Alliance -- An OSHA Cooperative Program<< Back to Concluded Regional Alliances - Region VII

  1. Alliance Background

    Date Signed

    Originally: September 8, 2004
    Renewed: October 11, 2006

    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 educational 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

    Pat Ptacek
    Justin R. Krahulik
    Jim Lightfoot
    Doug Fletcher
    Eldon Diedrichs
    Dennis Hohbein    		 Executive Vice President
    VP of Operations and Education
    Compliance Officer
    CAS
    Program Manager
    State Fire Marshal    		 NGF
    NGF
    OSHA
    OSHA
    21 D
    SFM

    Evaluation Period

    9/30/05-9/30/06

  2. Implementation Team Meetings

    The "Team" meets quarterly to discuss alliance progress and new outreach opportunities.

  3. Events and Products

    The Nebraska Fire Marshal's Office joined into the Alliance at the request of all participants. The NFM interacts regularly with grain elevators throughout the State of Nebraska and their participation promises to improve the level of communication and education available to NGFA members.

    Training and Education

    • Two newsletter articles were submitted by OSHA staff and published in the NGFA Electronic Newsletter. Topics included: Bin Entry Plans and Procedures; and, Respiratory Protection.

  4. Results
    Type of Activity (Conference, Training, Print and Electronic Distribution, etc.) Number of Individuals
    Reached or Trained
    NGFA Annual Conference: Jim Lightfoot, CSHO, attended the NGFAs annual conference in December 2005. He provided literature at a booth that served approximately 1,000 attendees over the two days of the conference. ~ 1,000
    Classes Presented:

    Phil Pisasale (Industrial Hygienist) presented a training class on PSM.

    Brad Wood (Industrial Hygienist) presented a training class on histoplasmosis.    		 Participants: NA

  5. Upcoming Milestones
     
    The Omaha Area Office (OAO) will continue to support the training efforts of NGF. OAO staff will also make presentations at various NGF forums to include training workshops, roundtables, and conventions. In addition, the OAO has been in contact with the Office of Training and Education in an attempt to resurrect an on-line training tool developed under a Susan Harwood Grant that has become non-functional. The NGFA is very interested in recovering this program so that it can be linked to the NGFA website for use by grain elevators around the state.