NAHB - Alliance Annual Report - May 31, 2005


ALLIANCE ANNUAL REPORT
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
and the
National Association of Home Builders (NAHB)
May 31, 2005

  1. Alliance Background

    Date Signed

    May 8, 2003

    Evaluation Period

    May 9, 2004 - May 8, 2005

    Overview

    The Alliance provides NAHB members and others in the residential construction industry with information, training opportunities, and guidance to protect employees' health and safety, particularly in reducing and preventing exposure to residential construction industry hazards.

    Implementation Team Members

    OSHA:

    Todd Briggs
    Office of Outreach Services and Alliances (OOSA)
    Steve Cloutier
    Office of Construction Services
    Cathy Cronin
    Office of Training and Education
    Jess McCluer
    OOSA
    Lisa Ramber
    OOSA

    NAHB:

    Rob Matuga
    Director, Labor, Safety & Health Regulatory Affairs
    George Middleton
    Program Manager, Labor, Safety & Health Regulatory Affairs
  2. Implementation Team Meetings

    June 21, 2004
    Meeting, NAHB -1201 15th Street, NW - Washington, DC
    July 8, 2004
    OSHA Alliance Program Construction Roundtable, Washington, DC
    November 8, 2004
    Fall Protection Workgroup, Washington, DC
    May 2, 2005
    Fall Protection Workgroup, Washington, DC
  3. Results

    1. Events and Products

      Training and Education

      • Develop and present training and education programs and workshops on residential construction industry issues, with specific emphasis on the Spanish-speaking work force.

        The OSHA and NAHB Alliance Implementation Team has not started work on programs or projects to address this goal.

      • Explore the feasibility of developing a comprehensive safety training course specific to residential construction that is similar to OSHA's 30-hour construction course.

      Product

      Training Course on Residential Construction

      OSHA and NAHB are in the process of developing a one to two day Residential Construction Set-Up Training Program for OSHA staff. The first day may include a general description of how houses are built, including foundation and framing. The second day may focus on the four major construction hazards: falls, struck-by, caught-in between and electrocution.

      Outreach and Communication

      • NAHB will assist OSHA in identifying safety and health issues that can be addressed in e-tools and other electronic compliance assistance products specific to the residential construction industry.

      Products

      OSHA and NAHB Alliance Web site

      OSHA continued to maintain an OSHA and NAHB Alliance Web site that is posted on the Agency's Web page that includes the OSHA and NAHB Alliance agreement, news releases, and milestones and successes. This Web site is updated on a regular basis.

      OSHA's Residential Construction Industry Safety and Health Topics Page

      Through the Alliance Program, OSHA and NAHB provided input into the development of the OSHA Residential Construction Industry Safety and Health Topics page that was posted on OSHA's Web page on August 16, 2004.

      The Web page is designed to make employers and employees in the residential construction industry aware of safety and health hazards and provide relevant reference materials including standards, directives, training materials and links to other informative Web sites related to the industry.

      The following NAHB members are on the editorial board of the OSHA Residential Construction Industry Safety and Health Topics page:

        • Rob Matuga, NAHB; Washington, DC

        • Vern Pottenger, Pottenger Builders; Beaufort, SC

        • Connie Wilhelm, Home Builders Association of Central Arizona; Phoenix, AZ

      • Explore the feasibility of updating, publishing, and distributing OSHA's Selected Construction Regulations for the Home Building Industry (SCOR).

        The OSHA and NAHB Alliance Implementation Team has not started work on programs or projects to address this goal.

      • Develop and disseminate information on residential construction industry issues, with specific emphasis on the Spanish-speaking workforce, through print and electronic media, including NAHB's Nation's Building News and affiliated local associations' newsletters, electronic tools, and links from OSHA's and NAHB's Web sites.

      Publications and Newsletters

      Information and news releases on the OSHA and NAHB Alliance activities appeared in NAHB's Nations Building News Online along with BNA Safety and Occupational Health Reporter, Occupational Health & Safety E-News and Facility Safety Management Magazine. For more information on the articles, see the "Alliance Program Reach" table on page 7.

      • Share NAHB English/Spanish construction safety publications with OSHA regional and area offices.

      Products

      NAHB Safety Handbooks

      NAHB provided OSHA with copies of its Scaffolding, Job Site Safety and Tool Kit Safety Handbooks to distribute to OSHA representatives in the regional and area offices, the Directorate of Construction, Consultation Projects and state plan states.

