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                         November 16, 2001

Academy, OSHA, COE reps come to understanding

By Jim Fox
Staff Writer

The United States Military Academy, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Albany, N.Y. Area office and the New York District Corps of Engineers signed a memorandum of understanding Tuesday that updates and expands an existing August 1996 agreement to safeguard construction work done at the academy.

USMA Garrison Commander Col. Ann L. Horner, COE New York Area District Commander Col. John B. O’Dowd and OSHA Area Director John Tomich signed the MOU to establish a partnering program for accident-free performance of construction work at the academy.

"The key thing is to get the partnership meetings going," said USMA Safety Officer John Ciabotti. "Getting all the right players involved is the key."

The ultimate goal of the document is to ensure the safety of all construction workers at West Point, according to Tomich.

"This way everyone knows what is expected of them," Ciabotti said. "I see everything after that falling into place."

The document outlines a series of partnering meetings between the signees and contractors who work at West Point as well as an agenda of OSHA oversight. According to the MOU:

n OSHA will make quarterly unannounced inspections of work sites at West Point. The inspections will include the major causes of accidents, which are caught in or between an object, being struck by or against an object, falls and electrical shock/electrocution.

n The USMA Safety Office will conduct annual training for USMA Contract Office Representatives on OSHA regulations.

n The parties involved with the contract will schedule semi-annual meetings to review contractor compliance with OSHA standards, accident records and to make any needed adjustments.

"The goal is for USMA to handle things internally," Tomich said. "When contractors know that OSHA isn’t around and that the owner [USMA] isn’t looking, they feel they can get away with anything. That’s just the way it is in the construction business."

Having everyone on the same page as far as contractor performance, Ciabotti said, will mean that ultimately OSHA visits won’t find anything reportable.

The MOU states that the agreement may be terminated by any party upon written notification at any time. It further states that revisions to the agreement may occur through mutual consent of all parties at any time upon written notification.