Annual Summary

New England Laborers’ Health and Safety Fund (NELHSF), has realized continued successes and accomplishments the throughout 2008 in its never-ending goal to safeguard every aspect of Union life, both on and off the job. Through the diligent, collaborative efforts of a highly talented and committed staff, the NELHSF excelled in its objective to provide Laborers with the most comprehensive and progressive health and safety programs and information available.

By offering information and assistance to help identify and rectify work place hazards and through the continual research and development of health and safety programs by the Fund’s staff, the NELHSF utilized a combination of proactive initiatives and reactive interventions to assist New England Laborers and signatory contractors to achieve a healthier and safer work environment.

Each year the NELHSF has expanded its initiatives and programs to encompass the ever-changing needs of Laborers and signatory contractors. This seemingly natural progression has enabled us to attain the status of a well-respected health and safety organization in the construction industry. This year the Fund broadened its scope of programs to reach every aspect of a Union Laborer’s life. Our efforts included a number of safety and health programs as well as grassroots initiatives, enabling us to reach out to New England Laborers and their families in an attempt to foster a better understanding of health and safety on the job.

In addition to the NELHSF’s Ladder Safety, Scaffold Safety, Lead in Construction, and Silica in Construction programs introduced in 2008, the Fund began work on and amended several other programs this year. Staff updated the Fall Protection, Fitness For Duty, and Work Zone Safety programs. Work progressed on several other initiatives including Respiratory Protection and Hand Safety. Asbestos in Construction and Electrical Safety are in the final stages of production. Staff members spent countless hours researching governmental and industry regulations as they apply to the Fund’s programs.

The NELHSF’s numerous programs were offered to New England Laborers and signatory contractors at health fairs and through the Spotlight newsletter. Staff delivered all new and updated programs to the region’s Business Managers and to numerous signatory contractors through countless job site visits where over 800 Union members were informed of our various programs.

The NELHSF’s Spotlight newsletter has always been one of the Fund’s most popular offerings. The mailing list for Spotlight reaches every Laborer’s household in the region. Packed with timely material, it has become a source of health and safety information that helps New England Laborers and their families attain a safer and healthier sense of wellbeing on work sites and in their everyday life.

Other initiatives of particular note throughout the year included the Fund’s toolbox talks, site visits program, and educational presentations at the New England Laborers’ Training Academies (NELTA). Additionally, the Fund continued to foster its partnership programs with outside interests such as the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, the Connecticut Department of Transportation, and Massachusetts OSHA.

Overall, the Fund spent 2008 achieving great strides in promoting health and safety issues and programs to our Union members and signatory contractors. Following the principles of the Laborers’ International Union of North America to embrace the concept of labor-management cooperation, the NELHSF worked harmoniously with both Laborers and signatory contractors to provide the most comprehensive programs and services, in-turn, creating a safer and more productive workforce.

The following report will highlight the New England Laborers’ Health and Safety Fund’s primary activities, initiatives, interventions, and achievements of 2008. We are proud of the progressive and innovative approaches we used this year to achieve the many outstanding accomplishments that ensure worker health and safety. The committed and dedicated staff of the New England Laborers’ Health and Safety Fund enthusiastically looks forward to expanding upon these accomplishments, to be even more productive, and to provide a healthier and safer 2009.

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