ANSI Approves Standard for Hurricane, High Wind Areas

Though it may be too late for Galve­ston, TX, new construction guidelines de­veloped by the International Code Council will increase public safety in hur-ricane-prone areas and other high-wind regions.

The Standard for Residential Construc­tion in High Wind Regions (ICC-600) provides wind-resistant design and con­struction details for residential buildings.

The standard applies to areas where wind speeds may reach 100-150 miles per hour, including the hurricane prone regions of the east and gulf coasts, coastal Alaska, and the special wind re­gion of the Columbia River Gorge in Washington and Oregon.

“Communities that adopt this new standard will have a tool based on sound science to help them save lives and pro­tect property,” said Code Council CEO Rick Weiland. “It’s necessary if we are to reduce the billions of dollars in year after year.”

ICC-600, approved by the American National Standards Institute (ANSI) as an American National Standard, uses the latest engineering knowledge to improve the structural integrity and performance of homes. The standard is an update to SSTD 10-99 and includes new provi­sions such as prescriptive designs for wind speeds up to 150 mph with three-second gusts, designs for cold-formed steel framing and exterior wall coverings for high wind.

“The High Wind Standard will help first preventers protect the communities they serve,” said Weiland. “First pre­venters, those many unheralded and mostly unknown code officials who check and double-check code compli­ance and administer building safety codes, play a major role in saving lives, protecting property and reducing re­covery costs often paid for by taxpayer dollars.”

The Standard for Residential Construc­tion in High Wind Regions, available in be considered as a referenced standard in the 2009 International Residential Code.

The International Code Council, a membership association dedicated to building safety and fire prevention, de­velops the codes used to construct resi­dential and commercial buildings, including homes and schools. Most U.S. cities, counties and states choose the In­ternational Codes, building safety codes developed by the International Code Council.

NSC Approves of Selection of Kelly as Acting NHTSA Administrator

The National Safety Council is ap­plauding President Bush’s selection of David Kelly as the new Acting Admin­istrator of the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration.

Kelly was a member of the NSC staff from 1996-2003 as a program manager and Director of the Council’s Air Bag & Seat Belt Safety Campaign.

“NSC leaders know first-hand of David’s passion for saving lives and his said NSC President & CEO Janet Froetscher. “David’s management and leadership of the Air Bag & Seat Belt Safety Campaign was a key part of its success.”

“David’s passion for saving lives is matched by his commitment to using sound science to formulate public pol­icy,” Froetscher said. “Those qualities will be very valuable in his new role leading NHTSA.”

The National Safety Council is a non­profit organization dedicated to keeping people safe by preventing injuries and deaths wherever they may occur — at work, in homes, communities and on the roads — through leadership, research, education and advocacy.

OSHA Seeks Approval for Rule on Remedies for PPE Violations

OSHA was accepting public com­ments on a Notice of Proposed Rule-making (NPRM) on Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) and training standards. The proposal clarifies that when an OSHA standard requires an employer to provide PPE, such as respirators, or training to employees, the employer must do so for each employee subject to the requirement.

Each employee not protected may be considered a separate violation for penalty purposes.

“We want employers to understand the importance of complying with OSHA’s PPE rule for each and every one of their employees,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Edwin G. Foulke, Jr. “Without question, providing PPE for all employees will reduce costs, save money and, most importantly, save lives.”

The proposed rule affects OSHA’s general industry, construction, and mar­itime standards. In many cases, OSHA combines separate violations of a single requirement in a standard into a single penalty.

However, under the instance-by-in-stance penalty policy, OSHA may pro­pose a separate penalty for each specific violation where the employer demon­strates a flagrant disregard for safety and health.  The proposed rule makes clear that failure to provide appropriate PPE or training may result in per-instance penal­ties in appropriate cases. The proposed rule does not add new compliance oblig­ations, nor are employers required to provide any new type of PPE or training. The amendments merely clarify that a separate penalty may be assessed for each employee not provided the required PPE or training.

Public comments on the proposed rule were being accepted through September 18.

OSHA Citations Issued For Fatal NYC Crane Collapse

OSHA has issued citations to three contractors with proposed penalties to­taling $313,500 for alleged violations of safety standards after investigating the catastrophic March 15 collapse of a tower crane in New York City that killed seven people.

The accident took place at 303 E. 51st St. in midtown Manhattan.

Cited were Rapetti Rigging Services Inc., the crane’s erector; Reliance Construction Group, the project’s general contractor; and Joy Contractors Inc., the project’s concrete and superstructure contractor.

Assistant Secretary of Labor for Oc­cupational Safety and Health Edwin G. Foulke Jr. said, “This case illustrates in stark terms that failure to follow re­quired procedures can have wide-rang-ing and catastrophic consequences.”

Rapetti Rigging has been issued three willful citations with penalties totaling $210,000 for allegedly failing, among other things, to comply with the crane manufacturer’s specifications and limi­tations when erecting and raising the tower crane, to protect synthetic rigging slings from damage, to inspect the slings for damage or defects before use, and to remove a defective sling from service.

“Ultimately, the crane collapse was a failure to follow basic, but essential, con­struction safety processes,” said Richard Mendelson, OSHA’s area director in Manhattan.

Rapetti also has been issued five seri­ous citations, with $10,000 in proposed fines for fall hazards. Employees work­ing on the crane’s mast and at the edge of the 18th floor level and other areas lacked proper fall protection.

Penalties proposed against Rapetti total $220,000.

Joy Contractors has been issued one repeat and 14 serious citations with pro­posed penalties totaling $74,000. The re­peat citation alleges the lack of fall protection for employees working 180 feet above the ground.

OSHA cited Joy in March 2007 for a similar hazard at a Mt. Pleasant, N.Y., worksite. The serious citations allege failure to train employees in jobsite haz­ards, unsafe work area debris, fire haz­ards, fall hazards, unsafe material storage, and hazards created by the ec­centric loading of concrete shoring and formwork.

Reliance Construction Group has been issued 11 serious citations with a total of $19,500 in proposed penalties. The ci­tations allege failure to train employees in jobsite hazards, unsafe work area de­bris, fire hazards, fall hazards and haz­ards created by the eccentric loading of concrete shoring and formwork.