News

Torcon / OSHA Safety Partnership - Columbia University

In an effort to eliminate serious hazards and achieve a higher level of worker safety and health at the new Geochemistry Research Facility at Columbia University's Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory in Rockland County, New York, Torcon, and the other members of the project team have joined with the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) in an innovative safety partnership.

The OSHA Strategic Partnership Program (OSPP) moves away from traditional enforcement methods and embraces collaborative agreements. Through OSPP, OSHA and its partners agree to work cooperatively to address critical safety and health issues. This very different approach is proving to be an effective tool for reducing fatalities, injuries, and illnesses in the workplace. The Columbia University project marks Torcon's fourth partnership with OSHA under the program, and joins 19 Torcon projects recognized as OSHA VPP Star sites.

This partnering agreement will facilitate the process of identifying project safety and health performance goals; developing plans for achieving those goals; cooperation in hazard control implementation; measuring and establishing a vehicle to communicate the successes and ultimately learning from the process. The partnership's overarching goal is to reduce injuries and illnesses through a cooperative relationship among Torcon, OSHA, contractors and trade workers at the site.

Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, a world leading research center, is the main research facility for Columbia University's Earth Institute. In order to meet the necessity to conduct advance earth science and environmental research, the University with the help of a generous donation from Gary Comer and the Comer Science and Education Foundation is building a new state-of-the-art Geochemistry building.

The new 63,000 s.f. facility will centralize the Geochemistry Division, which is now located at the old geochemistry laboratory and in other buildings throughout the campus. It will also provide faculty members and students additional office spaces and laboratories that meet the EPA's Labs 21 program. Construction is expected to be completed by later this year.

For additional information about this project, you can also visit the Lamont-Doherty Geochemistry.