OSHA, Hampden Contractors Join to Enhance Safety for Western Mass. Construction Workers

Enhancing safety and health for construction workers in western Massachusetts is the goal of a newly-signed alliance between the U.S. Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Hampden Contractors.

Under the alliance, OSHA and Hampden Contractors will develop and deliver training and education programs for Hampden Contractors’ members and their employees. Hampden Contractors is an association of construction and construction-related contractors from western Massachusetts and northern Connecticut.

Training will include monthly meetings that will focus on reducing and preventing construction hazards, including falls, electrical, struck-by and caught in or between hazards. Alliance members will share best practices for construction safety and will work together on specific issues and projects. Members will also be encouraged to participate in OSHA’s cooperative programs, including the Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP), safety consultation and the Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP).

“This alliance seeks to reduce hazards and improve safety and health for construction workers throughout the region,” said Ronald Morin, OSHA’s area director in Springfield. “We hope to increase workers’ ability to spot and address hazards before they cause an accident.”