Las Vegas mayor talks safety with Southern Nevada ASSE members (2/17)
The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) Southern Nevada Chapter welcomed Las Vegas Mayor Oscar B. Goodman as he spoke last week at their chapter meeting on the issue of providing a safe vacation destination and safe workplaces, according to an ASSE press release. Chapter members also shared with the Mayor their insights on enhancing workplace safety in the greater Las Vegas area.
ASSE Southern Nevada Chapter President Dale Walsh reiterated the comments he provided recently during a Clark County Commissioners’ Worker Safety Roundtable at the chapter meeting. Some of the suggestions Walsh put forth included: 1) the county evaluate building permit systems to identify where safety can be included, such as a requirement for a written site-specific safety plan and the identification of a qualified safety person to oversee its implementation on the job; 2) on a regular basis, train building inspectors to recognize and evaluate safety hazards on the job sites they inspect; and, 3) that the Owner Controlled Insurance Programs (OCIP) / Contractor Controlled Insurance Program (CCIP) laws be re-evaluated to address more owner and contractor accountability and compare those requirements to those of other states, which could also include a re-evaluation of the qualifications and duties of the required on-site safety professionals.
“Though it is little consolation to the families of the workers who died on Las Vegas Strip projects recently, their deaths have not gone unnoticed. The attention brought to construction safety issues not only in Las Vegas but throughout the U.S. has reinvigorated a dialogue in government and the industry,” Walsh said. “That dialogue has brought needed change and will hopefully bring more improvements in the future to help assure that all workers go home to their families at the end of each work day. The examples set by companies such as URS and Chevron have shown it can be done and the members of the ASSE have always been and will continue to be there to provide their expertise in achieving the goal of a safe workplace.”
ASSE Southern Nevada Chapter President Dale Walsh reiterated the comments he provided recently during a Clark County Commissioners’ Worker Safety Roundtable at the chapter meeting. Some of the suggestions Walsh put forth included: 1) the county evaluate building permit systems to identify where safety can be included, such as a requirement for a written site-specific safety plan and the identification of a qualified safety person to oversee its implementation on the job; 2) on a regular basis, train building inspectors to recognize and evaluate safety hazards on the job sites they inspect; and, 3) that the Owner Controlled Insurance Programs (OCIP) / Contractor Controlled Insurance Program (CCIP) laws be re-evaluated to address more owner and contractor accountability and compare those requirements to those of other states, which could also include a re-evaluation of the qualifications and duties of the required on-site safety professionals.
“Though it is little consolation to the families of the workers who died on Las Vegas Strip projects recently, their deaths have not gone unnoticed. The attention brought to construction safety issues not only in Las Vegas but throughout the U.S. has reinvigorated a dialogue in government and the industry,” Walsh said. “That dialogue has brought needed change and will hopefully bring more improvements in the future to help assure that all workers go home to their families at the end of each work day. The examples set by companies such as URS and Chevron have shown it can be done and the members of the ASSE have always been and will continue to be there to provide their expertise in achieving the goal of a safe workplace.”
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