(5/12/10)-

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) May 11 announced a new pilot program that will train building inspectors in 11 major cities across the country to look for safety violations on construction jobsites.

Secretary of Labor Hilda Solis sent letters in early May to the mayors of the targeted cities proposing a partnership. If the mayors accept, building inspectors in those cities will be encouraged to look for safety violations on the worksites they are inspecting and then notify OSHA. Once notified, OSHA would send one of its own inspectors to the site.

OSHA is targeting at least one city in each of its 10 regions. The targeted cities are: Austin, Texas; Boise, Idaho; Cincinnati, Ohio; Concord, N.H; Greenwood Village, Colo.; Madison, Miss.; Atlanta, Ga.; Newark, N.J.; Oakland, Calif.; Washington, D.C.; and Wichita, Kan. For more information on the pilot program, visit the OSHA website.