OSHA and the Associated General Contractors of America Inc. (AGC) have forged a partnership to help advance the safety and health of construction workers in Texas.
The agreement will allow OSHA to pinpoint problem worksites for regular inspections, rather than worksites that have demonstrated effective safety and health programs.
OSHA and AGC will conduct safety training for the partnership members in order to improve hazard recognition and corrective actions taken at the work sites.
"The partnership should provide a higher level of employee safety and health training," said John Miles, OSHA''s regional administrator in Dallas. "Additionally, it should also benefit the subcontractors who will work for the participating contractors."
The agreement will be evaluated annually by both participants. By meeting stringent outlined requirements, any participating AGC chapter in Texas will be permitted into the program.
"In Texas, the AGC has made safety a top priority," said Bob Fretz Jr., president of the Texas Building Branch of AGC. "The partnership solidifies AGC''s efforts by providing recognition to the Texas AGC chapters for their commitment to safety."
AGC, is the largest national construction trade association representing more than 33,00 firms, including 7,500 of America''s leading general contractors.
by Virginia Sutcliffe