The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), the steel erector contractor building the new South Boston Convention Center and the union representing the iron workers on the site have signed a site-safety partnership agreement.
The partnership between OSHA, Capco Steel Corp. and the International Association of Bridge, Structural, Ornamental and Reinforcing Iron Workers Local #7, AFL-CIO, will be in effect during the construction of the new convention center, a job that is expected to take 16 months.
With 32,000 tones of steel to be erected, the construction of the convention center is the largest such project in New England. At its peak, it will employ 160 ironworkers. The goal of the partnership is to reduce the number of injuries, illnesses and fatalities affecting project employees.
"Cooperation among labor, management and OSHA is extremely important to ensure the safety and health of workers on any large and complex construction project," said Brenda Gordon, area director for Boston and Southeastern Massachusetts. "This partnership agreement to protect the workers building the South Boston Convention Center is precisely the type of understanding that fosters cooperation."
The agreement outlines a cooperative effort to ensure a safe work environment during construction. Elements of the agreement include a comprehensive safety plan for the site, site-specific training for all employees on hazards and regulations applicable to their work, and daily site monitoring by the contractor's site safety officer. The agreement also allows Local #7 to designate an employee of Capco Steel as a labor safety liaison, who would coordinate with the site safety officer to resolve any safety and health problems or complaints and would act as co-chair with the site safety officer at weekly safety meetings.
As part of the agreement, OSHA's Braintree Area Office promised to provide timely responses to requests for information and clarification of OSHA standards, and to assist Capco Steel and Local #7 in their efforts to successfully implement the agreement. The agency will perform a verification inspection of the site to determine the participants' compliance with the partnership agreement.
edited by Sandy Smith ([email protected])