The three-year partnership will see the university’s Construction Safety Research Center participating in the MIOSHA Alliance Program to strengthen workforce safety in the construction industry.
Lawrence Technological University's Construction Safety Research Center has partnered with the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) to participate in the organization's Alliance Program to help strengthen the construction industry’s workforce safety procedures.
According to an article on Lawrence Technological University’s website, Ahmed Al-Bayati, PhD, PE, who is an associate professor and the founding director of the Construction Safety Research Center, was quoted as saying of the partnership, “Workplace safety is a shared responsibility, and this alliance reflects CSRC and its members’ commitment to preparing innovators, problem-solvers and conscientious leaders who appreciate the value of protecting workers. This alliance will also ensure our students graduate with not only technical expertise, but also a safety-first mindset that will save lives in the workplace.”
The partnership will see the university, its CSRC, and MIOSHA collaborating on safety initiatives, training, and outreach in order to improve the overall health and safety of construction worksites in the state. The collaboration is intended to help bridge the gap for students between classroom learning and putting into place the initiatives and strategies they learn at their worksites.
The university’s CSRC is an effort to improve workplace safety on its own, with industry leaders, associations, and various organizations coming together to build a network focused on creating best practices for construction workplace safety. The CSRC notes that 21% of all workplace fatalities in the country happen on construction worksites, a number that is disproportionately high considering that the construction industry makes up only a little more than 4% of the nation’s workforce.
The MIOSHA Alliance Program is in its 20th year this year. The alliances within the program span workplaces of all industries, including construction, and each alliance within each separate industry is made up of industry leaders, municipalities, labor organizations, and more, also working toward the creation of safety best practices and the reduction of hazardous situations in the workplace.
With the collaboration between the MIOSHA Alliance Program and the university and its CSRC, the university plans to incorporate safety best practices into student projects throughout their education. There will also be guest lectures and workshops, plus hands-on activities that will help students understand how these safety measures will affect their actual work experiences.
For more information about Lawrence Technological University, visit the school’s website.