Oregon OSHA - 350 Winter
Street NE Room 430 - Salem, Oregon 97301-3882
Skanska recognized for safety at Bend & Redmond hospital projects(Bend) - Skanska USA Building (Central and Southern Oregon Projects Division) today was welcomed into the Oregon OSHA Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) for an exceptional commitment to safety during the expansion of St. Charles Medical Center - Bend and St. Charles Medical Center - Redmond.
SHARP is a recognition program that provides an incentive and road map for Oregon employers to work with their employees to find and correct hazards, to develop and implement effective safety-and-health programs, to continuously improve, and become self-sufficient in managing occupational safety-and-health issues. Currently 86 employers in Oregon participate in the safety-and-health recognition program.
At the Bend and Redmond hospital projects, Skanska did not incur an injury where a day of work was lost or restricted during 2003. By comparison, the statewide average injury rate for the construction industry in Oregon for 2003 was 2.3 days of lost time or restricted duties.
Skanska's contract includes 200,000 square feet of new construction at the Bend and Redmond campuses of Cascade Healthcare Community. The work performed during Phase One expansion at St. Charles Medical Center - Bend involved the added challenge of erecting steel, concrete pouring and forming, and performing installation of electrical or plumbing infrastructure while working in a fully functioning hospital and trauma center.
Employees of active SHARP work sites retain all workplace safety and health rights contained in the Oregon Safe Employment Act. Oregon employers who have been in business for more than one year are eligible to apply for SHARP regardless of size or type of business.
Oregon OSHA is committed to partnering with employers and workers to keep Oregon's injury rates low, and workers' compensation costs under control. One of the best things an employer can do to prevent injuries is to properly train employees. Oregon OSHA offers free training, free safety and health consultations, and education and training materials from the OR-OSHA Resource Center. Keep your employees and workplaces safe through a commitment to training, education and elimination of hazards. More information and resources are available on Oregon OSHA's Web site, www.orosha.org.
For additional information about the SHARP program, contact Mark Hurliman with Oregon OSHA at (503) 947-7437. |
