ACCSH to Consider OSHA's Structural Collapse Response Next Month
An overview of OSHA's role in the National Response Plan and a presentation on OSHA's structural collapse response and how it responded to the Aug. 1, 2007, I-35W Highway bridge collapse in Minnesota are two items on the agenda for a Jan. 23-25, 2008, meeting of the Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health (ACCSH) at OSHA headquarters in Washington, D.C.
The collapse of a major highway bridge spanning the Mississippi River in downtown Minneapolis galvanized states' departments of transportation and highways to inspect bridges. Minnesota Public Radio reported Dec. 13 that the Minnesota Department of Transportation will complete its inspection of 4,000 bridges in the state this week and has found 15 needing immediate repair, closure, or closure to some traffic.
Also on the agenda are a construction cooperative programs update, safety presentations by the National Frame Builders Association and Stonesmith Patented Systems, Inc. (www.stonesmithsystems.com), of Virginia Beach, Va., and standards updates from OSHA's Directorates of Construction and of Standards and Guidance.
The meeting is open to the public; to file a request to present or speak, contact Veneta Chatmon at Room N-3647, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave. NW, Washington, DC 20210, 202-693-1999 or Chatmon.veneta@dol.gov by Jan. 14, 2008.