Staff from two Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) programs toured a Winchester Homes construction site near Washington, D.C., on Aug. 31 to gain a basic understanding of the language and sequence of new-home construction.

The tour of a job site in Poolesville, Md., was organized through the NAHB-OSHA Alliance, which focuses on providing NAHB members and others in the residential construction industry — including non-English and limited English speaking workers and trade contractors — with information, guidance and access to training resources that will help them protect the health and safety of workers.

During the tour, staff members from OSHA’s Directorate of Construction and Directorate of State and Cooperative Programs also learned about the typical materials and methods used in residential construction as well as the personnel, techniques and trade contractors involved in building a home.

The OSHA staff also considered the safety hazards in the residential construction industry and applicable safe work practices.

Through the alliance formed in 2003, NAHB and OSHA continue to address fall, electrical, struck-by and caught in/between safety hazards.

 The goals of the alliance include:

• Training and education — to provide expertise to develop training and education programs for the residential construction industry, including non-English and limited English speaking employees and trade contractors, regarding safety hazards, and to provide safety information to employers and workers.

• Outreach and communication — to share information among OSHA personnel and industry safety and health professionals regarding NAHB’s best practices and effective approaches, and to publicize results through outreach by NAHB and through OSHA- and NAHB-developed materials, training programs, workshops, seminars and lectures.

• Promoting the national dialogue on workplace safety and health — to convene or participate in forums, roundtable discussions and stakeholder meetings on fall, electrical, struck-by and caught in/between hazards in the residential construction industry to discuss safety and health issues and to help forge innovative solutions in the workplace.

For more information about the NAHB-OSHA Alliance, visit the OSHA webpage at www.osha.gov/dcsp/alliances/nahb/nahb.html.

Help Make Job Site Safety a Priority With Video From NAHB BuilderBooks

The “Jobsite Safety Video,” available through NAHB BuilderBooks, is the first-ever job site safety video for home builders.

The video provides an overview of the key safety issues that residential builders and workers need to focus on to reduce accidents and injuries.

Based on the NAHB-OSHA Jobsite Safety Handbook, this DVD is intended to be used as part of an essential residential construction safety-training program and includes two 20-minute videos on one DVD.

To view or purchase this DVD online, click here, or call 800-223-2665.