Masonry Magazine March 2008 Page. 43
The masonry industry, and others affected by OSHA regulations
The masonry industry, and others affected by OSHA regulations, was boosted in 2004 when the House passed four bills, sponsored by the Workforce Protections Subcommittee, which were designed to improve workplace safety, enhance business competitiveness and foster more job creation to spur the economy.
The measures ensure OSHA enforcement efforts are fair for small businesses that make good-faith efforts to comply with all health and safety laws. These reforms improve worker safety by making it easier for employers to work voluntarily and proactively with OSHA to ensure safe and secure workplaces.
With just 4,000 compliance officers at the federal and state levels, OSHA is greatly outnumbered compared to the number of contractors in the country. "That's the good-faith piece," says Stew Burkhammer, who, after 40 years with the agency, recently retired as OSHA's director of construction services. "When you put all of them together, that's not a lot of inspectors to cover all the sites."
Burkhammer says inspections are done for three purposes, including generally scheduled inspections and inspections following a complaint being filed or a jobsite fatality.
"If they fall within certain criteria, we subtract based on good faith by the employer," says Burkhammer. "They can have their fine reduced quite a bit if they're identified as a good guy, and they try to correct the violation."
Violations in the masonry industry can include not using proper eye and ear protection, not using respiratory equipment when dry cutting block or brick, or not using fall protection when erecting or disassembling scaffolding.
Breathing right
ONE PERSONAL SAFETY ISSUE among masonry crews is respiratory protection, says Bill Parsons, a construction safety education specialist with OSHA, who has 33 years of experience as a certified safety professional. Among recent changes to OSHA
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