OSHA forms partnership with construction company to ensure on-site safety

The U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in Washington, and general contractor Holder Construction Group LLC, Atlanta, have announced a strategic partnership designed to protect and educate workers on construction hazards during the building of the DuPont CH3 Data Center project in Elk Grove Village, Illinois.

The partnership was developed jointly by OSHA and Holder Construction as well as by the state's Labor Department On-site Safety and Health Consultation and several local unions. They include Plumbers Local Union 130; International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Local 134; United Brotherhood of Carpenters & Joiners Local 839; Laborers International Union of North America Local 118; Pipefitters Local Union 597; International Association of Iron Workers Local 1; International Union of Operating Engineers Local 150; and International Association of Sheet Metal Workers Local 73.

The partnership’s mission is to develop effective safety and health training programs and procedures; identify common construction hazards such as falls, electrical, struck-by, caught-in, silica, carbon monoxide, heat stress, cranes and noise; encourage worker participation in employer safety and health programs; ensure 100 percent of contractors and subcontractors have site-specific written safety and health programs; and require each employee to attend a job site safety orientation before working on the site.

The DuPont CH3 project consists of a 317,000-square-foot data center. The project is scheduled for completion in late 2017. During construction, up to 30 subcontractors with 300 tradesmen may be employed on-site.

The agreement is scheduled to terminate on Dec. 1, 2017, or when construction is completed, if that occurs sooner.