On August 30, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced that it was extending its temporary enforcement measures in residential construction. The temporary enforcement measures are now extended for three months, and will be in place until Dec. 15, 2012. According to OSHA, the temporary measures include priority free on-site compliance assistance, penalty reductions, and extended abatement dates.

For more information, click here.

In the news release, OSHA noted that since Oct. 1, 2011, OSHA’s On-site Consultation Projects has performed more than 2,500 on-site visits, conducted 925 training sessions, and delivered 438 presentations related to fall protection in residential construction. OSHA’s regional and area offices also conducted more than 800 outreach activities on the directive. The agency will continue to work with employers to ensure a clear understanding of, and to facilitate compliance with, the new policy.

The agency asserts that the goal of the extension is to educate those in the construction industry. As OSHA puts it in the release, “OSHA will also continue to develop materials to assist the industry, including a wide variety of educational and training materials to assist employers with compliance, which are available on the Web pages for residential construction and the Fall Prevention Campaign.”

The press release certainly seems to accentuate the positive. How are you finding OSHA’s presence out in residential neighborhoods you work in?

 For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.