Update. He indicated that the new Steel Erection Standard was issued 18 January, 2001. The effective date for the Steel Erection Standard will be 16 September, 2001. Concerning the Subpart M ANPRM, Connell reported that OSHA has received a little over 2,500 comments, and is still in the final stages of reviewing these comments. The next step for the Confined Space Standard would be to complete the draft text, and convene a SBREFA (Small Business Regulatory Enforcement Fairness Act) Panel. OSHA is in the final stages of the concurrence process with the draft of the Sanitation ANPRM. The MUTCD (Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices) is still in the concurrence process. The concurrence process is nearly complete for Subpart L, and a handbook is in preparation. Record Keeping was published as a final rule, and will be effective 1 January, 2002.

The Noise in Construction Work Group has met twice. Pending receipt of an ANPRM on hearing loss prevention in the construction industry, the Work Group is identifying issues, and educating the Work Group on the topic.

Bill Rhoten briefed the committee on the proposition that: "Every construction worker have a 10-Hour OSHA Card or equivalent." He indicated that at the Safety and Health Program/Training Work Group meeting, the consensus was that the only way to get this proposition implemented is through a standard process.

Larry Edginton presented a report on the Subpart N - Cranes Work Group. He stated that although the Work Group had recommended to ACCSH that negotiated rule making be considered, the Work Group desired to continue deliberations until OSHA makes a decision on this issue.

Chairman Krul made the following additional Co-Chair appointments to the following Work Groups:

Cranes Subpart N: James Ahern

Data Collection/Targeting: Thomas Broderick

Fall Protection: Manny Mederos

Musculoskeletal Disorders: Dan Murphy

Process Safety Management: Kevin Beauregard

The following new Work Groups were formed under the following Co-Chairs:

Multi-lingual Issues in Construction: Thomas Broderick, Marie Haring Sweeney, Felipe Devora

State Plan States: Owen Smith, Steve Cooper, Kevin Beauregard

Keith Goddard (Assistant Commissioner for the Maryland Occupation Safety and Health Program) gave a presentation on the Occupational Safety and Health State Plan Association (OSHSP). As the Chair of the OSHSP, Goddard was able to speak authoritatively about how state plan states operate, and to delineate the differences between OSHA and state plan states. Chairman Krul made the decision to form a State Plan Work Group to look at State Plan requirements for licensing, and make recommendations back to ACCSH.

The next ACCSH meeting will be held at DOL headquarters in Washington D.C. on 12 - 13 July, 2001. The Chairman expressed a desire to hold a near-future ACCSH meeting in St. Paul Minnesota. Other options for future "outside the Washington D.C. Beltway" ACCSH meeting venues are Charleston, SC and Palm Springs, CA. Broderick suggested that the second ACCSH meeting in 2002 be held in conjunction with the ChicagoLand Construction Safety Conference, which is scheduled to be held 20 - 24 May, 2002.