The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration has formed a strategic partnership with Noble Texas Builders to promote worker safety during construction of the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley – McAllen Independent School District Collegiate Academy in McAllen, Texas.
In a September 26 news release from OSHA, the government agency said the one-year partnership will address falls, struck-by, caught-in/between and electrical hazards to prevent work-related fatalities, control and eliminate serious workplace hazards, and continue Noble’s safety and health program.
The public-private partnership outlined several collaborative measures to achieve its goal, including promoting employee reporting to address potential safety and health issues, hosting best practice “Lunch and Learn” opportunities, mentoring and training subcontractors and their employees, and using OSHA’s “Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs” as a model for an effective program.
“Noble Texas Builders shares OSHA’s commitment of ensuring all personnel are trained to recognize and prevent hazards during construction,” said OSHA Area Director Roosevelt Shavers, working out of the Corpus Christi, Texas, office. “This partnership will allow us to forge a cooperative relationship established to protect the workers on this project.”
Based in La Feria, Texas, Noble Texas Builders constructs commercial and institutional buildings. OSHA said the builder received first place in the 2023 National AGC Construction Safety Excellence Award in the Construction Management Division.
Noble uses innovative measures, including a barcode on employee badges that links to site-specific safety policies and procedures. They also have a bar code (red) that sends emergency notifications to employees within seconds.
The OSHA Strategic Partnership Program, or OSPP, allows OSHA to partner with employers, workers, professional or trade associations, labor organizations, and other interested stakeholders.
OSHA Strategic Partnerships are unique agreements designed to encourage, assist, and recognize partner efforts to eliminate serious hazards and enhance workplace safety and health practices. OSHA Strategic Partnerships establish specific goals, strategies, and performance measures to improve worker safety and health.
OSHA Strategic Partnerships focus on improving safety and health in major corporations, government agencies, large construction projects and private sector industries where OSHA has jurisdiction. Most OSHA Strategic Partnerships are based out of local OSHA Area or Regional Offices.