| The Construction Industry Research & Policy Center (CIRPC) at the University of Tennessee currently has (and has had since 1986) a contract with OSHA requiring CIRPC to perform two major activities. |
| 1. |
Operate OSHA’s Construction Targeting System . CIRPC maintains a file of active construction projects (using McGraw-Hill Construction census of monthly project starts processed through CIRPC’s econometric model which estimates duration of each project) and each month randomly selects about 1500 projects for safety inspections by OSHA personnel in 120 area offices. |
| 2. |
Review Case Files from All OSHA-Inspected Fatal Construction Events . The case files are sent from OSHA area offices to CIRPC with no redactions, and CIRPC analyzes each fatal incident as to proximal cause, violations cited, construction operation and task performed by victim(s), NAICS of employer, etc. A comprehensive narrative statement describing each event is prepared. Specific intervention strategies are produced at OSHA’s request. CIRPC staff and faculty associates have recently completed in-depth analyses of crane-related fatal events and fatal events involving falls from through roofs. An analysis of fatal events involving steel erections is in progress. In addition, CIRPC annually reviews construction fatality records provided by OSHA and provides OSHA with annual reports categorizing each fatality by proximal cause. |
