Evaluation of the implementation and impact of a Massachusetts construction OHS training rule.
Source
Silver Spring, MD: CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training, 2012 Jun; :1-29
Abstract
Since 2008, Massachusetts has required that all workers on publicly-funded construction projects complete a U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration-approved 10-hour safety class known as the "OSHA 10" for construction. The Commonwealth's Attorney General's Office is responsible for enforcing the requirement. This study investigated the implementation and impact of the training requirement policy through interviews with key informants and a survey of 100 workers across Massachusetts. Survey respondents offered a strong consensus on the value of the requirement in "raising the bar" for safety in the commercial construction sector even beyond public projects. They believed that compliance with the requirement was close to universal. Generally, these diverse stakeholders supported the introduction of a new "refresher" requirement to sustain the commitment to ongoing worker safety training. The pattern of worker survey responses supported the view that OSHA 10 training was universal in the unionized construction sector and deemed valuable. Non-union workers and workers who spoke Spanish or Portuguese at home were much less likely to have received training. The study recommends more research on the impact of training and policy changes to expand the reach of the OSHA 10 requirement. This policy evaluation furthers the U.S. National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health's construction sector strategic research goal 11.1 to "survey current training programs, models, materials and best practices to identify: 1) any gaps in meeting core competencies, 2) any gaps in the ability of current training infrastructure capacity to meet sector training needs, and 3) any emerging opportunities for improving delivery of training."
Keywords
Construction; Construction-workers; Construction-industry; Training; Health-programs; Education; Health-surveys; Safety-education; Safety-programs; Occupational-health-programs; Occupational-safety-programs; Regulations; Injury-prevention
Contact
CPWR-The Center for Construction Research and Training, 8484 Georgia Avenue, Suite 1000, Silver Spring, MD 20910
Email Address
Cora_Roelofs@uml.edu
Funding Type
Cooperative Agreement; Construction
Identifying No.
Cooperative-Agreement-Number-U60-OH-009762; B20130124
Priority Area
Construction
Source Name
Evaluation of the Implementation and Impact of a Massachusetts Construction OHS Training Rule
Performing Organization
CPWR - The Center for Construction Research and Training, Silver Spring, Maryland
