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ANNUAL ALLIANCE REPORT
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
and Shipbuilders Council of America (SCA)
June 22, 2010
  1. Alliance Background

    Date Signed

    January 31, 2003

    Dates Renewed

    June 16, 2005
    February 8, 2007
    March 6, 2009

    Evaluation Period

    January 31, 2009 – January 31, 2010

    Overview

    Through the Alliance, OSHA and SCA will provide SCA members and others in the shipbuilding industry, including non-English or limited-English speaking employees, with information and guidance that will help them protect employees' health and safety, particularly in reducing and preventing exposure to shipyard safety and health hazards such as electrical, welding/hotwork, ergonomics, and in promoting hearing conservation.

    Implementation Team Members

    OSHA

    Todd Briggs, Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs (DCSP), Office of Outreach Services and Alliances (OOSA),
    Steve Butler, Directorate of Enforcement Programs (DEP), Office of Maritime Enforcement (OME)
    Paul Comolli, DEP, OME
    Deborah Gabry, Directorate of Technical Support and Emergency Management (DTSEM), Office and Science and Technology Assessment
    Amy Wangdahl, Directorate of Standards and Guidance (DSG), Office of Maritime
    Danielle Watson, DSG, Office of Maritime

    SCA

    Ian Bennitt, Manager, Government Affairs, SCA
    Terry Preston, Atlantic Marine/Alabama Shipyard, SCA

     
  2. Implementation Team Meetings
     
    • February 2, 2009 Safety Alert Development Workgroup Meeting
    • March 16, 2009 Joint Alliance Implementation Team Meeting with American
      Shipbuilders Association (ASA) and the National Shipbuilders
      Research Program (NSRP) Alliances
    • July 23, 2009 Joint Alliance Implementation Team Meeting with ASA and NSRP
      Alliances
    • July 30, 2009 Safety Alert Development Workgroup Meeting
    • December 3, 2009 Joint Alliance Implementation Team Meeting with the ASA and
      NSRP Alliances
    In addition to these formal meetings, the Alliance coordinators from each organization, Todd Briggs and Ian Bennitt, spoke regularly to discuss and plan the activities and programs listed under events and products.

     
  3. Results
     
    1. Events and Products

      Outreach and Communication Goals
       
      • Work with OSHA 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 and SCA's Web sites) to employers and employees in the [maritime] industry.
      Products

      OSHA and SCA Alliance Web Page

      OSHA is continuing to update the OSHA and SCA Alliance Web page that is posted on the Agency’s Web site. The page includes OSHA and SCA Alliance-related information, including links to the OSHA and SCA Alliance agreements, news releases, Alliance Program participant-developed products, activities and events, and milestones and successes.

      SCA and OSHA Web Site

      SCA continues to update the association’s Web site, which includes information on the OSHA and SCA Alliance, OSHA Region X and SCA Alliance, and the OSHA Region VI Houston North and South Area Offices – SCA Strategic Partnership. During the reporting period, SCA posted “Safety Alert: Welding and Other Hot Work Procedures in Shipyard Employment” and “Toolbox Talks: Hearing Conservation in the Shipbuilding Industry,” developed through the OSHA and SCA, ASA, NSRP, American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), and American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) Alliances, on its Web site.

      Publications and Newsletters

      Articles on the OSHA and SCA Alliance activities have appeared in a number of print and online publications, including SCA Press Releases, OSHA up to Date, Occupational Health & Safety Magazine, and EHS Today. In addition, SCA includes information on OSHA compliance assistance resources in its quarterly publication, Shipyard Chronicle. For more information see the “Alliance Program Reach” table.

      OSHA Safety and Health Topics Pages and eTools
      SCA representatives serve on the editorial boards for the following Safety and Health Topics pages on the OSHA Web site: Maritime Industry and Ship Building and Repair. SCA representatives also serve on the editorial board of the Shipyard Employment eTool.
       
      • Speak, exhibit, or appear at OSHA's and SCA's conferences and events, such as SCA's bi-annual Safety Seminar.
         
      Events

      SCA Safety Seminar, September 10, 2009, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin

      Kelly Bubolz, Compliance Assistance Specialist, Region V, Appleton, Wisconsin Area Office, USDOL-OSHA, delivered a maritime safety-related presentation and provided an update on OSHA’s maritime-related activities to 35 people during the SCA Safety Seminar on September 10, 2009, in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin.
       
      • Share information among OSHA personnel and industry safety and health professionals regarding SCA best practices or effective approaches and publicize results through outreach by SCA and through OSHA- or SCA-developed materials, training programs, workshops, seminars, and lectures (or any other applicable forum).
      National Safety Congress and Expo, October 27, 2009, Orlando, Florida

      Stephen Butler, Director, Office of Maritime Enforcement, DEP, USDOL-OSHA and Ian Bennitt, Manager, Government Affairs, SCA, delivered "Maritime Industry Safety and Health Products and Information" to 35 people at the 2009 NSC Congress and Expo on October 27, 2009, in Orlando, Florida. The presentation also included an update on the activities of the OSHA and SCA Alliance.
       
