Background:

The Associated Builders and Contractors (ABC) - Keystone Chapter and the OSHA Region III Harrisburg Area Office developed an OSHA Strategic Partnership (OSP) in September 2006. The Partnership was formed to improve awareness of safety concerns and decrease injuries, illness, and fatalities for participant contractors - resulting in a decrease in worker compensation costs.

The Partnership provides incentives to contractors that voluntarily participate in the ABC Safety and Training Evaluation Process (STEP) program and demonstrate the implementation of effective safety and health management systems (SHMS). STEP, implemented annually by the ABC, is an objective tool that contractor members use to evaluate and strengthen their SHMS, policies, and procedures.

Success Impact:

Partnership off to a Good Start as Injury and Illness Rates Decline

The Partnership achieved an aggregate Days Away, Restricted and Transfer (DART) rate of 3.81 in 2006 which was an 11.2% decrease when compared to the three year baseline rate of 4.29. The Partnership's Total Case Incident Rate (TCIR) was 7.53 compared to the baseline rate of 8.65 in 2006 which represented a 12.9% reduction. The below table presents the average of all of the Partnership's participants when compared to the baseline DART and TCIR.

Outreach and Vigilant Data Collection

The OSHA Compliance Assistance Specialist (CAS) has worked with ABC to reach out to partner companies to gain their trust which improves participant willingness to work with OSHA. To accomplish this, the CAS and ABC are generating a news article for ABC's publication titled, "The Spokesman," in order to demonstrate the difference between a CAS and an OSHA Compliance Safety or Health Officer (CSHO). ABC also plans to publish the positive experiences employers are having with non-enforcement verification audits in an effort to win more prospective participant interest in joining the Partnership. The CAS would like to have the steering committee and the CAS work directly with more members from ABC, not just the partners. So far, ABC Keystone Partnership participants have increased from 33 to 38 participants. STEP membership has increased from 62 members participants in 2006 to 70 in 2007.

Collecting valuable data on a consistent basis is crucial to showing progress and positive results of a Partnership. Therefore, in order to facilitate the data collection process for the many participants, the CAS and ABC Keystone representatives created a large spreadsheet that helps to track partner progress on a continual basis. The spreadsheet has been updated and improved on a consistent basis.

Partnership Objectives:

Key objectives of the Partnership include improving the awareness of safety concerns, and decreasing injuries, illness, and fatalities for participant contractors that result in a reduction in worker compensation costs and other direct/indirect costs.

• Origin: Region III, Harrisburg Area Office
• Partners: B & P Neal Enterprises, Inc., B. N. Excavating, Inc., B. R. Kreider & Son, Inc., Benchmark Construction Co., Inc., Caldwell, Heckles & Egan, Inc., Clark Mechanical Services, Inc., Conewago Enterprises, Inc, E.K. Service, Inc., E. R. Stuebner, Inc., Frey Lutz Corporation, Frey Mechanical Group, Inc., GEM Wall & Ceiling Contractors, Gettle Incorporated, H. B. McClure Company, Hogg Construction Inc., James Craft & Son, Inc., John E. Fullerton, Inc., Keystruct Construction, Inc., Kinsley Construction Inc., Martin Plastering Contractors, Paul Risk Associates, Inc., Quality Electrical Services, Inc., R. S Mowery & Sons, Inc., Ragland Corporation, Richard D. Poole LLC, Robert H. Kepler Masonry Contractors Inc., S & S Structures Inc., Smucker Company, Tri-Boro Construction Supplies, Inc., Vision Mechanical Inc., Wagman, Construction Inc., Walton and Company Inc., Warfel Construction Company, Wenrich Painting Inc., Wickersham Construction and Engineering, Inc., Witmer & McCoy, Inc., Wohlsen Construction Company.
• Partnership Signed: September 2006
• Industry: Construction, NAICS Code 238910, 236220, 238210, 237310, 236200, 238220, 238310, 238190, 238130, 238140, 238120, 444190, 238320, 238110, SIC Code 1795, 1794, 1542, 1731, 1541, 1622, 1542, 1711, 1742, 1741, 1791, 5032, 1721, respectively
• Employees: 4,815
• Employers: 37
• Source: Dale Glacken, Region III, Harrisburg Area Office / November 2007