Alliance -- An OSHA Cooperative Program<< Back to The American Biological Safety Association

  1. Alliance Background

    Date Signed

    September 23, 2002

    Dates Renewed

    October 26, 2004

    January 29, 2007

    Overview

    The OSHA and ABSA Alliance focuses on promoting healthy and safe workplaces. The organizations use their collective expertise both to enhance workplace health and safety and to assist employers, including small businesses, in developing a preventive focus for biological safety issues facing the American workplace.

    Implementation Team Members
     
    OSHA:  
    Jeff Lodwick
    Atkinson Longmire
    Sandra Khan
    Melody Sands
    Dionne Williams    		 Directorate of Technical Support and Emergency Management (DTSEM)
    DTSEM
    Office of Outreach Services and Alliances
    Directorate of Enforcement Programs (DEP)
    DEP
       
    ABSA:  
    Penny Holeman
    Rich Rebar
    Ed Styger    		 Johnson & Johnson
    GlaxoSmithKline
    Executive Director


    Evaluation Period

    September 23, 2007 – September 22, 2008

  2. Implementation Team Meetings

    • February 19, 2008 Conference Call
    • February 22, 2008 Hospital eTool Development Team Conference Call
    • March 3, 2008 Hospital eTool Development Team Conference Call
    • May 20, 2008 Conference Call
    • September 4, 2008 Conference Call

      In addition to these formal meetings and conference calls, the Alliance coordinators from both groups maintained regular contact throughout the reporting period to monitor the Alliance's progress and results.
  3. Results

    1. Events and Products

      Training and Education Goals

      • Work with OSHA to provide expertise to develop training and education materials for OSHA Compliance Safety and Health Officers (CSHOs) regarding Biosafety and to provide expertise in communicating such information to employers and employees in the industry.

        The OSHA and ABSA Alliance Implementation Team has not started work on programs or projects to address this goal.
      Outreach and Communication Goals

      • Work with OSHA to provide expertise in developing information on the recognition and prevention of workplace hazards, and to provide expertise in developing ways of communicating such information (e.g. print and electronic media, electronic assistance tools and OSHA's and ABSA's Web sites) to employers and employees in the industry.
      Products

      ABSA and OSHA Alliance-related Web Page

      ABSA continually updates the ABSA and OSHA Alliance Web page. The page includes links to the OSHA and ABSA Alliance agreement, renewal agreements and related documents on the OSHA and ABSA Alliance Web page on the Agency Web site. During the reporting period, links to ABSA-developed fact sheets created through OSHA and ABSA Alliance were added to the page including:

      • Principles of Biosafety
      • BioSafety Levels
      • Select Agent Diseases
      • Zoonotic Diseases
      For more information on the number of visits to the ABSA and OSHA Alliance-related Web page, please see the Alliance Program Reach Table.

      OSHA and ABSA Alliance Web Page

      OSHA is continuing to update the OSHA and ABSA Alliance Web page that is posted on the Agency Web site. The page includes information on Alliance events and milestones and successes and links to the OSHA and ABSA agreement, news releases, and to the ABSA and OSHA Alliance Web page on the ABSA Web site. During the reporting period, links to ABSA-developed fact sheets created through OSHA and ABSA Alliance were added to the page including:

      • Principles of Biosafety
      • BioSafety Levels
      • Select Agent Diseases
      • Zoonotic Diseases
      For more information on the number of visits to the OSHA and ABSA Alliance Web page, please see the Alliance Program Reach Table.

      OSHA's Safety and Health Topics pages

      ABSA's Technical Review Committee members serve on the editorial boards of the following OSHA Safety and Health Topics pages:

      • Anthrax
      • Avian Flu
      • Biological Agents
      • Bloodborne Pathogens and Needlestick Prevention
      • Botulism
      • Foodborne Disease
      • Hantavirus
      • Hazardous Waste
      • Indoor Air Quality
      • Ionizing Radiation
      • Legionnaires' Disease
      • Mold and Fungi
      • Plague
      • Ricin
      • Smallpox
      • Tularemia
      • Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers
      Please see Appendix A for a list of the ABSA reviewers.

