Flashings

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OSHA approves Illinois safety plan

Illinois has received Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) approval to administer its own occupational safety and health plan for the state's public-sector employees.

Connecticut, New Jersey, New York and the U.S. Virgin Islands also are authorized by OSHA to administer a safety and health program of standards and enforcement specifically for state and local government employees. Illinois' plan is the first state plan to be approved since New Jersey's plan was approved in 2001. Twenty-one states and Puerto Rico have OSHA-approved plans for the private sector that also extend coverage to state and local government employees.

Illinois' plan is administered by the Illinois Department of Labor's Safety Inspection and Education division. The plan covers more than 1 million public workers, including 161,200 state government workers, 690,000 municipal workers and workers in the public education sector. Private-sector employees remain under OSHA's jurisdiction.

Illinois will adopt and enforce standards identical to most OSHA safety and health standards and has committed to bringing all its standards in line with OSHA requirements. The state plan also provides that future OSHA standards and revisions be adopted by the state.

Once it has approved a state plan, OSHA funds up to 50 percent of the plan's operating costs. OSHA is awarding a $1.5 million grant for the $3 million Illinois Public Employee Only program. To be eligible for initial approval as a public employee-only state plan, a state must be able to operate an occupational safety and health program that is or will be at least as effective as the federal program.

"We applaud the state of Illinois for its ongoing commitment to the safety and health of public employees," says Jordan Barab, OSHA's acting assistant secretary of labor. "It's an honor to recognize this accomplishment, and we welcome Illinois as OSHA's newest state plan partner."

Additionally, seven states now have a law requiring construction workers to complete OSHA's 10-hour construction safety training course before beginning work on certain construction projects. The law is effective in Connecticut, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New York, Rhode Island and, most recently, Missouri. The law will become effective in Nevada Jan. 1, 2010.

Most of the states' laws restrict the required training to those performing work at publicly funded construction sites; however, Nevada will require all construction workers to complete the course.

More information about OSHA's 10-hour construction safety training is available at www.osha-pros.com.

Construction worker fatalities decrease

According to an analysis of federal safety data released by the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of America, the national construction fatality rate has declined 47 percent and the number of recordable safety incidents has declined 38 percent since the U.S. government initiated the "collaborative safety" oversight approach in 1998.

The collaborative safety oversight approach creates incentives for companies to find and correct safety problems before incidents occur and maintains strong penalties for companies that do not address safety issues.

According to AGC, the number of construction fatalities declined 17 percent from 1,171 in 1998 to 969 in 2008. In addition, the construction safety incidence rate fell 38 percent from 8.8 per 100 workers to 5.4 per 100 workers. The rate of injured construction workers missing work declined 42 percent from 3.3 per 100 workers in 1998 to 1.9 per 100 workers in 2007.

"There is no doubt the collaborative approach is working," says Chuck Penn, executive director of AGC's Shreveport, La., chapter. "While even one fatality is too many, it is hard to think of another government program providing so much improvement in so little time."

States continue to experience declining construction

According to the Associated General Contractors (AGC) of America, between July 2008 and July 2009, 47 states saw declines in construction employment, two states saw increases and one saw no change.

AGC states Arizona faced the largest decline with a 28 percent decrease in construction employment. The four other states with the largest declines are Nevada with a 25.1 percent decline, Connecticut with a 21.9 percent decline, Kentucky with a 20.8 percent decline and Tennessee with a 20.2 percent decline. Collectively, the five states employed 141,600 fewer construction workers in July 2009 than they did in July 2008. Louisiana and North Dakota experienced increases in construction employment of 3.6 percent and 2.8 percent, respectively.

"There aren't a lot of places construction workers can turn to avoid the steep layoffs sweeping the construction industry right now," says Stephen E. Sandherr, AGC's chief executive officer. "Sadly, construction workers are feeling the full impact of declining state spending, a near halt in office and retail construction, and stimulus spending that—with too many programs—has yet to materialize."

