The United States Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration recently formed an alliance with Project BEST (Building Efficiency by Striving Together) in an effort to protect construction workers in Ohio. Project BEST targets the four major construction hazards: falls, struck-by, caught-in, and electrical.

“This alliance reflects the need to focus on the four major areas of injury in the construction industry and to promote awareness of safe work practices. Education saves lives,” said Deborah Zubaty, OSHA’s area director in Columbus. “Through this alliance OSHA will work to develop effective training programs, while opening the lines of communication between OSHA, employers and workers about the serious hazards construction workers face daily on the job.”

This is just the latest in a string of OSHA initiatives and alliances designed to protect construction workers from these four dangerous hazards. If you are in this industry, especially in Ohio, it is important to review your current safety and health policies and procedures. If your policies are outdated or nonexistent, it is imperative you update or create new policies. If you are unsure of where to begin in that process, or if you would like the assistance of a qualified third party occupational safety and health auditing firm, you can request a full third party safety audit. This process would involve a complete review of your jobsites, your current training policies, and your current health and safety procedures.

Then, the auditors will help you create effective and efficient policies which emphasize safety while remaining mindful of productivity and workflow.

If you have any questions about third party safety audits, please contact us. If you have anything to add about this new partnership or about third party safety audits, please leave a comment.