OSHA Partners with Builders of Monmouth University Activity Center
As part of its Strategic Partnership Program, OSHA has joined construction firm Torcon Inc., the New Jersey State Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Monmouth County Building Trades, and Monmouth University to announce a partnership designed to foster a safe workplace for employees involved in the construction of the Monmouth University Multipurpose Activity Center. The project includes a 4,100-seat arena, a track and field facility at the concourse level, a student fitness center and a new university bookstore. The 153,000 square foot building, scheduled for completion in June 2009, will employ approximately 170 tradespersons at peak construction.
"This agreement is another stepping stone toward creating a safe and healthful work environment," said Gary Roskoski, director of OSHA's area office in Marlton, N.J. "We want every employee to go home safe and healthy at the end of the workday."
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 four percent annually for the duration of the partnership. OSHA noted that more than 1.4 million employees and more than 26,000 employers across the U.S. have participated with the agency in 534 strategic partnerships since the Strategic Partnership Program began in 1998. For more information on the Monmouth project, contact OSHA's Marlton Area Office at 856-396-2594.