Between October1, 2002 and September 30, 2003, there were three fatal accidents in Idaho involving residential contractors.  During the course of investigating these accidents, OSHA discovered a lack of effective safety and health programs and limited knowledge of OSHA's standards.  Due to the relatively low dollar value of residential construction projects in comparison to non-residential construction, the latter are not normally targeted for inspections.

For purposes of this local emphasis program (LEP), an employer is engaged in residential construction when constructing a single family residence or a multiple family residence, up to and including a six-unit structure.  Apartment complexes that include multiple buildings with six or fewer units are not included within the scope of this directive. Also, a residential construction site is defined as a location where construction activities are under the control of a general contractor, construction manager or a specific builder.

How the local emphasis program will take place

The Boise Area Office developed and implemented an outreach program that supports the purpose of the LEP. The program provides information to employers on topics such as the OSHA standards that apply to residential construction, how to implement a safety and health program, and details about the LEP. Information is shared via formal training, news releases and letters to residential contractors.

Programmed inspections conducted under this LEP will be scheduled and conducted as follows:

1. Each month, a list of five residential construction sites will be requested from the University of Tennessee's OSHA construction scheduling program. The number of selected sites may be adjusted based on factors such as available resources and seasonal variations in the number of construction projects.
2. Compliance officers will attempt to inspect all of the sites within 30 days of obtaining the list.  If a site is inactive or if an officer has not attempted to inspect a site within 60 days of obtaining the list, then the uninspected sites will be eliminated from the list.

The scope of all inspections conducted under this LEP will be limited to the hazards most likely to cause serious injury, including:

• falls from elevations (e.g. floors, platforms, roofs)
• struck by (e.g. falling objects, vehicles)
• caught in/between (e.g. cave-ins, unguarded machinery and equipment)
• electrical shock (e.g. overhead power lines, power tools and cords, outlets, temporary wiring)
• lack of personal protective equipment such as hard hats and eye protection
• amputation hazards (e.g. table saws, miter saws, and circular saws)

Other hazards may be addressed if potentially serious violations are observed during the inspection.

Idaho Occupational Safety & Health Consultation At Boise State University - 1910 University Drive, MS-1825 - Boise, ID  83725-1825

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