Great American Ball Park and the related riverfront construction projects have been such safe places to work that they are being held up as national examples. That safety record has paid off — literally — for taxpayers, too. Hamilton County has saved $5.5 million so far in worker's compensation claims and general liability costs on about $330 million worth of construction.

        Safety managers caution that one serious accident could quickly turn those savings into a deficit. But with the most dangerous part of construction — the high steel work — behind them, managers say they are “cautiously optimistic” that the good safety record will be maintained.

        The federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration has a mathematical formula that assigns a number for job safety. The national average for lost workdays on construction sites is 4.1 for every 100 full-time workers on a project.

        At the ballpark, where more than 1.2 million hours have been logged, 0.8 workers have lost a day because of an on-site injury.

        “That is a very good number,” said Dick Gilgrist, assistant area director for OSHA. “It's something to be extremely proud of.”

        The percentage can't get any better on the infrastructure projects, where there have been zero lost work days with more than 257,000 hours worked.

        Hamilton County Commissioner Tom Neyer, who runs his family's construction business, called the safety record on riverfront infrastructure projects “remarkable.”

        Safety experts say a unique partnership among the county, OSHA and contractors at the ballpark have made it all possible.

        Called a Master project, each major contractor working on site is required to have a full-time safety person on the job every day. That, along with mandatory training and weekly safety meetings, has created a culture at the ballpark that has made self-policing very effective, according to Tim Grabenstein, the county's risk manager.

        There also is a full-time nurse on site, who coordinates preventive care for employees as well as immediate treatment to injuries.

        Nurse Finley Lyons said the most serious injury he's treated so far is a broken leg.

        “My position is there to save taxpayer money,” Mr. Lyons said. “We do that because now not every injury is immediately sent to the emergency room.”

        The Master project idea was introduced at Paul Brown Stadium, which also had an outstanding safety record at about 0.95 lost workdays. Paul Brown Stadium was one of the first Master projects in the country.

        It's an idea that has proven so successful that OSHA is instituting similar programs on a smaller scale.

        “For a project of that size to get all the players together and have an agreement that everyone would be well trained, and provide competent persons to police the work site themselves is a unique arrangement in our area and in the U.S.,” Mr. Gilgrist said.

        “It's tougher to do on big projects.”

        Contractors agree to stricter safety rules on the site than OSHA requires. For example, OSHA requires that iron workers be tied off at 25 feet or higher. At the ballpark, anyone working six feet in the air is tied off to protect against a possible fall.

        “People still look at OSHA rules as maximums,” Mr. Grabenstein said. “In our mind, those are the minimums.”

        Bob Henderson, a safety supervisor for construction manager Hunt Construction Group, said nagging workers about safety is a daily job at the ballpark. Employees are trained to watch out for falls, electrocution and getting caught between machinery and a hard place.

        “It's a fast-track project, which means the site changes every day,” Mr. Henderson said.

        The other part of the agreement is a strict drug-testing sys tem that requires all workers at the site to be tested before they start the project and after any accident. They also can be tested randomly at any time.

        Nearly 2,500 drug tests have been performed thus far, with a failure rate of about 6 percent.

        “It puts the burden of proof where it ought to be, on the employee,” said Doug Puthoff, project safety coordinator. “A lot of illicit drugs users don't even show up because they know we're going to test them.”

        The ballpark is scheduled to open in 2003.

'After pastor' to help parish heal
March shows Catholic pride
River is 'a very dangerous place'
Flower Power blooms downtown
Record low of 30 shivers Tristate
BRONSON: Lettuce pickers in robes
Cemetery operator's trial begins
Ballpark's safety record pays off
College Hill wants police help in reclaiming neighborhood
Fake injury claim leads to arrest
Police investigate death of woman in parked car
Woman stabbed; son arrested
YWCA to honor women achievers
Arts Jam draws in families
'Cappies' program plans Tristate gala
Good News: Climb raises $30,000
Growth battle expands
Hamilton resists reopening fishing spot
Journalists go to fire boot camp
You Asked For It
Ohio to speed up DNA analysis in rape cases
Minister serves two churches
School violence examined
Three vie to be GOP candidate