ABC - ABC President Addresses OSHA Changes, Training at Construction Forum

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ABC PRESIDENT ADDRESSES OSHA CHANGES, TRAINING AT CONSTRUCTION FORUM (06/10/2009)

ABC President and CEO Kirk Pickerel today participated in a panel discussion titled, “The Changing Regulatory Landscape: Association Perspectives,” hosted by Engineering News-Record and the Construction Users Roundtable. The session was part of the 3rd Annual ENR-CURT Construction Business Forum held at the Sheraton National Hotel in Arlington, Va.

During the discussion on how public policy is affecting the construction industry under the new administration, Pickerel commented that, “OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) is shifting its focus from partnerships to enforcement, and is spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on hiring new inspectors.” Pickerel added that “partnerships do work, and we have solid evidence with the success of ABC’s safety, training and evaluation process, or STEP program.”

Pickerel also addressed other issues that ABC is working on including President Obama’s Executive Order 13502 that encourages the use of project labor agreements on construction projects over $25 million; cap and trade energy legislation that will result in higher energy costs for both consumers and businesses and restrict contractors from expanding their business because of excessive regulations; and healthcare legislation that will meet the needs of both employers and employees.

In response to a question about the future of the construction industry, Pickerel remarked, “in this economic downturn, I want to urge contractors not to take their eye off the ball when it comes to workforce recruitment and training. At some point soon the economy will turn around, and you don’t want to be in a situation where you don’t have enough trained workers for your projects.”

Pickerel was joined on the panel by Larry Burton, executive vice president of the Business Roundtable; Christine W. McEntee, executive vice president and CEO of the American Institute of Architects; Patrick J. Natale, executive director of the American Society of Civil Engineers; Stephen E. Sandherr, CEO of the Associated General Contractors of America; and Gregory L. Sizemore, executive vice president of CURT.