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ANNUAL CUYAHOGA COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH ALLIANCE REPORT
November 30, 2009
  1. Alliance Background

    Date Signed.

    October 1, 2008

    Alliance Overview.

    OSHA and the Cuyahoga County Board of Health formed an alliance to provide training and education resources to owners, operators, sanitarians and teen workers in the restaurant industry around Cuyahoga County. The main goal was to provide information, guidance and access to training resources that will help them to protect employee’s health and safety, particularly in reducing and preventing exposure to safety and health hazards in the food service industry, which includes falls, electrical hazards, struck bys and caught betweens.
     
  2. Implementation Team Members.

    Rob Medlock, Area Director, OSHA Cleveland Area Office
    Terry Allan, Commissioner, CCBH
    Rick Melendez, Supervisor of Food Element Programs, CCBH
    Eric Peterson, CAS, OSHA Cleveland Area Office

     
  3. Implementation Team Meetings

    The implementation Team met several times to discuss the possibilities of an alliance. Discussions were also held many times via phone conference regarding the planned activities. All face to face meetings were held at local events sponsored by the CCBH while conducting outreach activities.

     
  4. Activities and Products

    Evaluation Period.

    This report covers activities from October 1, 2008 to October 1, 2009.

    Alliance Activity.
     
    • Training and Education: Numerous outreach sessions were conducted locally for companies in the food, health care and nursing industries. Sessions included OSHA policies and procedures, OSHA update, and Wage and Hour regulation instruction and update. Futuristically, both organizations have planned to continue educating representatives from other counties in the Northeast Ohio area.
    • Outreach and Communication: Since the beginning of the alliance the Cleveland Area Offices, Compliance Assistance Specialists (CAS) have provided numerous brochures and other information on a host of varying topics to member companies and other participants that attend the various conferences. The CCBH has invited OSHA to their semi-annual meetings to discuss various topics of interest to the membership to include restaurant safety, electrical hazards, falls, struck bys, caught betweens, H1N1, blood-borne pathogens, communicable disease, etc. Along with invitations to speak at CCBH events, the organization has also placed resources and links on their website to assist the public in finding information and other resources to assist in providing safe workplaces.
    • Promoting the National Dialogue on Safety and Health: The CCBH has been instrumental in promoting health and safety on a national level through their website which highlights disease trends by population and disaster preparedness for pandemic flu.
    Alliance Products.
     
    • Training and Education: The CCBH has created a number of flyers promoting a number of safety and health related events for local restaurant, nursing, and other businesses that require a heightened level of sanitation for employees and the public. The CCBH has placed on their website a link for surveying the local population for any specific training desired or requested. OSHA has provided a speaker and number of PowerPoint presentations to assist the CCBH in educating the local community about workplace hazards and methods for preventing injury and illness while at work. Also the CCBH offers Continuing Education Credits (CEC’s, CEU’s) to those that wish to apply the training received to licenses or certifications.

      Rick Melendez, CCBH, sets up and hosts the conferences and workshops
      Suzanne Krippel, CCBH, coordinates and hosts county health events
      Gerald Scott, CCBH, coordinates and hosts county events
      Eric Peterson, CAS: developed presentation and spoke and the county events Julie Weis, CAS: assisted with providing information for the events
      Nancy Newman, AAD, provided training at a safety conference
      Karena Lorek, Investigator, provided OSHA discrimination rights training.
    • Outreach and Communication: Jointly, OSHA and the CCBH worked in collaboration to provide education and instruction through outreach to the local community. The CCBH announces special upcoming safety and health events on their website and during prior events to advise the attendees and local community of future engagements.
    • Promoting the National Dialogue on Safety and Health: The CCBH promotes dialogue through their website, where they discuss a host of safety related issues and other governmental regulatory concerns. The website is http://www.ccbh.net/ccbh/opencms/CCBH .

      The list below contains contributors to the success of the alliance, but are not apart of the implementation team:

      Suzanne Krippel, CCBH      , coordinates and hosts county health events
      Gerald Scott, CCBH, coordinates and hosts county events

      Results

      This report outlines the successful activities that have been accomplished during the first year of this alliance. The organizers of this alliance have been able to reach over 500 companies with over 780 employees and county officials attending the sponsored events and an untold number of employees impacted as an after effect. The impact of this alliance has resulted in the CCBH and OSHA forging a lasting relationship focused on public and workplace safety. This relationship has also aided in areas of enforcement, by increasing the number of watchful eyes on workplace hazards and ensuring a safer and healthier work atmosphere for all impacted.

       
      Type of Activity (Conference, Training, Print and Electronic Distribution, etc.) Number of Individuals Reached or Trained
       4/01/08 Annual Food Safety Meeting in Parma Ridge Road Party Center - 300
       10/01/08 Signing of the Alliance – 6
       11/05/08 CCBH Annual Restaurant Meeting/Training - Newman and Lorek - 100
       4/14/09 Annual Food Safety Meeting in Parma Ridge Road Party Center - 300
       9/29/09 CCBH Fall Food Safety Conference - topics discussed - Swine/Avian Flu Safety and Emergency Preparedness. Approx 80-100 people
      TOTAL 786


      The great relationship with OSHA assisted in development this alliance. As well, that same relationship has moved both organizations toward successfully providing the food service, nursing, health care industries as well as local county government with the information that they need to plan, prepare and provide safe and healthful workplaces. This alliance has expired and will not be renewed.

       
  5. Upcoming Milestones
     
    • Spring Safety Conference, Cuyahoga County, Spring 2010
    • Fall Safety Conference, Delroy, Ohio Fall 2010
       
    Report Prepared by: Eric Peterson, CAS, Cleveland Area Ohio, Office 216-615-4266

    For more information, contact the Office of Outreach Services and Alliances at 202-693-2340 or go to OSHA's webpage.