The Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) June 30 announced that it will implement local emphasis programs (LEP) to oversee construction projects funded by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.
The LEPs will be designed to monitor safety issues such as fall protection, contractor liability and electrocution hazards. In addition, the program will address issues associated with the expedited scheduling and nontraditional work hours that are occurring because of the requirement that the stimulus money be spent quickly.
Under the program, OSHA will conduct random inspections of stimulus-funded construction projects based on a formula from the University of Tennessee, which is designed to process lists of stimulus-funded projects from McGraw-Hill Cos.’s Dodge reports.
In addition, OSHA is expected to hire 30 new inspection officers by 2010 in keeping with President Obama’s 2010 budget request for funding to hire 130 new inspectors.
For more information, visit the OSHA website by clicking
here, or contact OSHA’s Directorate of Construction, 202-693-2100.