I. Alliance Background

Date Signed

September 8, 2004

Overview

This Alliance establishes an agreement between parties to promote and educate Nebraska employers about the value-added to business by voluntarily implementing an effective safety and health management system. The agreement also focuses on a number of goals including:

Training and education:

• Work with OSHA to provide expertise to develop training and education programs for NGF members regarding engulfment, struck by and ergonomic hazards and transportation safety issues, and to provide expertise in communicating such information to employers and employees in the industry.
  
  
• Deliver or arrange for the delivery of OSHA 10 hour course.

Outreach and communication:

• Work with OSHA and Consultation 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, Consultation and the NGF's Web sites) to employers and employees in the industry.
  
  
• Speak, exhibit, or appear at NGF conferences, local meetings, or other events.
  
  
• Cross-train OSHA and Consultation personnel and industry safety and health professionals in NGF's best practices or effective approaches, as jointly determined by OSHA, NGF and Consultation.
  
  
• Promote and encourage NGF members or worksites' participation in OSHA's cooperative programs such as compliance assistance, the Voluntary Protection Program, Consultation, and SHARP.
  
  
• Share information among OSHA personnel and industry safety and health professionals regarding NGF's best practices or effective approaches and publicize results through outreach by NGF and through OSHA, Consultation or NGF developed materials, training programs, workshops, seminars, and lectures (or any other applicable forum).

Implementation Team Members

Evaluation Period

9/08/04-9/30/05

II. Implementation Team Meetings

The team has met twice. The first meeting was organizational and was spent discussing goals and objectives. The last meeting which was held on August 26, 2005, resulted in the development of a comprehensive action plan.

III. Activities and Products

Training and Education

Events:

• Darwin Craig, a CSHO from the Omaha Area Office has submitted the first of a series of articles that will appear in the NGF newsletter. The article is entitled, Grain Handling-The Importance of Bin Entry”.

IV. Upcoming Milestones

The Omaha Area Office (OAO) will continue to support the training efforts of NGF. In addition to a series of newsletter articles, the Omaha Area Office will work with NGF's VP for Education to develop a series of Power Point educational presentations. OAO staff will also make presentations at various NGF forums to include training workshops, roundtables and conventions. Presentations by OAO staff on PSM and Histoplasmosis have already been finalized.