Welliver congratulates the recent graduates of the OSHA 30-Hour Training course in Construction held this past month in Watkins Glen, New York. Members of the class completed 30 hours of in depth awareness training on construction safety and health. The course begins with an introduction to the history of OSHA and covers the rights and responsibilities of employers and workers under the OSH Act along with the Focus Four and numerous other topics. Emphasis is on identifying common hazards in the construction industry as well as avoidance, control, and prevention.
In 2015, Welliver was one of the first construction companies in New York State to require all field employees to complete the OSHA 30-Hour in Construction and to be compliant with all requirements in order to work for the company. The OSHA 30-Hour training is made available through unions, online courses, and other various open enrollment venues across the region. Because this requirement is unique in the construction industry, Welliver helps to facilitate by having OSHA authorized trainers on staff who volunteer during the open enrollment training classes. For quite some time there has been an OSHA 10-hour requirement to work on public jobs. The 10-hour course in construction barely begins to scratch the surface of the most serious health and safety hazards in construction. “Welliver continues to make their workplaces safer and healthier,” said Dale Partridge, Director of Safety. “This requirement really puts job site safety in perspective for our employees. We have created an ethos of safety and continue to improve it in positive ways.”
Mr. Partridge added, “This requirement is just one incentive that has given really positive results for our safety and health program. We are very proud to say that Welliver has had one of the lowest EMR’s for a self-performing construction company.” Welliver helps to facilitate opportunities for their employees to get the training in the 30-hour course. The Company works with the unions and other entities to help employees get registered for classes that are being hosted in the region. “The compliance with this requirement has been absolutely overwhelming. The dedication runs from our Owners through our ranks right to the newest hired apprentice,” said Mr. Partridge.
Falls continue to be the leading cause of fatalities in the construction industry. Safety knowledge does matter. And Welliver takes it seriously. Since implementing the OSHA 30 requirement company wide, Welliver has obtained platinum status for their participation. This training is one more step that complements Welliver’s position industry-wide as a leader in construction safety. “For more than six year, Welliver has participated in OSHA’s National Safety Stand-Down for Prevention of Falls. Not only is the subject of falls taught in the 30-hour course, our teams are required to conduct safety stand-downs on every job site and cover prevention of falls,” said Mr. Partridge.