      • Provide construction safety training and/or presentations on current construction activities within OSHA, and/or host an OSHA informational booth at the International Builders' Show and affiliated local association functions.

      Products

      Jobsite Safety Video

      Steve Cloutier, Office of Construction Services reviewed and provided comments on NAHB's script for a training video on residential construction safety. The video was produced in both English and Spanish.

      Events

      OSHA Hispanic Task Force Meeting, Denver Colorado, August 24, 2004

      George Middleton, Program Manager, Labor, Safety & Health Regulatory Affairs, NAHB, gave a presentation at OSHA's Hispanic Task Force regarding the association's Hispanic outreach programs.

      • Promote OSHA's free consultation program to businesses, companies, and corporations in the residential construction industry and help them obtain relevant OSHA publications such as posters, fact sheets, compliance guides, and recordkeeping forms.

      Events

      NAHB State and Local Government Affairs Conference, Biloxi, Mississippi, November 5, 2004

      Clyde Payne, Region IVJackson, Mississippi Area Director; Rob Matuga, Director, Labor, Safety & Health Regulatory Affairs, NAHB; Benny J. Pritchett, Home Builders Association of Alabama; and Leon Greaser, Wichita Area Builders Association participated in a Construction Safety Breakout Session titled, "Construction Safety Resources You and Your Members Can Really Use." The session was held during the NAHB State and Local Government Affairs Conference in Biloxi, Mississippi on November 5, 2004.

      The speakers updated over 50 attendees on OSHA's Alliance Program, in particular the OSHA and NAHB Alliance.

      • Encourage companies or local associations to identify resources for providing training in English as a second language, as appropriate, to the Spanish-speaking workforce in the residential construction industry.

        The OSHA and NAHB Alliance Implementation Team has not started work on programs or projects to address this goal.

      Promoting the National Dialogue on Workplace Safety and Health

      • Working with the various Hispanic contractors associations and other Alliance Program participants to establish a dialogue on residential construction safety issues affecting the Spanish-speaking workforce.

      OSHA Alliance Program Construction Roundtable, Department of Labor, Washington, DC, July 8, 2004

      Representatives from NAHB participated in the Alliance Program's Construction Roundtable for construction-related national Alliances on July 8, 2004. The roundtable participants discussed how the construction-related national Alliances could work together to address issues such as ergonomics, silica and motor vehicle safety. The Fall Protection and Design for Safety workgroups were developed at the roundtable meeting.

        • Fall Protection Workgroup

        • November 8, 2004 - NAHB member, Rob Matuga attended the workgroup meeting.

        • May 2, 2005 - NAHB member, Rob Matuga attended the workgroup meeting. The workgroup is in the process of developing a fall protection safety tip sheet for employees and employers.

      • Working to raise others' awareness of, and demonstrate their respective commitments to, workplace safety and health whenever NAHB and OSHA leaders address groups, with specific emphasis on the Spanish-speaking work force.

      Workshop at the National Safety Congress in Orlando, Florida, September 21-23, 2005

      Rob Matuga, NAHB, has volunteered to participate in the September 22, 2005 construction -related workshop titled, "Construction Related Safety and Training" at the September 21-23, 2005 National Safety Congress in Orlando, Florida. The workshop will include representatives from OSHA and the Alliance Program. During the session, a brief overview of the Alliance Program will be presented and the training products and activities that have been developed to address construction-related issues will be discussed.

    2. Executive Summary

      Through the Alliance Program, OSHA and NAHB are working together to address important safety and health issues in the residential construction industry. The OSHA and NAHB Alliance have developed a productive working relationship.

      This positive relationship has led to the development of several programs and projects that the implementation team is working on or has produced. Some examples include:

      • OSHA and NAHB are in the process of developing a one to two day Residential Construction Set-Up Training Program for OSHA staff.

      • OSHA and NAHB provided input into the development of OSHA's Residential Construction Industry Safety and Health Topics page. NAHB members currently serve on the page's editorial board.

      • OSHA reviewed and provided comments on NAHB's script for a training video on residential construction safety titled, Jobsite Safety Video.

      • Clyde Payne, Region IV Jackson, Mississippi Area Director, updated over 50 attendees on OSHA's Alliance Program, in particular the NAHB Alliance at the NAHB State and Local Government Affairs Conference in Biloxi, Mississippi on November 5, 2004.

