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AGREEMENT ESTABLISHING AN ALLIANCE
BETWEEN
THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
AND THE
INTERNATIONAL WINDOW CLEANING ASSOCIATION
The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the International Window Cleaning Association (IWCA) recognize the value of establishing a collaborative relationship to foster safer and more healthful American workplaces. To that end, OSHA and the IWCA hereby form an Alliance to provide the IWCA members and others with information, guidance, and access to training resources that will help them protect the health and safety of workers, particularly by reducing and preventing exposure to slip, trip and fall, and fall from heights hazards and addressing issues related to the proper, safe use of high-reach access equipment including ladders and scaffolding equipment and addressing the safety and health challenges of small business owners and low literacy and limited English speaking workers in the window cleaning industry. In developing this Alliance, OSHA and the IWCA recognize that OSHA's State Plan and On-site Consultation Project partners are an integral part of the OSHA national effort.

OSHA and the IWCA will work together to achieve the following training and education goals:
  • Provide expertise to develop training and education programs for window cleaning contractors and workers, including low literacy and limited English speaking workers, regarding the recognition and prevention of workplace accidents due to slips, trips and falls, working from heights, and the use of specialized window cleaning and high-rise access equipment, and provide expertise in communicating such information to employers and workers in the industry.
OSHA and the IWCA will work together to achieve the following outreach and communication goals:
  • Provide expertise in developing information on the recognition and prevention of workplace hazards, and provide expertise in developing ways of communicating such information in English, Spanish, and/or other languages (e.g., print and electronic media, electronic assistance tools and OSHA's and the IWCA's Web sites) to employers and workers in the industry.


  • Speak, exhibit, or appear at OSHA's or the IWCA's conferences, local meetings or other industry events such as the Building Owners and Management annual convention and the International Facility Management Association annual conference.


  • Promote and encourage the IWCA members' or worksites' participation in OSHA's cooperative programs such as compliance assistance, the Voluntary Protection Programs, and the On-site Consultation Program and its Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program.
OSHA and the IWCA will work together to achieve the following goals related to promoting the national dialogue on workplace safety and health:
  • Convene or participate in forums, roundtable discussions, or stakeholder meetings on window cleaning industry safety to discuss safety and health issues and to help forge innovative solutions in the workplace.
OSHA's Alliances provide parties an opportunity to participate in a voluntary cooperative relationship with OSHA for purposes such as training and education, outreach and communication, and promoting a national dialogue on workplace safety and health. These Alliances have proved to be valuable tools for both OSHA and its Alliance participants. By entering into an Alliance with a party, OSHA is not endorsing or promoting, nor does it intend to endorse or promote, any of that party's products or services.

An implementation team made up of representatives of each organization will meet to develop a plan of action, determine working procedures, and identify the roles and responsibilities of the participants. In addition, they will meet at least three times per year to track and share information on activities and results in achieving the goals of the Alliance. OSHA team members will include representatives of OSHA's Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs and any other appropriate offices. OSHA will encourage State Plan States' and OSHA On-site Consultation Projects' participation on the team.

This agreement will remain in effect for two years. Either signatory may terminate it for any reason at any time, provided they give 30 days written notice. This agreement may be modified at any time with the written concurrence of both signatories.

Signed at Washington, DC this 10th day of June, 2010.



David Michaels, PhD, MPH
Assistant Secretary of Labor for
Occupational Safety and Health
Stefan Bright
Safety Director
International Window Cleaning Association