Thanks for the Memos

It has come to my attention that there was some confusion about the definition of "competent person" used in my letter about proper shoring techniques. The definition of a "competent person," taken from the OSHA standard, is as follows:

"A Competent Person means one who is capable of identifying existing and predictable hazards in the surroundings, or working conditions which are unsanitary, hazardous, or dangerous to employees, and who has authorization to take prompt corrective measures to eliminate them."

According to OSHA, a "competent person" must inspect excavations on a daily basis. At the present time, we do not have any people in our divisions that are trained to meet the criterion set by OSHA. Therefore, the training group is working on a training program for "competent persons."