Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis to Establish Charter on Construction Safety and Health Advisory Committee

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis will re-establish the charter of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health. The group advises the secretary on formulating safety and health standards and policies that affect construction workers and the construction industry. The charter will expire in two years.

“Since OSHA’s inception, ACCSH has played an important role in furthering the safety and health of workers in the construction industry,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Dr. David Michaels. “The members’ advice and recommendations are extremely valuable to the agency because they have a wealth of knowledge and real-world experience on a wide range of construction trades, activities and issues.”

Established in 1969 as a continuing advisory committee under the Contract Work Hours and Safety Standards Act, commonly known as the Construction Safety Act, ACCSH is comprised of 15 members appointed by the secretary. The advisory committee consists of five representatives of employers in the construction industry, five representatives who present the viewpoint of employees in the construction industry who are generally from various building trades unions, two public representatives, two representatives of state safety and health agencies and one from the National Institute of Occupational Health. The members generally serve staggered two-year terms and may be reappointed.

As part of its advisory role, ACCSH provides comments and recommendations on OSHA proposed rules affecting the construction industry. In addition, the committee provides other recommendations and develops various work products such as quick cards and fact sheets for OSHA’s consideration. Currently, ACCSH also has a number of active work groups focusing on areas including women/diversity in construction, education and training, green jobs, multilingual issues in construction, power fastening tools such as nail guns, prevention by design, residential fall protection, and silica and other construction health hazards. The meetings of ACCSH and its work groups are open to the public.

For more information on ACCSH and the group’s reports and recommendations, go to http://www.osha.gov/doc/accsh/index.html.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA’s role is to assure these conditions for America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.