Nevada contractors sent back to school

The Nevada State Contractors Board is advising contractors to sign their workers and supervisors up for new state-mandated safety training courses.

To enhance safety in the construction workplace, the 2009 Nevada Legislature enacted legislation that requires workers to complete an Occupational Safety and Health Administration 10-hour safety course and supervisors to complete a 30-hour OSHA Training course no later than 15 days after being hired. The measure takes effect Jan. 1. Once the courses are completed, the construction worker will receive a “completion card” that must be presented to the employer. The card is valid for five years.

OSHA’s 10-hour construction course is an introduction to OSHA and its construction standards, covering several subparts of the standards with emphasis on Nevada enforcement activities. OSHA’s 30-hour supervisor course also provides training in OSHA’s construction standards.

Both courses emphasize construction safety, health hazard recognition and prevention standards.

The state Department of Business and Industry’s Division of Industrial Relations is responsible for approving the OSHA-10 and OSHA-30 courses. Federal OSHA training guidelines that parallel Nevada’s requirements are available at the OSHA Web site.

OSHA-10 and OSHA-30 courses are offered by numerous organizations including Associated Builders and Contractors; Associated General Contractors and the Safety Consultation and Training Section of the Department of Business and Industry. In addition, the College of Southern Nevada offers courses and some online courses are available.

JoAnn Copperud, CEO – Emeryville, CA

Outsourcing Safety: Not Just for Startups

Remember when real estate was all about “location, location, location”? In today’s economy it’s more about “anybody home”? Virtually all of our construction company clients are being hard hit as the downturn in the economy impacts the commercial real estate industry. Workers across the board are out of work including safety officers. At a recent meeting of the Puget Sound Safety Summit  there were at least twenty construction safety officers looking for employment. We’re supporting a number of firms who can no longer afford to keep a full-time safety officer on the payroll by providing safety consulting on an hourly or retainer basis. Joan Nelson Brave is the lead construction safety consultant in our Seattle office. She has over 13 years of experience as an inspector and consultant with the Washington State Department of Labor and Industry. Joan has expertise in accident investigation and was a fatality investigator with L&I for many years. She has conducted over 2,000 jobsite safety investigations in construction, agriculture and manufacturing. I’m hoping Joan will become a regular contributor to our blog to help drive home the “Reducing Risk –Improving Lives” core value of RGA.

JoAnn Copperud, CEO – Emeryville, CA