Broad Group Combating Leading Construction Site Killer; Labor, Management, Regulators Partner to Stop Falls Now.

BOSTON -- An unlikely gathering of construction firms, unions, regulators and safety equipment manufactures joined together to fight the leading cause of worker deaths at commercial building sites: falls.

Teamwork, a broad perspective and a process approach are the weapons of choice for this group, which recently held its first meeting at the Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety.

The outcome: After building a common understanding of the problem and the group's goal, teams formed to explore the two most promising ways of helping to protect construction workers:

--Improving the equipment that prevents falls

--Identifying the best ways to promote and sustain worksite safety

Currently, each team is mapping the interplay of all the factors involved in their issue: the individual worker's skills and perceptions; the worksite's layout and equipment; management's motivation and commitment; an owner's expectations; and more.

Each team will update the broader group when it meets again later this fall. And these findings will launch a guided discussion to uncover the best ways of managing a job-site to prevent falls, and the equipment needed within this system to protect workers.

Anyone interested in joining the group or one of its teams should contact:

--Dennis Falvey, Vice President, Safety and Loss Control, Turner Construction [phone]

--John Neil, Practice Leader-Construction, Liberty Mutual [phone]

"Finding the best ways to keep construction workers safe takes partnership and process," notes Bobby Banks, Northeast IMPACT Director and former Ironworkers Local 7 President. "This initiative gets everyone focusing on the same goal and following a clear path towards a safer site."

Turner's Falvey agreed, but stressed the value of a common perspective. "The guy on the steel, the general contractor, the inspector, even the equipment supplier all see the problem, but from their own perspective. Each group working in relative isolation hasn't solved the problem: too many people don't go home at the end of the day. So its time to reach across traditional boundaries - to look at the issue from someone else's work boots - so we can stop falls now."

About IMPACT:

The Ironworkers/Management Progressive Action Cooperative Trust (IMPACT) is a collaboration between the Ironworkers International Union and a group of progressive contractors from around the country who understand the need for labor management partnership. IMPACT brings Ironworkers and signatory contractors together to develop programs that increase market share, get more jobs, and strengthen the industry.

About Turner Construction:

With construction volume of $7.0 billion in 2004, Turner ranks first or second in major segments of the construction industry. Turner maintains a nationwide network of offices and a staff of more than 5,400 employees, performing work on over 1,600 projects each year.

About Liberty Mutual:

Boston-based Liberty Mutual Group (LMG) is a leading global insurer and sixth largest property and casualty insurer in the U.S. whose largest line of business is personal auto based on 2003 direct written premium. The Company, which ranks 111th on the Fortune 500 list of largest U.S. corporations, offers a wide range of commercial and personal insurance products and services.

In 1954, Liberty Mutual established the Liberty Mutual Research Institute for Safety to conduct original investigations into job-related accidents, injuries and disability. The original 1,000 square-foot building is today an internationally recognized, state-of-the-art 93,000 square foot enterprise that is the only occupational health and safety research facility owned and operated by an insurance company.