      • George Middleton, Program Manager, Labor, Safety & Health Regulatory Affairs, NAHB, gave a presentation regarding the association's Hispanic outreach programs at the OSHA Hispanic Task Force meeting in Denver, Colorado on August 24, 2004.

      • NAHB has representatives on the Fall Protection Workgroup that was created at the July 8, 2004 OSHA Alliance Program Construction Roundtable meeting.

      • NAHB will participate in a construction-Alliance related workshop focusing on training products developed through the Alliance Program at the National Safety Council's 2005 Congress and Expo.

      In addition, the implementation team is in the process of distributing copies of NAHB's Scaffolding, Job Site and Toolbox Safety Handbook to OSHA Regional Hispanic Coordinators, Compliance Assistant Specialists, Regional/Area Offices, State Plan State and Consultation Program staff.

      In addition, NAHB had used the OSHA Residential Construction Industry Safety and Health Topics page, the NAHB's Nations Building News Online publication and the OSHA-NAHB Alliance Web page to show its members that OSHA has numerous compliance assistance materials and resources that are available for use and distribution throughout the residential construction industry.

    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 OSHA's Web site 3,603
      NAHB Web site - Link to Alliance Agreement Data Not Available
      OSHA Residential Construction Safety and Health Topics page 19,777
      December 6, 2004 - "NAHB Alliance with OSHA on Safety," Nations Building News Online 140,000
      November 5, 2004 - NAHB State and Local Government Affairs Conference, Biloxi, Mississippi

      Speakers: Clyde Payne, Region IV Jackson, Mississippi Area Director and Rob Matuga, Director, Labor, Safety & Health Regulatory Affairs, NAHB
      50
      August 19, 2004 - "OSHA Announces Residential Construction Page," BNA Occupational Safety and Health Reporter Data Not Available
      August 18, 2004 - "OSHA Launches Safety Web Page For Residential Construction," NAHB press release announcing OSHA Residential Construction Safety and Health Topics page 3,000
      August 17, 2004 - "OSHA Unveils Safety and Health Page for Residential Construction," Facility Safety Management Magazine Data Not Available
      August 16, 2004 - "New Web Page Offers Safety Information for Home Builders," Occupational Health & Safety E-News Data Not Available
      August 16, 2004 - "OSHA Unveils Safety and Health Topics Page for Residential Construction," OSHA press release announcing OSHA Residential Construction Safety and Health Topics page 25 News Services
      August 15, 2004 - OSHA includes information on the OSHA Residential Construction Industry Safety and Health Topics page in its bi-weekly e-newsletter; QuickTakes 38,000
      TOTAL 204,430

       

  4. Upcoming Milestones

    In the upcoming year, OSHA's and NAHB's relationship, that was built through the Alliance Program, will continue to grow and the implementation team will undertake a number of activities and develop a number of products. OSHA and NAHB agreed to renew the Alliance for another year. The Alliance agreement will have a set of very specific issues and projects that the implementation team will address.

    In the upcoming year, OSHA and NAHB will complete development and deliver a one to two day Residential Construction Set-Up Training Program for OSHA staff. NAHB will continue to be a member of OSHA's Residential Construction Industry Safety and Health Topics page's editorial board and will review and provide comments on the page.

    In addition, NAHB is participating in the Fall Protection Workgroup that was created at the OSHA Alliance Program Construction Roundtable for on July 8, 2004. The workgroup is currently developing a fall protection safety tip sheet for both employees and employers. OSHA and NAHB will also work together to distribute copies of NAHB's Scaffolding, Job Site and Toolbox Safety Handbook to OSHA representatives including Regional Hispanic Coordinators, Compliance Assistant Specialists, Regional, State Plan State and Consultation Program staff.

    NAHB will also participate with representatives from OSHA, the Independent Electrical Contractors and the Modular Building Institute Alliances in the September 22, 2005 construction-related National Alliance workshop titled, "Construction Related Safety and Training" at the 2005 National Safety Congress in Orlando, Florida.

    Finally, NAHB plans to promote OSHA's compliance assistance materials through a number of resources including: articles in its publication; the Nations Building News Online, OSHA's Residential Construction Industry Safety and Health Topics page and the OSHA-NAHB Alliance Web page.

Report prepared by: Jess McCluer, Alliance Coordinator, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances, May 31, 2005