June 13, 2011
Nation's Building News

The Official Online Newspaper of NAHB

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Safety
NAHB Board Approves Funds to Continue Fall Protection Training Seminars

During its spring meeting in Washington, D.C., last month, the NAHB Board of Directors set aside $78,000 to conduct additional in-person fall protection training seminars at local and state home builders associations.

Through the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's Susan Harwood Targeted Topic Training Grants program, NAHB and the NAHB Research Center last year received $220,000 for the fall protection seminars.

To-date, NAHB has trained more than 1,000 participants in 16 states utilizing fall protection training materials developed through the grant.

Demand for the training has been running high at the HBAs as builders face significant changes in OSHA's fall protection requirements.

In a June 8 letter to NAHB, Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for OSHA, announced a three-month phase-in period to give residential construction companies additional time to come into compliance with the agency's new "Compliance Guidance for Residential Constrution" directive (STD 03-11-002).

The continuation of NAHB’s successful fall protection training will help inform builders of feasible safe work practices that can be used on the job site to reduce or eliminate fall hazards.

Associations interested in hosting a training seminar can make a request by filling out a quick and easy online form.

Many states operate their own state occupational safety and health plans and may have adopted fall protection standards that are different from Federal OSHA.  If you live in a state with an approved occupational safety and health plan, contact your local administrator or home builders association for further information on the standards applicable in your state. 

A list of the OSHA “state plan states” can be found here: http://www.osha.gov/dcsp/osp/index.html.

For more information on fall protection, visit www.nahb.org/fallprotection; or email Marcus Odorizzi at NAHB, or call him at 800-368-5242 x8590.



Boost Job Site Safety With Fall Protection Training Products

In an effort to increase job site safety and reduce the chance of job related accidents, NAHB has produced the “Fall Protection Video, English-Spanish” and “NAHB-OSHA Fall Protection Handbook, English-Spanish.”

Both are available through BuilderBooks.com.

The 30-minute “Fall Protection Video, English-Spanish” can be used by builders to train workers to use safe work practices that eliminate fall hazards and comply with OSHA fall-protection standards.

The “NAHB-OSHA Fall Protection Handbook, English-Spanish” provides guidelines for creating a written fall-protection plan and identifying safe work practices that can prevent costly accidents and injuries. Written with clear text, photographs and illustrations, the book serves as a user-friendly resource for promoting safety on any job site.

To purchase the handbook and video online, click here, or call 800-223-2665.

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