Construction

Solis to Establish Charter on Construction Safety and Health Advisory Committee

Oct. 15, 2010

Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis will re-establish the charter of OSHA’s Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health (ACCSH). The group advises the secretary on formulating safety and health standards and policies that affect construction workers and the construction industry

Laura Walter

“Since OSHA’s inception, ACCSH has played an important role in furthering the safety and health of workers in the construction industry,” said OSHA Administrator Dr. David Michaels. “The members’ advice and recommendations are extremely valuable to the agency because they have a wealth of knowledge and real-world experience on a wide range of construction trades, activities and issues.”

Established in 1969 as a continuing advisory committee under the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act, commonly known as the Construction Safety Act, ACCSH is comprised of 15 members appointed by the secretary. The advisory committee consists of five representatives of employers in the construction industry, five representatives who present the viewpoint of employees in the construction industry who are generally from various building trades unions, two public representatives, two representatives of state safety and health agencies and one from the National Institute of Occupational Health. The members generally serve staggered 2-year terms and may be reappointed.

As part of its advisory role, ACCSH provides comments and recommendations on OSHA proposed rules affecting the construction industry. In addition, the committee provides other recommendations and develops various work products such as quick cards and fact sheets for OSHA’s consideration. Currently, ACCSH also has a number of active work groups focusing on areas including women/diversity in construction, education and training, green jobs, multilingual issues in construction, power fastening tools such as nail guns, prevention by design, residential fall protection, and silica and other construction health hazards. The meetings of ACCSH and its work groups are open to the public.

For more information on ACCSH and the group’s reports and recommendations, visit
https://www.osha.gov/doc/accsh/index.html.

About the Author

Laura Walter

Laura Walter was formerly senior editor of EHS Today. She is a subject matter expert in EHS compliance and government issues and has covered a variety of topics relating to occupational safety and health. Her writing has earned awards from the American Society of Business Publication Editors (ASBPE), the Trade Association Business Publications International (TABPI) and APEX Awards for Publication Excellence. Her debut novel, Body of Stars (Dutton) was published in 2021.