OSHA Renews Alliance With SIA

Words: Dan Kamys

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The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has renewed its alliance with the Scaffold Industry Association Inc. (SIA), designed to protect the safety and health of workers who work on scaffolds from falls and other deadly hazards.

“The materials developed through our alliance are valuable resources for training and educating workers on the hazards they can face in their jobs and how they can be prevented,” says Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Dr. David Michaels. “Four of the 10 most frequently cited OSHA construction standards involve scaffolding, so renewing this alliance is a great opportunity to build on our work to better protect the men and women who work on scaffolds.”

Since the nationwide alliance was first signed in 2008, OSHA and SIA have developed Transport Platforms and Mast Climbing Work Platforms safety materials relating to scaffold and fall hazards, as well as applicable American National Safety Institute (ANSI) consensus standards. Several of these products have been translated into Spanish and Portuguese.

Goals of the renewed alliance include increasing awareness of OSHA’s rule making and enforcement initiatives, developing new, effective training and education programs, and conducting outreach and communication activities on workers’ rights and employers’ responsibilities. The organizations will continue to emphasize scaffold safety, including issues related to mast climbing scaffolding, suspended scaffolding, and aerial lift equipment.

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