Turner Construction Company in Northlake, Illinois has established a partnership with OSHA to help protect employees who will be building the CH2 Data Center in Northlake. The partnership includes trade unions and 15 subcontractors, with a combined workforce of more than 500 employees. Construction of the $275 million 22.8 megawatt data center is expected to be complete in 2018.

(Pictured above: Representatives from Turner Construction Company, OSHA, Laborers District Council, Chicago Regional Council of Carpenters, and the Illinois Department of Labor's onsite consultation program who participated in the partnership signing.)

Focus on the top four

The partnership will emphasize reducing injury and illness on the job site and will focus training on the top four construction industry hazards - falls, struck-by, caught-in/between and electrocutions.

It will require all employers, contractors and sub-contractors to implement written safety and health programs conduct daily pre-task planning and safety huddles, and job site inspections and involve workers in weekly site safety meetings. In addition, OSHA will review these programs at least annually to track and compare information on injury and illness rates, share best practices and review goals.

A culture "where safety is paramount"

"Turner Construction Company will work with the Program partners as a team to support a culture and environment where safety is paramount and that the workers on site go home safely every day. Turner will assist the program partners with implementing a comprehensive safety and health management system. The inclusive approach identifies and mitigates risks, engages those closest to the risk, provides training to increase capabilities, and integrates a risk analysis observation process with feedback to coach, support and recognize safe practices," said Michael Blackburn, Turner's Regional Safety Director for the Chicago office.

Angeline Loftus, OSHA's area director for its Chicago North Office in Des Plaines said the agency has found that partnerships like the one with Turner are effective at setting a safety standard for all employers working on a project.

Through its Strategic Partnership Program, OSHA works with employers, employees, professional and trade associations, labor organizations and other interested stakeholders to establish specific goals, strategies and performance measures to improve worker safety and health.