Chapter 306

AN ACT RELATIVE TO THE HEALTH AND SAFETY ON PUBLIC CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS.

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives in General Court assembled, and by the authority of the same, as follows:

SECTION 1. Section 39M of Chapter 30 of the General Laws, as appearing in the 2002 Official Edition, is hereby amended by striking out subsection (c) and inserting in place thereof the following subsection:-

(c) The term "lowest responsible and eligible bidder" shall mean the bidder: (1) whose bid is the lowest of those bidders possessing the skill, ability and integrity necessary for the faithful performance of the work; (2) who shall certify, that he is able to furnish labor that can work in harmony with all other elements of labor employed or to be employed in the work; (3) who shall certify that all employees to be employed at the worksite will have successfully completed a course in construction safety and health approved by the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration that is at least 10 hours in duration at the time the employee begins work and who shall furnish documentation of successful completion of said course with the first certified payroll report for each employee; (4) who, where the provisions of section 8B of chapter 29 apply, shall have been determined to be qualified thereunder; and (5) who obtains within 10 days of the notification of contract award the security by bond required under section 29 of chapter 149; provided that for the purposes of this section the term "security by bond" shall mean the bond of a surety company qualified to do business under the laws of the commonwealth and satisfactory to the awarding authority.

SECTION 2. Said chapter 30 is hereby amended by inserting after section 39R the following section:-

Section 39S. (a) As used in this section the word "person" shall mean any natural person, joint venture, partnership corporation or other business or legal entity. Any person submitting a bid for, or signing a contract to work on, the construction, reconstruction, alteration, remodeling or repair of any public work by the commonwealth, or political subdivision thereof, or by any county, city, town, district, or housing authority, and estimated by the awarding authority to cost more than $10,000, and any person submitting a bid for, or signing a contract to work on, the construction, reconstruction, installation, demolition, maintenance or repair of any building by a public agency, estimated to cost more than $10,000, shall certify on the bid, or contract, under penalties of perjury, as follows:

(1) that he is able to furnish labor that can work in harmony with all other elements of labor employed or to be employed in the work; (2) that all employees to be employed at the worksite will have successfully completed a course in construction safety and health approved by the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration that is at least 10 hours in duration at the time the employee begins work and who shall furnish documentation of successful completion of said course with the first certified payroll report for each employee; and (3) that all employees to be employed in the work subject to this bid have successfully completed a course in construction safety and health approved by the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration that is at least 10 hours in duration.

(b) Any employee found on a worksite subject to this section without documentation of successful completion of a course in construction safety and health approved by the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration that is at least 10 hours in duration shall be subject to immediate removal.

(c) The attorney general, or his designee, shall have the power to enforce this section including the power to institute and prosecute proceedings in the superior court to restrain the award of contracts and the performance of contracts in all cases where, after investigation of the facts, he has made a finding that the award or performance has resulted in violation, directly or indirectly, of subsection (b), and he shall not be required to pay to the clerk of the court an entry fee in connection with the institution of the proceeding.

SECTION 3. Paragraph E of subdivision (2) of section 44E of chapter 149 of the General Laws, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out the second paragraph and inserting in place thereof the following paragraph:-

The undersigned hereby certifies that he is able to furnish labor that can work in harmony with all other elements of labor employed or to be employed on the work; that all employees to be employed at the worksite will have successfully completed a course in construction safety and health approved by the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration that is at least 10 hours in duration at the time the employee begins work and who shall furnish documentation of successful completion of said course with the first certified payroll report for each employee; and that he will comply fully with all laws and regulations applicable to awards made subject to section 44A.

SECTION 4. Paragraph I of subdivision (2) of section 44F of said chapter 149, as so appearing, is hereby amended by striking out the first paragraph and inserting in place thereof the following paragraph:-

The undersigned hereby certifies that he is able to furnish labor that can work in harmony with all other elements of labor employed or to be employed on the work; that all employees to be employed at the worksite will have successfully completed a course in construction safety and health approved by the United States Occupational Safety and Health Administration that is at least 10 hours in duration at the time the employee begins work and who shall furnish documentation of successful completion of said course with the first certified payroll report for each employee; and that he will comply fully with all laws and regulations applicable to awards of subcontracts subject to section 44F.

SECTION 5. This act shall take effect on July 1, 2006.