Steel erection inspections
postponed until March 19, 2002
OSHA will forego conducting general schedule inspections on the new Steel Erection Standard until March 19, 2002.

The agency is emphasizing outreach and education to help the industry train employees on the requirements that took effect in January.

Although the agency will not conduct general schedule inspections, it will inspect fatalities and complaints.

OSHA takes aim at high-incident workplaces
John Henshaw, Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA, recently announced the agency’s enforcement efforts will increase in 2002, with more inspections targeting workplaces with the highest injury and illness rates.

OSHA plans to conduct a total of 36,400 inspections in 2002, up from slightly less than 35,800 inspections in 2001 and roughly 36,000 inspections in 2000.

OSHA will also put more enforcement focus on industries where non-English speaking workers are at greatest risk, such as construction, Henshaw says.

Survey: Lack of skilled labor No.1 
problem, but is enough training offered?
A recent survey by FMI’s Ken Wilson of 2,000 construction companies of various types reveals that contractors say the lack of skilled craft labor is their greatest challenge in 2002.

Forty-six percent of the respondents intend to increase spending for craft and technical training; 65 percent plan to boost managerial training and 53 percent plan to devote additional resources to safety training.

But is it enough? The survey also revealed these companies spend less than half as much on trade/craft training than on senior executive or project or field manager training.

Further, the study indicates that most craft training centers on safety issues; few offer other courses or guidance in areas such as diversity in the workforce training, even though 28 percent of the respondents indicated the inability of workers to speak English is a challenging issue in their company.

Published in the March/April 2002 issue of Contractor Tools and Supplies magazine.

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