      • Work with other Alliance participants on specific issues and projects including shipyard employment safety issues that are addressed and developed through the Alliance Program.
      Products

      Safety Alert: Welding and Hot Work Procedures in Shipyard Employment

      Through the Alliance Program, SCA worked with representatives from ASA, NSRP AIHA, and ASSE Alliances to develop “Safety Alert: Welding and Hot Work Procedures in Shipyard Employment.” The Alert provides tips and reminders to help maintain a safe work environment by identifying situations and hazards associated with hot work. The Safety Alert was posted on the SCA Web site in February 2009 and linked to from the OSHA and SCA Alliance Web page and the Alliance Program Participants Developed Products Web page on the OSHA Web site.

      Toolbox Talks: Hearing Conservation in the Shipbuilding Industry
      Through the Alliance Program, SCA worked with representatives from ASA, NSRP AIHA and ASSE Alliances to develop “Toolbox Talks: Hearing Conservation in the Shipbuilding Industry.” The toolbox talks address a number of hearing conservation-related topics, including shipbuilding noise levels and selecting hearing protection. The toolbox talks also include a hearing protection checklist for workers in shipyard employment. The documents were posted on the SCA Web site in April 2009 and linked to from the OSHA and SCA Alliance Web page and the Alliance Program Participants Developed Products Web page on the OSHA Web site.
       
      • Promote and encourage SCA members' 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.
        During this evaluation period, no products or resources have been developed
        to meet this Alliance goal.
      Promoting the National Dialogue on Workplace Safety and Health Goals
       
      • Convene or participate in forums, roundtable discussions, or stakeholder meetings on shipyard safety and health hazards, including ergonomics, to help forge innovative solutions in the workplace.
      Events

      North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week, May 3-9, 2009, “Safety Means Always Coming Home”

      On May 3-9, 2009, SCA and 57 other Alliance Program participants supported 2009 NAOSH Week. Sponsored annually by ASSE, an Alliance Program participant, and the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE), the Week focuses on the importance of preventing injuries and illnesses in the workplace. The theme for 2009 NAOSH Week was "Safety Means Always Coming Home." Ian Bennitt, Manager, Government Affairs, SCA, attended the event and represented SCA, which, along with a number of other Alliance Program participants, supported the Week.
       
    2. Executive Summary

      Through the Alliance Program, OSHA and SCA continue to work together to address safety and health issues in the maritime industry and continue their productive working relationship. For example, the OSHA and SCA Alliance worked on several projects with ASA, NSRP, and other maritime industry-related Alliances to develop a safety alert and toolbox talk focusing on safety and health issues in shipyard employment.

      OSHA and SCA representatives are also sharing their expertise through participation on the OSHA electronic assistance tools’ editorial boards and speaking opportunities. SCA representatives continue to serve on the Maritime Industry and Ship Building and Ship Repair Safety and Health Topics pages’ editorial boards and the Shipyard Employment eTool’s editorial board. In addition, at the SCA Safety Seminar on September 10, 2009, in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, Kelly Bubolz, Compliance Assistance Specialist (CAS), Region V, Appleton, Wisconsin Area Office, USDOL-OSHA, delivered a maritime safety-related presentation and provided an update on OSHA’s maritime-related activities. Further, representatives from DEP and SCA delivered a safety and health presentation focusing on maritime safety at the 2009 NSC Congress and Expo in Orlando, Florida.

      Through the Alliance Program, SCA worked with ASSE and more than 55 other Alliance Program participants to support and promote 2009 NAOSH Week, May 3-9, “Safety Means Always Coming Home.”

      Lastly, SCA is continuing to hold joint Implementation Team meetings with ASA and NSRP, which include OSHA representatives from DCSP, DEP, DSG, and DTSEM.
       
    3. Alliance Program Reach
       
    Type of Activity (Conference, Training, Print and Electronic Distribution, etc.) Number of Individuals Reached or Trained
    OSHA and SCA Alliance Web Page on the OSHA Web Site 3,282
    SCA and OSHA Alliance Web Page on the SCA Web Site Data Not Available
    Maritime Industry Safety and Health Topics Page 41, 292
    Shipbuilding and Ship Repair Safety and Health Topics Page 9,993
    Shipyard Employment eTool 21, 675
    March 20, 2009, “SCA and OSHA Renew Partnership in National Alliance Program”

    SCA News Release     		200
    February 19, 2009, “OSHA Maritime Alliance Participants Complete Safety Alert for Welding and Hot Work”

    SCA News Release     		200
    March 13, 2009, “Spring Health and Safety Seminar 2009”

    SCA News Release     		200
    March 16, 2009, “SCA, OSHA, ASSE and other Alliance Program Particpants Promote NAOSH Week, May 3-9, 2009”

    SCA News Release     		200
    March 20, 2009, “SCA and OSHA Renew Partnership in National Alliance Program”

    SCA News Release     		200
    March 23, 2009, “OSHA and Shipbuilders Council of America Alliance set goal of reducing and preventing shipyard hazards”

    OSHA News Release    		 69 News Services
    March 24, 2009, “OSHA and Shipbuilders Council Address Shipyard Hazards”

    EHS Today    		 83,102
    March 24, 2009, “OSHA Renews Biosafety, Shipbuilding Alliances”

    Occupational Health & Safety Magazine    		 80,100
    March 27, 2009, “OSHA Renews Biosafety, