Source: Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Washington, D.C.

OSHA staff plans to team with building inspectors in 11 cities to reduce construction site injuries and curtail hazards associated with the top four causes of crew deaths--falls, electrocution, being crushed or caught between objects, and being struck by moving equipment. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis has pitched a training pilot to selected cities’ mayors. She proposes building inspectors notify OSHA when they observe unsafe jobsite conditions, triggering a federal agency compliance officer’s site visit for a safety inspection.

"This initiative allows us to expand our eyes and ears," says Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Dr. David Michaels. "Although we are adding 110 new inspectors this year, OSHA simply cannot inspect every construction site in the country." Targeted cities or metro areas, he adds, span the 10 OSHA regions: Atlanta; Austin, Texas; Boise, Idaho; Cincinnati; Concord, N.H.; Greenwood Village, Colo.; Madison, Miss.; Newark, N.J.; Oakland, Calif.; Washington, D.C.; and, Wichita, Kan.