Region 7 News Release: 11-1319-KAN
Sept. 15, 2011
Contact: Scott Allen Rhonda Burke
Phone: 312-353-6976 312-353-4807
Email: allen.scott@dol.gov burke.rhonda@dol.gov

US Department of Labor's OSHA establishes safety and health partnership
with Associated Builders and Contractors - Heart of America Chapter

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Ensuring the highest level of worker safety and health is the goal of a new strategic partnership signed by the Heart of America Chapter of the Associated Builders and Contractors and the offices of the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration in Kansas City and St. Louis, Mo., and Wichita, Kan.

The partnership will focus on reducing the number and severity of injuries, illnesses and fatalities affecting building contractors. To achieve this goal, effective safety and health programs will be implemented that include management commitment, worker involvement, job site analysis, training, and hazard prevention and control.

"This partnership not only showcases a commitment to the value of safety and health shared by ABC-HOA, but acts as a force multiplier by advancing OSHA's mission to promote the safety and health of America's workforce," said Charles E. Adkins, OSHA's regional administrator in Kansas City, Mo.

The three-year partnership will serve as a model for construction companies and others by demonstrating how to implement a strong safety and health program while developing criteria for model contractor safety and health programs.

Through its Strategic Partnership Program, OSHA partners with employers, workers, professional and trade associations, labor organizations and other interested stakeholders to establish specific goals, strategies and performance measures to improve worker safety and health. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov/dcsp/partnerships/index.html.

Employers and employees with questions about this or other OSHA partnerships can call the agency's Kansas City Regional Office at 816-283-8745.

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 ensure 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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U.S. Department of Labor news materials are accessible at http://www.dol.gov. The information above is available in large print, Braille, audio tape or disc from the COAST office upon request by calling 202-693-7828 or TTY 202-693-7755.

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