791 Workers Hit Houston Jobsites with OSHA 10-Hour Construction Training

On Saturday, June 16, 2012, the American Subcontractors Association-Houston Chapter (ASA-HC), in partnership with the Hispanic Contractors Association of Texas (HCAT) hosted a one-day OSHA 10-hour construction safety training marathon.  791 individuals were successfully trained and left at the end of the day with an OSHA 10-Hour Construction Outreach Card.  The program, conducted in both English and Spanish, is designed for construction workers, foremen, job site superintendents, project managers, and anyone involved in the construction industry.

The New “Norm”

One-day OSHA safety training sessions are no longer normal procedure.  As a matter of fact, special permission is now required by OSHA for organizations to conduct the OSHA 10-hour training in one day.  OSHA’s new standards require the 10-hour training be done over a two-day period which pulls those being trained off of the jobsite for two days rather than one.

Another “new norm” is that owners have begun implementing OSHA 10 requirements for all craft workers on their projects (e.g. ExxonMobil Campus Project).  Additionally, construction industry alliances such as Construction Career Collaborative (C³) are setting safety requirements for all contractors that want to work on projects that fall under the alliance and are requiring all craft workers to have OSHA 10.

What’s The Big Deal?

Typically, large scale marathons such as this average slightly more than 300 participants.  Prior to the June 16, 2012 marathon, the largest number of individuals trained in Texas during a marathon was 785 in October 2007.  No training since October 2007 has come close to the number trained June 16, 2012.  Not only was this the largest OSHA 10-Hour training, but this event was also the largest event ASA-HC has taken on, and it was done almost solely by the work of the ASA-HC Safety Committee members, lead by committee chair Grace Fox of TAS Commercial Concrete Construction.  Fox and her committee saw the need, found a solution and saw it through to the end – a very successful end that put 791 OSHA 10-hour trained workers on Houston jobsites.

This Is What We Do

This is a prime example of what associations are about: a place for like minded people to interact, share problems and create solutions that benefit more than just themselves or their company.  If you aren’t part of an association, join one.  If you aren’t active in the associations you are a part of, become active.  You are cheating yourself if you don’t take advantage of the opportunities that present themselves when you are part of an association.