OSHA renewed its alliance with CPWR—The Center for Construction Research and Training—to provide guidance and training resources for construction safety. CPWR and the agency agreed to a new 5-year alliance to address hazards such as falls, silica exposure, trenching, and working in hot and cold weather, as well as foster outreach efforts that include elevator construction safety, emergency response and recovery operations, and safe practices when working in enclosed cabs.
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“OSHA and CPWR will continue to reinforce efforts to eliminate serious hazards until the number of work-related injuries and illnesses is zero,” acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Loren Sweatt said in a statement.
“Great progress has been made toward improving safety on construction worksites in this country, but more work must be done to protect worker safety and health,” Sweatt said.
OSHA-CPWR Projects
CPWR has helped OSHA develop an infographic on working safely in trenches and a workbook to help contractors improve safety culture on their jobsites. The center also has served as an organizer for OSHA’s National Safety Stand-Down to Prevent Falls in Construction and the Safe + Sound campaigns.
The OSHA-CPWR alliance agreement covers efforts to:
- Convene or participate in forums, roundtable discussions, or stakeholder meetings, such as CPWR’s virtual roundtable on reaching small contractors and their employees and its webinar series on known and emerging construction hazards;
- Develop information on the recognition and prevention of workplace hazards and communicate findings to construction industry employers and workers using print and electronic media, including OSHA and CPWR websites and social media platforms;
- Encourage worker participation in workplace safety and health by disseminating research findings, solutions, and training programs that address known and emerging construction hazards;
- Share information among OSHA personnel and industry safety and health professionals about CPWR research-based good practices; and
- Share information with employers and workers about whistleblower protections, including practices for employers to use in preventing retaliation and procedures for workers to use in submitting a complaint to OSHA.
The OSHA Alliance Program establishes and maintains collaborative relationships with groups committed to worker safety and health. Alliance partners help OSHA reach targeted audiences, such as employers and workers in high-hazard industries to provide better access to workplace safety and health tools and information.
NIOSH, Union Research
North America’s Building Trades Unions (NABTU) founded CPWR in 1990 as a not-for-profit institution. The center began with a series of cooperative agreements with the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) to focus on building an industrywide “safety culture.” It conducts construction safety and health research for NIOSH.
CPWR leads a consortium of experts at corporations, government agencies, unions, and universities to research and implement construction safety methods and practices. Research consortium members include Colorado State University, Duke University Medical Center, East Carolina University, George Washington University, Northeastern University, Oregon State University, University of California, University of Iowa, University of Massachusetts—Lowell, and Washington University in St. Louis.
CPWR publishes a compilation of industry safety data, The Construction Chart Book—The U.S. Construction Industry and Its Workers, under a grant from NIOSH. The Chart Book’s sixth edition was published in 2018.
CPWR has its headquarters in Silver Spring, Maryland.