      OSHA's Hospital eTool

      As part of the OSHA and ABSA Alliance, the ABSA Technical Review Committee members are participating on the Agency update of its Hospital eTool. The Committee submitted an extensive review of a number of the tool's modules including bloodborne pathogens, laboratory, and healthcare wide hazards.

      Please see Appendix A for a list of the ABSA reviewers.

      • Speak, exhibit or appear at OSHA's or ABSA's conferences, local meetings, or other events such as ABSA's Annual Conference.
      Events

      2008 North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week, May 4-10, 2008

      The OSHA and ABSA Alliance, along with a number of other Alliance Program participants, supported the 2008 NAOSH Week and the Kick-off event on May 5, 2008 at the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington, D.C. The theme for the 2008 NAOSH Week was "Safety is Good Business." NAOSH Week, sponsored by the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), an Alliance Program participant, focuses on increasing the understanding of the positive benefits of investing in occupational safety, health and environmental programs among employers, employees and the public; raising awareness of the role and contribution of safety, health and environmental professionals; and reducing workplace injuries and illness by encouraging safety and health activities at all companies and organizations.

      • Share information among OSHA personnel and industry safety and health professionals regarding ABSA's best practices or effective approaches and publicize results through outreach by ABSA and through OSHA or ABSA developed materials, training programs, workshops, seminars, and lectures (or any other applicable forum).
      Products

      OSHA and ABSA Alliance-Developed Fact Sheets

      Through the OSHA and ABSA Alliance, ABSA developed and OSHA reviewed the following Biohazard fact sheets that were posted on the ABSA and OSHA Alliance-related Web page on the ABSA Web site in April and July 2008 and linked to from the OSHA and ABSA Alliance Web page on the OSHA Web site:

      • "Principles of Biosafety" provides laboratory employees with safety information through twelve valuable rules of biosafety.
      • "BioSafety Levels (US)" describes the four levels of biosafety.
      • "Select Agent Diseases" provides laboratory employees with a reference tool that includes the symptoms, transmission, and treatment for some of the most commonly encountered pathogens or biological toxins that are federally regulated and have the potential to pose a severe threat to public health and safety
      • "Zoonotic Diseases" provides laboratory employees with a reference tool that includes the symptoms, transmission and treatment for some of the most commonly encountered diseases that are generally found in animals but can be spread to humans.
    2. Executive Summary

      During the reporting period, the OSHA and ABSA Alliance Implementation Team worked together to enhance workplace health and safety and to assist employers, including small businesses, in developing a preventive focus for biological safety issues facing the American workplace. For example:

      • The OSHA and ABSA Alliance maintained several informational resources about the Alliance, biological hazards, and other safety and health materials including the OSHA and ABSA Alliance Web page on the Agency Web site that features the Alliance agreement, renewal agreements, related documents, and milestones and successes and the ABSA and OSHA Alliance-related Web page on the ABSA Web site that includes resources for addressing biological hazards, including links to the OSHA and ABSA Alliance Web page, OSHA's Safety and Health Topics pages, and OSHA compliance assistance materials.
      • The ABSA Technical Review Committee members continue to serve on the editorial boards of OSHA eTools and Safety and Health Topics pages including Hazardous Waste, Legionnaires Disease, Mold and Fungi, and Tularemia.
      • ABSA supported and promoted 2008 NAOSH Week, "Safety is Good Business," by adding information about the Week on its Web site.
      Finally, through the OSHA and ABSA Alliance, ABSA developed and OSHA reviewed four Biohazard fact sheets, including "Principles of Biosafety" and "Zoonotic Diseases" that were posted on the ABSA and OSHA Alliance-related Web page on the ABSA Web and linked to from the OSHA and ABSA Alliance Web page on the Agency Web site.
       
    3. Alliance Program Reach

      Type of Activity (Conference, Training, Print and Electronic Distribution, etc.) Number of Individuals Reached or Trained
      OSHA and ABSA Alliance Web page on the Agency Web site 4,215
      ABSA and OSHA Alliance Web page on the ABSA Web site Data not available
      Members of the ABSA Technical Review Committee serve on the editorial boards for 17 OSHA Safety and Health Topics pages:

      • Anthrax
      • Avian Flu
      • Biological Agents
      • Bloodborne Pathogens and Needlestick Prevention
      • Botulism
      • Foodborne Disease
      • Hantavirus
      • Hazardous Waste
      • Indoor Air Quality
      • Ionizing Radiation
      • Legionnaires' Disease
      • Mold and Fungi
      • Plague
      • Ricin
      • Smallpox
      • Tularemia
      • Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers      		 232,917

      4,527
      33,232
      49,884
      191,294

      8,092
      15,575
      16,247
      32,856
      32,852
      37,457
      29,111
      155,044
      17,706
      6,835
      15,814
      9,363
      7,488
      7,330
      Members of the ABSA Technical Review Committee serve on the editorial board for the OSHA Hospital eTool Editorial Board 35,482
      TOTAL 272,614

    4. Upcoming Milestones

      In the upcoming year, OSHA and ABSA will renew the Alliance agreement and continue to promote awareness of the Program and use their collective expertise to enhance workplace health and safety and to assist employers, including small businesses, in developing a preventive focus for biological safety issues facing the American workplace. For example:

      • OSHA and ABSA Alliance Implementation Team members are committed to maintaining and updating the OSHA and ABSA Alliance Web page on the Agency Web site and the ABSA and OSHA Alliance-related Web page on the ABSA Web site.
         
      • ABSA's Technical Review Committee members will continue to serve on the editorial boards for the OSHA Hospital eTool and for 17 OSHA Safety and Health Topics pages, including Avian Flu, Botulism, and Hantavirus. In addition they will continue to provide their expertise to OSHA by reviewing biological safety and health documents developed by OSHA, as requested.
         
      • OSHA representatives, Melody Sands and Dionne Williams, will deliver the OSHA Professional Development Course, "Introduction to OSHA for Biosafety Professionals," at the ABSA Annual Biological Safety Conference on October 18-21, 2009 at the Hyatt Regency Miami Convention Center in Miami, Florida.
         
      • ABSA will support and promote the 2008 Drug-Free Work Week and the 2009 North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week.
      Finally, OSHA and ABSA will complete the development of new Biohazard fact sheets in 2009 and post them on the ABSA and OSHA Alliance-related Web page on the ABSA Web site and OSHA will link to the fact sheets from the OSHA and ABSA Alliance Web page on the Agency Web site.

      Report prepared by: Sandra Khan, Alliance Coordinator, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances, October 15, 2008.

      Appendix A

      Editorial Review Board

      Matthew J. Bankowski, ViroMed (LabCorp), Minnetonka, MN

      Franklin R. Champlin, Mississippi State University, Starkville, MS

      Mary L. Cipriano, Abbott, Abbott Park, IL

      Robert P. Ellis, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO

      Glenn A. Funk, ABSA President

      Raymond W. Hackney, Jr., University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC

      Philip Hagan, Georgetown University, Washington, DC

      Robert J. Hawley, Midwest Research Institute, Frederick, MD

      Richard Henkel, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA

      Debra L. Hunt, Duke University, Durham, NC

      Peter C. Iwen, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE

      John H. Keene, Biohaztec Associates, Inc., Midlothian, VA

      Paul Michael Kivistik, University of Nevada, Reno, NV

      Joseph P. Kozlovac, USDA-ARS, Beltsville, MD

      Jens H. Kuhn, Harvard Medical School, Southborough, MA

      Margy S. Lambert, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI

      R. Thomas Leonard, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA

      Paul J. Meechan, Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA

      Mark Nicas, University of California, Berkeley, CA

      Beryl J. Packer, Iowa State University, Ames, IA

      Tim Ravita, Constella Health Sciences, Atlanta, GA

      Richard Rebar, GlaxoSmithKline R&D, King of Prussia, PA

      Jonathan Y. Richmond, Jonathan Richmond & Associates, Inc., Southport, NC

      Deanna S. Robbins, Department of Veterans Affairs, Baltimore, MD

      Richard J. Shaughnessy, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK

      Allan Showler, USDA-ARS, Weslaco, TX

      Cecil R. Smith, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH

      Gerard J. Spahn, The Salk Institute, La Jolla, CA

      Donald Vesley, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN

      Catherine L. Wilhelmsen, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), Fort Detrick, MD

      Linda B. Wolfe, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA

      Jeffrey D. Wolt, Iowa State University, Ames, IA

      Alan G. Woodard, International Environmental Health Alliance, Gansevoort, NY