<<< Back to American Biological Safety Association Alliance Logo
Link to Printing InstructionsPrinting Instructions

ANNUAL ALLIANCE REPORT

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

and the

American Biological Safety Association (ABSA)

October 14, 2009

  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
    Dionne Williams    		 Directorate of Technical Support and Emergency Management (DTSEM)
    DTSEM
    Office of Outreach Services and Alliances
    Directorate of Enforcement Programs
       
    ABSA:  
    Penny Holeman
    Rich Rebar
    Ed Styger    		 Johnson & Johnson
    GlaxoSmithKline
    Executive Director, ABSA

    Evaluation Period

    September 23, 2008 – September 22, 2009
     
  2. Implementation Team Meetings
    • December 9, 2008 Implementation Team Meeting
    • May 15, 2009 Implementation Team Meeting
    • August 10, 2009 Work-group Meeting
    • September 19, 2009 Work-group Meeting
    In addition to these formal meetings, 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

      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 the following ABSA-developed fact sheets created through OSHA and ABSA Alliance were added to the page:
      • Principles of Biosafety
      • BioSafety Levels
      • elect 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 posted on the Agency Web site. The page includes information on Alliance events, 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 the following ABSA-developed fact sheets created through OSHA and ABSA Alliance were added to the page:
      • 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 Technical Review Committee members.

      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

      Summer Seminar Series and Review Course, June 25-26, 2008, Sheraton Inner Harbor Hotel, Baltimore, Maryland

      Dionne Williams, Industrial Hygienist, Office of Health Enforcement, Directorate of Enforcement Programs, USDOL-OSHA, attended the conference and staffed an Alliance Program exhibit booth.

      2008 Drug-Free Work Week, October 20-26, 2008

      ABSA and a number of other Alliance Program participants supported the 2008 Drug-Free Work Week. Sponsored annually by the U.S. Department of Labor's Working Partners for an Alcohol- and Drug-Free Workplace Program, the Week focused on educating employers, employees and the public about the importance of being drug-free as an essential component of a safe and healthful workplace.

      2009 North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week, May 3-9, 2009

      ABSA and more than 57 other Alliance Program participants supported 2009 NAOSH Week. Sponsored annually by the American Society of Safety Engineers, an Alliance Program participant, and the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering, the Week focuses on the importance of preventing injuries and illnesses in the workplace. The theme for 2009 NAOSH Week was "Safety Means Always Coming Home." To help support the week ABSA distributed information about 2009 NAOSH Week to its membership and posted a link on the ABSA Web site to the NAOSH Week Web site.
       
      • 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 Laboratory Safety Guidance Booklet, QuickCards and Fact Sheets

      ABSA representatives provided feedback on the draft OSHA "Laboratory Safety Guidance Booklet," associated QuickCards and Fact Sheets, for the Directorate of Standards and Guidance.

      OSHA and ABSA Alliance-Developed Fact Sheets

      Through the OSHA and ABSA Alliance, ABSA is developing and OSHA is reviewing the "General Microbiology" fact sheet. The fact sheet is expected to be finalized in 2010. After the fact sheet is finalized it will be posted on the ABSA and OSHA Alliance-related Web page on the ABSA Web site and linked to from the OSHA and ABSA Alliance Web page and the Alliance Program Participants Developed Products page on the OSHA Web site.

      Promoting the National Dialogue on Workplace Safety and Health Goal
       
      • Convene or participate in forums, round table discussions, or stakeholder meetings on Biosafety issues to help forge innovative solutions in the workplace or to provide input on safety and health issues.
      During the reporting period the OSHA and ABSA implementation Team did not address this Alliance goal.
       
    2. Executive Summary

      Because of the success of the OSHA and ABSA Alliance, the organizations renewed the Alliance on March 3, 2009. The 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 ABSA Technical Review Committee members continue to serve on the editorial boards of OSHA’s Safety and Health Topics pages, including Hazardous Waste, Legionnaires Disease, Mold and Fungi, and Tularemia and the OSHA Hospital eTool.
         
      • The OSHA and ABSA Alliance maintained several informational resources about the Alliance, biological hazards, and other safety and health materials. The OSHA and ABSA Alliance Web page on the Agency Web site features the Alliance agreement, renewal agreements, related documents, and milestones and successes; the ABSA and OSHA Alliance-related Web page on the ABSA Web site 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.
         
      • ABSA supported and promoted the 2008 Drug-Free Work Week and the 2009 NAOSH Week by adding information about the Weeks on the ABSA Web site.
      Finally, through the OSHA and ABSA Alliance, ABSA developed the "General Microbiology" fact sheet. It is anticipated this will be finalized in early 2010.
       
    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 3,214
    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
    		 198,253
    Members of the ABSA Technical Review Committee serve on the editorial board for the OSHA Hospital eTool Editorial Board 35,482
    October 5, 2008: "Updated Hospital eTool Modules"
    Safety Service Industry News    		 Data not available
    November 2008: "OSHA Releases Updated Surgical Module for Hospital eTool"
    AORN Connections    		 6,300
    March 24, 2009: "OSHA Renews Biosafety, Shipbuilding Alliances"
    Occupational Health & Safety Magazine    		 90,000
    April 2, 2009: "OSHA Renews Alliance with Biology Organization"
    BNA Occupational Safety and Health Reporter    		 Data not available
    April 2, 2009: "OSHA Alliance Addresses Biological Safety Hazards"
    FacilitySafety Management    		 85,000
    April 14, 2009: "OSHA Alliance Addresses Biological Safety Hazards"
    FacilitySafety Management    		 85,000
    April 15, 2009: "OSHA Publications Address Biological Safety Hazards, Respirators"
    FacilitySafety Management    		 85,000
    April 27, 2009: "OSHA Renews Biosafety, Shipbuilding Alliances"
    Occupational Health & Safety E-News    		 80,100
    May 7, 2009: "OSHA, Association Join Together to Address Biological Safety Hazards"
    Risk & Insurance Online    		 Data not available
    June 2009: "OSHA Alliances"
    OSHA Up To Date    		 62 News Services
    TOTAL 578,349

     
  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:
     
    • 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 providing feedback on draft biological safety and health documents developed by OSHA, as requested.
       
    • 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.
       
    • OSHA representatives will participate at the ABSA Annual Biological Safety Conference, October 18-21, 2009, at the Hyatt Regency Miami Convention Center in Miami, Florida
       
    • ABSA will support and promote the 2009 Drug-Free Work Week and the 2010 North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week.
      Finally, during 2010 OSHA and ABSA will finalize the "General Microbiology" fact sheet and Biohazard fact sheets, and link to them form the OSHA and ABSA Alliance Web page and on the Alliance Program Participants Developed Products Web page on the Agency Web site.
      Report prepared by: Sandra Khan, Alliance Coordinator, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances, October 16, 2009.

       
    Appendix A

    ABSA Technical Review Committee Members

    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