OSHA/MCAA Alliance - One More Reason to be a Member
Words: Dan KesterAs many of you may be aware, MCAA formalized its Alliance with OSHA in March and the initial implementation meeting was held earlier this month in Washington. What you may not be aware of are all the benefits of the Alliance for MCAA Members, not to mention its potential for attracting new membership.
Some of the more notable things MCAA can collaborate on with OSHA are as follows:
OSHA can write articles for our magazine on technical issues and they can provide speakers on various topics for chapter meetings around the country. The OSHA ten-hour course can be provided to classes of 15-30 people at a time at no cost to MCAA members. Members can also call their OSHA Regional Office directly to ask questions, identifying themselves as part of the MCAA Alliance, without fear of a surprise inspection or some other enforcement activity. More importantly, our association staff can education key OSHA staff on health and safety issues or any other important issues we develop as part of the Alliance.
At present, our Alliance focuses primarily on wall bracing, fall protection, scaffolding and forklift safety. But we can expand and amend our Alliance to target any areas we'd like to improve safety on the job. We also have an opportunity to help OSHA develop a web page for their site and ours geared specifically towards our industry with a variety of topics on masonry and concrete products. There is NO such page on their site now. OSHA's website also contains e-tools and technical links on numerous topics such as Personal Protective Equipment. As partners in the Alliance, MCAA members are free to serve on the Editorial Board to suggest changes and improvements to the e-tools and technical links. You can offer your expertise in certain areas while benefiting other MCAA members and construction industry representatives around the country.
Last, but certainly not least, members should be aware that OSHA has told us that being part of an Alliance has actually generated business for some companies. When an owner has received bids from five subcontractors for work and one of those subcontractors has made note of the fact that he is part of an Alliance, that particular subcontractor has been awarded the job. Obviously, the General Contractors realize that subcontractors who are part of any Alliance must be more safety oriented.
But remember, ONLY those contractors who are actual members of MCAA can take advantage of this partnership. If there are any companies you've been lobbying to join the Association, you may want to follow up with them and highlight this benefit.
It pays to be involved in MCAA!