The Construction Safety Roundtable of Eastern Massachusetts Alliance (CSR-EM) first met in 1999 as an informal group of construction safety professionals. It is now one of, if not the, most successful and longest running construction safety alliance in New England. The CSR-EM members work together to meet construction contractors' needs. The group is providing information, assistance, and training to enable the construction industry's employers, employees and trainees to eliminate and reduce safety and health hazards. As a result of the relationships Patrick Griffin (then Compliance Assistance Specialist in OSHA's Braintree Area Office) began building in 2000 with the construction industry in his area, 47 construction companies and contractors signed an Alliance agreement in June 2003 under its alliance program. Tim Irving the Compliance Assistance Specialist for the Boston South Area Office now assumes the liaison position for this alliance. The group has held 10 monthly meeting a year since 1999 and has grown to over 110 members with an average monthly meeting attendance of 65 safety professionals.
Through this Alliance of contractors and safety professionals, CSR-EM meetings are held and training is shared that has led to the establishment of an excellent working relationship between the Alliance's participants, NIOSH and OSHA. In addition, the Alliance has strengthened the commitment of Alliance members to focus on safety and health issues on construction sites, increased communication and understanding of the safety and health needs of the companies and their contractors between the construction industry and regulatory agencies and encouraged greater cooperation.
The CSR-EM was resigned under the OSHA Alliance program on January 26, 2012 and had 109 active member organizations committed to a safer work environment during the 2011/2012 fiscal year. In addition a commitment letter to NIOSH was delivered shortly after to assist with its fall protection research in the coming years.