Dive Temporary:
- In response to an above-average fee of building employee fatalities, Harris County, Texas — which incorporates Houston — has adopted a brand new coverage in an try to make jobsites safer.
- The brand new coverage states that staff and managers overseeing handbook building work on county tasks will need to have OSHA security coaching for hazards, and that their corporations should pay for that coaching.
- The change was introduced Jan. 10 and goes into impact in March. It impacts jobs with a complete contract worth of at the least $500,000 and subcontracts with a price of at the least $50,000.
Dive Perception:
The brand new coverage additionally prohibits contractors from profitable county work if they’ve been convicted of a criminal offense following a employee loss of life or damage, landed on OSHA’s Extreme Violator Enforcement Program listing or confronted OSHA fines for egregious disregard for employee security.
In 2021, 157 building employees died on the job in Texas, greater than two every week, in response to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Throughout the nation, building employees have died on the job at a fee of 10 per 100,000 for the previous decade.
“For much too lengthy, our space right here has had a excessive loss of life fee within the building business that has been unchanged,” stated Paul Puente, govt secretary of the Houston Gulf Coast Constructing & Development Trades Council, which represents over 20 unions within the area.
The dearth of necessities for OSHA coaching are distinctive to Texas, Puente stated. Texas is well-known for having employer-friendly insurance policies. Puente stated that contractors that don’t prioritize coaching can expertise drops in security.
In pursuing the brand new coverage, Puente stated events and authorities officers seemed to cities like Chicago, Los Angeles and New York Metropolis to determine the right way to shield extra employees.
“With this coverage, Harris County is championing a tradition of security on its building tasks,” stated Harris County Lawyer Christian Menefee, in a press release emailed to Development Dive. “That is about saving lives, growing high quality of life for employees, and making certain corporations that do enterprise with Harris County are taking the mandatory steps to guard their employees.”