News@WSLH Your Source For News & Events From Wisconsin's Public Health and Environmental Laboratory
Return To WSLH News & Events

OSHA Partnership Proves Health and Safety Success for Weston 4 Power Plant Construction

MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin State Laboratory of Hygiene WisCon Program – Onsite Safety and Health Consultation in Wisconsin – recently helped celebrate the excellent safety performance during the construction of the new Weston 4 Power Plant near Wausau, Wis.

Safety Consultant Janeen Eisenman and Industrial Hygiene Consultant George Gruetzmacher accepted awards on behalf of WisCon from the U.S. Department of Labor Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OHSA). Eisenman was also recognized by the project management for her individual efforts that contributed to the safety of the worksite.

The WisCon staff of Safety Consultants Eisenman and Daryl Iverson, Safety Supervisor Dick Lentz, and Industrial Hygiene Consultants Gruetzmacher and Eric Hands provided safety and health full-day on-site visits on a minimum monthly basis to walk through the construction site with other internal teams to identify and immediately correct hazards found.

WisCon’s Safety staff found and resolved hundreds of hazards, including serious ones involving fall protection, while WisCon Health staff provided separate industrial hygiene monitoring for silica, noise and other chemical exposures. Together, the WisCon staff provided training for mandated OSHA 10-hour training courses for many of the workers and supervisors on site. In total, the WisCon staff spent 32 full days in 2007 alone at the Weston 4 site.

“I’m proud that the dedicated and hard working WisCon team at the WSLH, along with their partners, saved lives and prevented serious injuries of workers so everyone could return home safely from this project,” said WSLH Director Dr. Charles Brokopp.

“Not only did this partnership keep workers safe, but the Weston 4 Power Plant project was not hindered by construction accidents. The savings will be ultimately realized in reduced worker compensation and liability premiums for the employers and contractors. Everyone wins through a partnership like this.”

The construction of this 500-megawatt power plant, which involved dangerous work, featured a unique OSHA Strategic Partnership Agreement to reduce injuries and hazards, while educating workers in crucial health and safety awareness.

Signed on November 2, 2005, WisCon partnered with OSHA Region V, the OSHA Appleton, Wis., Area Office, the Wisconsin Public Service Corporation, Washington Group International, the State of Wisconsin Department of Commerce and representatives from local trades, unions, contractors and other stakeholders to signify their commitment to worker safety in the building of the new Weston 4 Power Plant. Started in 2004, the plant is expected to be operational in June 2008.

The OSHA Strategic Partnership Program, which establishes partnerships like the Weston 4 Agreement, moves away from traditional enforcement methods and embraces collaborative agreements. Through this program, OSHA and its partners agree to work cooperatively to address critical safety and health issues. This different approach is proving to be an effective tool for reducing fatalities, injuries and illnesses in the workplace.

The partnership established three important goals at its signing:

• Injury/Illness rates shall be at or below 50 percent of Wisconsin rates for construction
• Improve/increase the level of safety and health training for all employees at the site
• All contractors working at the site will have an effective written safety and health program in the first year of the agreement.

Through the commitment of the partners, this agreement met or exceeded all three goals with the health and safety of more than 1600 employees working on this project. There were no fatalities and the injury/illness rate was less than half the rate usually seen with similar projects. For WisCon, one of the most important aspects of successfully achieving the Partnership’s goals was a change in the level of awareness by employees on safety issues and integrating this awareness into their work routines.

“Some of the participating contractors had 100 percent of their employees go through the 10-hour and 30-hour training courses that our WisCon staff helped provide on-site through teaching modules,” Brokopp said.

“The continuing effect of this increased awareness for contractors and their employees, such as six-foot-fall protection and maintaining a comprehensive safety and health management program, will now be carried over to future jobs where they will work more safely.”

For more information on the Weston 4 Power Plant, visit www.wisconsinpublicservice.com/news/weston4.aspx.

For more information on WisCon, visit www.slh.wisc.edu/wiscon.

###

Written By: Jessica D. Burda, Communication Specialist Sr.
Date: February 20, 2008

Return To WSLH News & Events