Site Safety and Health Program

New Online Program for LIUNA Signatory Contractors

The Laborers’ Health and Safety Fund of North America (LHSFNA) provides a variety of services to help LIUNA signatory contractors stay productive while keeping LIUNA members and their families safe. One of these services is reviewing and creating injury and illness prevention programs (IIPPs) at the request of signatory contractors.

“A safe construction site starts with a first-class site safety and health program,” says LIUNA General Secretary Treasurer and LHSFNA Labor Co-Chairman Armand E. Sabitoni. “Creating these programs is not only an opportunity to work with signatory contractors, but it also shows their commitment to getting the job done while keeping workers safe.”

IIPPs give contractors a roadmap to keeping a site safe by clearly laying out the procedures they will follow. Some of these safe work practices include details on how and when the worksite will be inspected for hazards, how important records will be maintained and how accident investigations will be conducted. Putting these procedures in a written document is the first step in showing workers that safety is taken seriously on site.

To assist contractors in this goal, the LHSFNA is launching its online Site Safety and Health Program (SSHP). This new online tool allows LIUNA signatory contractors to create individual safety and health programs customized for their company’s or jobsite’s specific needs. After users enter some basic information, the LHSFNA’s SSHP generates a printable program consisting of core policy statements and safe work procedures.

The program also allows users to customize their plans by selecting specific hazards that may be present on their site. These specific hazards include health and safety issues that many contractors deal with daily, such as silica, noise and falls, as well as less common issues such as demolition, confined spaces and lead.

LIUNA signatory contractors who wish to use this online tool should visit www.lhsfna.org/safety to request access. Contractors should be aware that the Fund’s online SSHP creates a general program that may need to be adapted for specific states, municipalities or local ordinances where regulations differ significantly from federal OSHA. The Fund’s Occupational Safety and Health Division is always available to provide a more tailored approach if needed or review signatory contractors’ existing programs.

Having a thorough site safety and health program is not only a mandate in states such as California – in some areas it’s also a requirement to bid on jobs. More project owners are following the federal government’s lead and taking a company’s safety record into account when awarding jobs, making it even more important to implement and follow a top-notch IIPP.

If you’re a LIUNA signatory contractor and need assistance with your site safety and health program, we urge you to try our new online program or call the Fund’s Occupational Safety and Health Division at 202-628-5465 for more information.

[Nick Fox, LHSFNA]