Maintain high employee morale

Maintaining employee morale during a recession can be difficult. By focusing on the following areas, you can keep your employees engaged and enthusiastic.

• Remind employees their work is important and helps others. Share stories about how your company's products or services have had positive effects in your community, and post customer testimonials in common areas when possible.
• Give employees personal attention. Listen to their needs and ideas, and try to address any concerns as honestly as you can. Ask for their suggestions, and don't automatically dismiss any ideas.
• Remain optimistic. When employees see you maintain a positive attitude, they are more likely to do the same.

Source: Adapted from The Motivational Manager, August issue

Details

Jim Barr

What is your position within your company?
I am president of Barr Roofing Co., Abilene, Texas.

What is the most unusual roofing project you've performed?
A U.S. Army Corps of Engineers project at an Air Force base with four roof levels in a secure area. We were given one staging location and 60 days to remove and replace the roof. It was a logistical challenge.

Why did you become a roofing contractor?
I began working summers at my father's company when I was 15. I had plans to go into dentistry but grew to enjoy the roofing business. I've never looked back.

What was your first roofing experience?
Unloading a boxcar of crushed dolomite

If you weren't a roofing contractor, what do you think you would be?
Some type of entrepreneur

What is a motto that you live by?
I live by several: personally—treat people the way you want to be treated; professionally—do it right or leave it alone.

If you could travel anywhere in the world, where would you go?
Key West, Fla.

What three items are always in your fridge?
White wine, Dijon mustard and onions

What are the most high-tech things in your house?
My daughters' cell phones

What's your favorite book?
The Tyranny of the Status Quo by Milton Friedman

If you could invite any three people (dead or alive) to dinner, whom would you invite and why?
Ronald Reagan—the greatest president of my lifetime; Jacques Pépin—I like to cook, and he's probably the best teaching chef around; and Darrell Royal—a philosopher, music aficionado and the best football coach in Texas history

What are your favorite aspects of your job?
Problem solving, working with people and the relationships I've made

What is your roofing industry involvement?
I have 15 years of involvement with the Midwest Roofing Contractors Association (MRCA); I'm a director, past president and current chair of MRCA's Technical and Research Committee; and I'm on NRCA's board of directors.

People would be surprised to know …
I'm a pretty good organic gardener.

SBA launches online training course

The U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA) has launched Recovery Act Opportunities: How to Win Federal Contracts, an online training course to help strengthen small businesses' access to government contracting opportunities.

The online course uses audio files and text to provide information about the federal marketplace, contract rules, how to sell to the government, and where to find contract and American Recovery and Reinvestment Act opportunities. The online program is self-paced and available for free at www.sba.gov/fedcontractingtraining.

"Government contracts can play a key role in helping small businesses turn the corner in terms of expansion and job creation," says SBA Administrator Karen Mills. "The SBA online training course can help businesses access the federal purchasing system and position themselves to compete for the commercial opportunities offered by government contracting."

Reduce employee turnover

High employee turnover can be expensive. To improve employee retention, it is a good idea to find out why your employees are leaving. Following are some common reasons why employees leave jobs:

• They don't fit in. If you hire someone who fits poorly with your company or you fail to adequately explain your company's culture at the time of hire, the employee may feel like an outsider. This can be avoided by carefully screening all job candidates to be sure they will be a good fit before hiring them. Improving your orientation process to better explain your company's culture also can help employees know what to expect.
• There is no room for growth. Employees are more willing to stay with a company if they believe it supports their personal and career goals. Providing high-quality internal training, as well as opportunities to participate in external training such as seminars, can help retain employees.
• They feel underappreciated. Feeling underappreciated consistently is listed as a top reason why employees leave their jobs. To help eliminate this problem, offer employees regular feedback and institute formal and informal ways to recognize their accomplishments.

Source: Adapted from The Motivational Manager, July issue