OSHA, NELTA to Develop Safety Training in New England
Exposure to trenching, scaffolding, and electrical hazards are the focus of a new alliance between OSHA's Boston North Area Office and the New England Laborers' Training Academy (NELTA) in Hopkinton, Mass. The alliance will provide NELTA members and others with information and training resources to better protect workers' safety and health.
"Knowledge is the most portable and the most valuable resource in any worker's toolkit," said Paul Mangiafico, director for OSHA's Boston North area. "Laborers and others will be able to carry the information obtained here to any jobsite."
OSHA and NELTA will develop training and education programs to reduce and prevent workers' exposure to other hazards including those of the caught in/between, struck-by, and fall protection variety. The organizations also will share best practices and effective approaches to safety and health, disseminate safety and health information through a variety of outreach activities, promote participation in OSHA's cooperative programs, and encourage NELTA regional council members to build relationships with OSHA's regional and area offices.
The alliance was signed by NELTA Director James Merlino III, Mangiafico, and OSHA's New England regional administrator Marthe Kent. Since 1969, the New England Laborers' Training Trust Fund has been a recognized leader in the Laborers' International Union of North America's education and training structure. Its trainees receive intensive classroom and hands-on job simulated instruction in all aspects of the trade. OSHA currently has more than 470 alliances throughout the nation with organizations committed to fostering safety and health in the workplace.