Indiana OSHA Staff Get Insights Into Home Building  | | Indiana builders gave federal and state safety officials a better understanding of the constuction process at the recent NAHB "Building a Home" training seminar. |
Staff members of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) participated in an NAHB “Building a Home” training seminar last month in Indianapolis to gain a better understanding of the intricacies of the home building process and the key safety hazards typically found on the residential construction site. The “Building a House” program was developed as part of the NAHB-OSHA Alliance. The May 26 seminar was hosted by the Indiana Builders Association (IBA) for the staff of the Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Division (IOSHA) and the INsafe consultation program. “The seminar was a great opportunity for the association to give federal and state officials a better understanding of the residential construction process,” said Rick Wajda, IBA chief executive officer. “NAHB and Ryland Homes were great partners in this project and we received excellent feedback from the Department of Labor.” Ryland Homes hosted a job site tour as part of the training. The seminar helps OSHA employees: - Understand the makeup, structure and components of the home building industry
- Know the language and typical sequence of new home construction
- Understand the typical materials and methods of residential construction
- Identify the personnel, process, techniques and trade contractors involved in the construction of a home
- Recognize the safety hazards in the industry and key safety issues confronted by builders
 | | The "Building a Home" seminar for safety officials not only included classroom training, it also included field training (above). |
"I am very pleased with the cooperation that we have received from the Indiana Home Builders Association and the residential construction industry here in central Indiana," said Miguel Rivera, the Indiana Department of Labor commissioner. "A close working relationship between residential construction and IOSHA is critical to making this part of Indiana's economy a safe and vibrant place to work. The training our people received and the relationship that was established are certainly only the beginning of our safety efforts with the residential construction industry." Classroom instruction for the seminar was provided by Jim Carr, a member of the NAHB Construction Safety and Health Committee and an associate professor in construction management at the University of Arkansas at Little Rock. | 
