Region 1 OSHA has revised the Local Emphasis Program (LEP) on Fall Hazards. The original end date was 9/30/2015. The revised date is now 9/30/2013. This affects contractors in Mass, NH, RI, CT, ME.

OSHA basics are not usually part of the residential contractor's daily operating procedures, vocabulary or practices. Many residential contractors think they work safe and learn their ways of doing things from former bosses and the lumberyard school of hard knocks. To most contractors OSHA is an organization that focuses on other industries not residential construction.                     

Do residential contractors need OSHA 10 Training, Safety Manuals, Written Safety Programs and Fall Protection Training Programs?

A contractor who was trained in our fall protection class sent me these pictures yesterday showing workers exposed to fall hazards while working on a condominium project in Southboro, Ma. These men are exposed to an imminent danger condition. They are not tied off with harnesses and there are no guard rails. The planks look like framiing lumber not scaffold grade.

Mass CEU Continuing Education for Unrestricted, Restricted and Specialty License Holders

Misclassification of workers as independent contractors can be a costly and embarrassing event. In an article published in The Journal of Light Construction today 27 Connecticut contracting companies were issued stop work orders for worker misclassification. 

Contractor Training Schedule Update for Mass and Connecticut week of 3/24/13

OSHA's enforcement extension of the new Fall Protection Protection directive ended on 3/15/2013. Residential contractors must now fully comply and protect workers exposed to hazards 6 feet or more above lower levels. The interim fall protection directive is rescinded and replaced with the new standard. The new directive was announced over two years ago on 12/16/2010. OSHA agreed to extend full compliance enforcement expecting the extra time would result in more contractors training and adopting the new standards to protect their workers. 

Mass DLS (Department of Labor Standards) has updated the state website adding 20 plus more contractors to the RRP violation enforcement list. The DLS is now labeling RRP violations as a category on the list in addition to lead and asbestos. You can view some of the most recent additions since 9/10/2012 below. It is now official that Mass DLS is actively enforcing and fining companies for RRP violations all over the state.

Sales workshop for remodeling contractors:

Smart Selling for Tough Times with Shawn McCadden and The Contractor Coaching Partnership Inc. (2 CEU's)

Remodeling Contractors are raving about the Contractor Business Success Program we are currently running at National Lumber. So far we had workshops on Small Business Finances, Marketing and Strategic Estimating and Proposal Development. One remodeler shared "I love the way you share the information and in a straight forward way. Great topics that are easy to implement." Another said the tools and spreadsheets will help me run my business better."