In response to media coverage of a rash of construction worker fatalities, one state is now requiring such employees to get safety training.
In Nevada, construction workers will have to complete a 10-hour OSHA safety course within 15 days of being hired. Supervisors will be required to take a 30-hour OSHA course. The new law takes effect Jan. 1, 2010.
Employers must fire any worker who fails to provide proof of completing the required course. Companies can be fined for employing workers who don’t have the training.
The new law was prompted by 12 construction deaths at projects along the Las Vegas strip during a 19-month period between 2006 and 2008.
State Assembly Majority Leader John Oceguera (D) helped draft the new law. He told the Las Vegas Review-Journal, “Hopefully this will be a step in the right direction to have everyone recognize safety is the most important factor.”
The bill passed the Assembly 39 to 3 and the Senate 20 to 0.
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