Construction Law

Everything You Should Know About the Oregon Construction Advisory Committee featured image

Everything You Should Know About the Oregon Construction Advisory Committee

In the summer of 2001, the Construction Advisory Committee was created to usher in a new era of reinforced bonds between the Oregon Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the private sector. The group was established to help mitigate the growing number of safety issues having a negative effect on the industry as a whole. Acting as a melting pot of labor, employer, trade organization, and government agency representatives, the Construction Advisory Committee, which meets every month, has a singular goal:

“To create a partnership between Oregon OSHA and construction employers, organizations, and employee groups to identify and implement improvements necessary to prevent injury or illness.”

In this brief article, a Portland contractor lawyer from Cotney Attorneys & Consultants will detail everything contractors in Oregon to need to know about this group and its effect on the Oregon construction industry. If your company is facing litigious owners, contract disputes, or OSHA citations, consult our Portland contractor lawyers to see how years of experience defending the construction industry can help you clear away the unnecessary legal debris holding you back.

Quality Information Helps Protect All Oregon Construction Professionals

By working with a variety of other organizations that are all involved in progressing safety in Oregon’s construction industry, the Construction Advisory Committee is helping to shine a spotlight on the most common, region-specific challenges and hazards facing construction professionals at all levels. This means keeping all entities informed on the latest safety and health concerns, most common injuries and illnesses, and embracing intelligent, shared resource utilization to combat these issues head on. One area of contention is “uniformity issues.” Oregon OSHA considers uniformity issues to be a lack of discipline in standardizing safety and health rules so that they can be enforced uniformly on all project sites. 

Meeting Minutes are Available Online

You don’t have to attend monthly meetings to stay in the know about the latest from the Construction Advisory Committee. Every month, meeting minutes are posted here. The site currently hosts an archive stretching back to March 2003. By taking a look at these minutes, contractors can get a better understanding of the most pressing dangers facing their employees. For instance, in the latest minutes — dated Tuesday, April 2, 2019 — the group discusses the lessons they learned for that month, including:

  • Keep your work area clean to avoid incidents such as one in which an employee fell into an elevator pit while pouring cement because his vibrator tool impeded his work.
  • Remember to secure project sites against thefts and break-ins.
  • The new King Kombo Ladder is lean safe and slightly heavier than traditional ladders

These lessons might seem a bit random at first, but they provide a succinct summary of the latest buzz in the Oregon construction industry. Staying in the know can not only help you keep your workers safe and your projects moving along, but it can also help you grow your business and avoid litigation.

If you would like to speak with one of our Portland contractor lawyers, please contact us today.

Disclaimer: The information contained in this article is for general educational information only. This information does not constitute legal advice, is not intended to constitute legal advice, nor should it be relied upon as legal advice for your specific factual pattern or situation.