Safety Trumps Church/State Separation in W.Va. Building Partnership
OSHA has joined Continental Building Systems, headquartered in Columbus, Ohio, to announce a partnership designed to foster a safe workplace for employees and to help contractors develop exemplary safety and health management systems during construction of the Christ Temple Church Life and Health Center in Huntington, W.Va. A recent signing ceremony was held at the site.
"This agreement is an example of an employer in the construction industry and OSHA working together to benefit employees," said Jeff Funke, director of OSHA's area office in Charleston, W.Va. "Our common goal is to ensure that every employee goes home safe and healthy at the end of each workday."
The Christ Temple project includes the construction of a new life and health center that will house a gymnasium and a stage. It will be attached to a two-story building that will include a welcome center, full-service kitchen, café, meeting rooms, work-out facility, and aerobic and sound rooms. According to OSHA, the $4 million project will employ approximately five subcontractors and 50 tradespersons at peak construction.
Major goals of the partnership are to keep the DART (cases with days away from work, restricted or transferred) rate below the national average for the commercial construction industry and to further reduce this level of recordable injuries by at least five percent annually for the duration of the partnership, the agency said. For more information about OSHA's partnership program, contact OSHA's Charleston Area Office at 304-347-5937.