OSHA to he part of new courthouse

Real Estate Weekly, Sept 27, 2000

URS Corporation has entered into a partnership with the Occupational Health and Safety Administration (OSHA), and the Dormitory Authority of the State of New York (DASNY) for the construction of the Westchester County courthouse in White Plains, N.Y.

The partnership, the first of its kind to include local trade unions as a member of a public project in New York State, will provide a program of safety training for the estimated five-year period of construction. Through URS, which will furnish construction management services, the trades will benefit from training sessions on a periodic schedule that will include OSHA construction safety seminars, as well as seminars on topics directly related to the project's construction operations.

The objectives of the partnering program are to develop a close relationship between labor and management, to discuss the potential concerns of construction activities, to ensure that all safety materials, equipment, and methods are incorporated into the project, and to reduce injuries.

The Westchester county courthouse is undergoing a three-phase rehabilitation program involving the exterior replacement of the 20-story courthouse tower facade, windows and roof, the construction of a new courthouse annex, and the interior renovation of the tower.

Courthouse operations will continue uninterrupted during the construction process. The project is expected to be completed by 2005, at an approximate construction cost of $135 million.