Construction Injury Newsroom

OSHA Forms Partnership to Protect Electrical Workers in Pennsylvania, Delaware and New Jersey

PHILADELPHIA -- The U.S. Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), has formed a partnership with the Penn-Del-Jersey Chapter of the National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA), and several locals of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) to advance safety and health for workers in the electrical construction and maintenance industry.

OSHA's Strategic Partnerships for Worker Safety and Health are part of U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao's ongoing efforts to improve the health and safety of workers through cooperative relationships with groups including trade associations, labor organizations, and employers.

A signing ceremony is scheduled for 4 p.m., Monday, Nov. 8, at IBEW 98's Alfred E. Shelly Memorial Hall, 1719 Spring Garden St., Philadelphia.

"This is an opportunity for OSHA to provide training and technical support to contractors to help them develop safety and health systems," said Richard D. Soltan, regional administrator of OSHA in Philadelphia. "Our goal is to have every employee go home healthy and uninjured at the end of the day."

The partnership is committed to lowering the participating firms' workers compensation costs and decreasing employee injury and illness rates by four percent over the life of the partnership. A key focus will be on providing appropriate personal protective equipment for workers.

For more information, contact OSHA's Philadelphia Area Office at (215) 597-4955.

Since its Strategic Partnership Program began in 1998, the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration has formed more than 300 partnerships, impacting over 13,000 employers and 573,000 employees across the United States.

OSHA's role is to assure the safety and health of America's workers by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach, and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual improvement in workplace safety and health.