Purpose and Scope of Alliance:
Purpose:
The purpose of this MIOSHA Alliance is to partner with Green Industry organizations in Michigan to
establish a collaborative relationship to work together to reduce and prevent injuries and illnesses
in the green industry. The Alliance will promote dialogue, develop resources, promote access to
training, and share information with workers in the green industry.
Target Audience:
Green industry employers and employees in Michigan. These include, but are not limited to, any
business entity engaged in providing turfgrass maintenance; tree trimming, including around overhead
utility lines; landscape care and maintenance services and/or installing trees, shrubs, plants,
lawns or gardens; design of landscape plans and/or the construction (i.e. installation) of walkways,
retaining walls, decks, fences, ponds, irrigation; and similar activities.
Major Alliance Activity:
Promote the services available through the Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration
(MIOSHA) Consultation Education and Training (CET) Division including, but not limited to, safety
and health hazard surveys and employee/employer training. Alliance partners will promote worker
safety in the green industry to their members and work together to develop resources, fact sheets,
and other training materials. Dialogue between MIOSHA and Alliance partners will increase
understanding of practical application of MIOSHA standards, processes and standard interpretations
that pertain to the green industry.
Alliance Benefit:
All partners will work together to develop information on the recognition and prevention of
workplace hazards and communicate that information throughout the green industry. Information will
be shared among MIOSHA personnel and Michigan green industry employers and employees.
Alliance Positive Impact:
Through participation and support of this Alliance, Michigan green industry organizations will
promote a “workplace free of recognizable hazards” within the green industry, while improving
knowledge and understanding of the fundamental requirements established by MIOSHA.
Goals and Objectives of Alliance:
- Reduce injuries and illnesses among Michigan green industry workers.
- Create and develop training programs specifically for the green industry in Michigan.
- Work with MIOSHA to establish industry best practices and green industry-related safety and health
systems.
- Develop a collaborative relationship between MIOSHA and green industry organizations in Michigan
to provide a safe work environment.
Outreach and Communication:
- MIOSHA will speak, exhibit, and participate at green industry sponsored conferences and events as
requested and when possible.
- Partners will develop safety and health fact sheets, and other printed information for employers
and employees in the industry.
- Partners will develop a resource list of websites that contains relevant information to assist
employers and employees to increase their knowledge of safety and health.
- Promote the goals and objectives of this Alliance through partners' newsletters, websites, and
other means of communication with their members, including reciprocal website links.
- The MIOSHA CET Division will provide free onsite consultation to assist employers with compliance
and the development of a safety and health system.
- Develop best practices or case studies illustrating the business value of safety and health.
- Partners will communicate to their members the benefits of participating in the Alliance.
Training and Education:
- Collaboratively develop PowerPoint programs that can be placed on partners' websites for use in
the industry.
- Develop and conduct a safety and health seminar (Employer Symposium) for the green industry, with
participation from all partners, and offered a minimum of once a year during the alliance timeframe.
- Coordinate training for MIOSHA staff to increase their understanding of the hazards in the green
industry.
- Develop and conduct safety and health training and promote alliance activities at partners'
established conferences.
Promoting Dialogue:
- Coordinate efforts for partners to dialogue with MIOSHA through forums or round table discussions
to forge innovative solutions in the workplace or to provide input on safety and health issues.
- Provide opportunities for discussion and input on MIOSHA standards and interpretations that affect
the green industry.
- Meet a minimum of twice a year to advance the goals and objectives of the Alliance.
Roles and Responsibilities:
- Teaming up with MIOSHA and the Green Industry Alliance partners will help the Arboriculture
Society of Michigan (ASM) attain their mission of promoting strong ethics and high standards of
practice among arboriculture/urban forestry professionals. ASM will be a contributor to the
processes and a disseminator of the various proposals agreed to by all Alliance partners.
- The Michigan Green Industry Association (MGIA) is committed to work
together with our state and national Alliance partners to foster a strong relationship of clearer
communication and ongoing education to promote the highest standards, good work ethics, and safer
work practices for all professional sectors of the Green Industry.
