OSHA’s Safe + Sound is a year-round campaign to encourage every workplace to have a safety and health program. Safe + Sound Week is a nationwide event held each August that recognizes the successes of workplace health and safety programs and offers information and ideas on how to keep America’s workers safe.
Partnership in Action
So it only seems timely to recognize the OSHA Strategic Partnership Program (OSPP) between the Safety, Health, and Environmental Services (SHES) Group at Georgia Tech and DPR Construction. The OSPP provides opportunities for OSHA to partner with employers, and are unique agreements designed to encourage, assist, and recognize partner efforts to eliminate serious hazards and enhance workplace safety and health practices. OSHA Strategic Partnerships establish specific goals, strategies, and performance measures to improve worker safety and health.
“I’ve been with OSHA for over 23 years, and we have the most partnerships in Region 4 compared to the rest of the United States. We work with really great companies that are committed to safety and form lasting partnerships that promote continued safety and health company wide,” stated Robin Cathey Bennett, OSHA Compliance Assistance Specialist.
DPR and Georgia Tech have worked together with OSHA on multiple projects for their safety management programs. Recently our safety consultants have been assisting DPR with a 990 square foot construction project for a manufacturing plant in Georgia.
To date, the Georgia Tech 21(d) Consultation Program has:
- Conducted three safety walk throughs to assess all aspects of the site
- Assessed noise levels and monitoring in different areas of the construction site
- Conducted three industrial hygiene surveys where consultants collected data on air contaminants, noise, and heat stress
- Provided guidance to subcontractors on the roles and responsibilities for multiemployer worksites
- Collected data through heat and heart rate monitoring with Slate safety armbands worn by workers during their shift
- Examined how heat effects injury rates and ergonomics
- Evaluated confined space hazards
- Observed temporary workers and provided necessary safety trainings
“The group at Georgia Tech has been a wonderful partner for us. I have them on speed dial. They are always willing to answer the call and help us in a timely manner. You don’t find many partners like that,” said Kris White, DPR Safety Director.
By working with SHES, DPR has:
- Eliminated 9 serious hazards and three other than serious hazards at the job site
- Trained 30 employees on safety and health processes for a construction site
- Provided 6 comprehensive reports to DPR with safety recommendations in the areas they monitored and captured data on for each individual visit.
- Addressed the following OSHA emphasis programs during the visits: temporary workers, falls, commercial construction, and heat stress prevention.
“I am really proud of this partnership and our work with this program,” stated Jenny Houlroyd, manager, Occupational Health Services at Georgia Tech. “We really believe in the program and just received an OSCAR Award from OSHA for our continued commitment to construction partnerships.”
Successful safety and health programs are proactive and identify hazards before they cause injury or illness. The Georgia Tech 21(d) Consultation is a confidential program that can help evaluate your company’s current plan, or even get your program started should you not have one.
Improving safety and health programs have many components from management commitment to continuing education. Check out some of our stories and resources that recognize our safety successes, and don’t forget to participate in Safe + Sound Week so you can share your company’s commitment to safety and health!