October 27, 2023
Contact: Office of Communications
Phone: 202-693-1999

New Albany company partners with OSHA and Ohio BWC

NEW ALBANY, OH – Holder Construction has partnered with the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration Columbus Area Office.

The agreement was signed on Oct. 17, 2023, and will end on Dec. 31, 2025, or at the completion of construction, whichever comes first. It is designed to help Holder and its employees address construction safety hazards at the Mustang Project worksite.

Holder Construction will implement a safety and health management system that commits to increasing the amount of worker involvement in identifying and monitoring hazards on the jobsite. Holder will also collect and analyze injury and illness trends by all contractors working at the site. This information will help continue to improve safety and health for workers at the Mustang Project.

"This partnership demonstrates Holder's commitment to worker safety and health," said Larry Johnson, OSHA Columbus area director. "They understand that management leadership and worker participation are essential for worker safety."

Some of the specific hazards the partnership will focus on involve excavation and trenching. Twenty-two workers died in trench-related incidents in the first six months of 2022 across the country. That was a significant increase over 15 worker fatalities in all of 2021. To bring attention to this increase, in July 2022 OSHA announced enhanced nationwide enforcement and additional oversight.

As a participant in this agreement, OSHA will, among other things:

• Designate a Columbus Area Office contact to be a resource for technical issues and be available to assist Holder Construction with safety and health training.
• Audit monthly reports and documents and make recommendations for improvements.
• Conduct an annual evaluation report.

The Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation, Loss Prevention Services, Division of Safety and Hygiene will, among other things:

• Provide and assist in training, as resources allow.
• Give priority consideration to requests for services to small contractors who are engaged in work at the Mustang Project.
• Perform quarterly jobsite inspections.

Seven labor unions are also signatories to this partnership or have agreed to allow it to proceed without being a signatory. Those unions will assist in additional safety training.

Visit www.osha.gov to learn more about worker safety and health.