- The Tree Care Industry Association (TCIA) has as one of its long-term strategic goals to reduce
accidents and improve worker safety in the tree care industry. We want to work openly and
collaboratively with MIOSHA and our Michigan Green Industry partners, tapping TCIA's extensive
safety and regulatory compliance experience, including our five year history with an OSHA national
Alliance. TCIA wishes to help facilitate, and to be a key contributor to, the various initiatives
our partners have identified.
- The Michigan Nursery and Landscape Association (MNLA) is committed to developing and fostering
partnerships to provide unparalleled resources for our green industry. Through this Alliance with
MIOSHA, MNLA agrees to the following: Information sharing and education of MIOSHA/CET personnel to
the needs of Michigan's Green Industry; provide the avenues for MIOSHA/MIOSHA's information to reach
our green industry to promote safety and health awareness; provide consultation and training,
through publishing articles in our monthly publication The Michigan Landscape; promote Alliance and
MIOSHA/MIOSHA's information to the green industry by providing exhibit space at our annual trade
shows, The Great Lakes Trade Exposition and the MNLA Summer Field Day; and other mutually beneficial
opportunities as they arise.
- The Michigan Occupational Safety and Health Administration (MIOSHA) has created an initiative to
reduce injuries, illnesses, and fatalities in the green industry. As part of this initiative, MIOSHA
will work collaboratively with the Green Industry Alliance partners to promote safety and health
awareness, provide consultation and training, and participate in open dialogue to increase MIOSHA
staff knowledge of the green industry. MIOSHA will promote the Alliance through their website and
newsletters.
- To support the Michigan Green Industry Alliance, the Michigan Turfgrass
Foundation (MTF) will provide MIOSHA education and training opportunities at events including
the Great Lakes Trade Exposition and Field Day; promote safety and health awareness and MIOSHA's
consultation services through the Michigan Turfgrass Environmental Stewardship Program and its field
staff; and publish health and safety articles in Newsnotes and on the MTF website.
- The Utility Line Clearance Commission (ULCC) is interested in being an Alliance partner to improve
communication between MIOSHA and the line clearance industry. ULCC would like to engage in dialogue
to better understand inspection, citation and abatement processes used by MIOSHA. ULCC would also
like to work with MIOSHA to ensure MIOSHA standards applications and interpretation stay current
with industry standards.
Outcomes of Alliance Activities:
This Alliance will provide partners an opportunity to participate in a voluntary cooperative
relationship with MIOSHA for purposes of training and education, outreach and communication, and
promoting a dialogue on workplace safety and health. Alliances have proven to be valuable tools for
both MIOSHA and its Alliance participants. By entering into this Alliance MIOSHA is not endorsing
any of the partners' products or services.
| Initiation and Cancellation of Agreement: |
The Alliance agreement is effective on the date of signing and will be in effect
for three years. Prior to the expiration of the agreement, the parties will confer and evaluate whether
the agreement should be extended. Without regard to the term of the agreement, any of the parties can
terminate the agreement with 30 days written notification.
Douglas J. Kalinowski
Director
MIOSHA |
Date |
Nancy A. Carpenter, CAE
Executive Director
ARBORICULTURE SOCIETY OF MICHIGAN (ASM) |
Date |
Diane Andrews
Executive Director
MICHIGAN GREEN INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION (MGIA) |
Date |
Amy Frankmann
Executive Director
MICHIGAN NURSERY AND LANDSCAPE ASSOCIATION (MNLA) |
Date |
Daniel Boak
Vice President
MICHIGAN TURFGRASS FOUNDATION (MTF) |
Date |
Cynthia Mills, CAE, CMC
President/CEO
TREE CARE INDUSTRY ASSOCIATION (TCIA) |
Date |
Joseph F. Tommasi, CTSP
Chairperson
UTILITY LINE CLEARANCE COALITION (ULCC) |
Date |
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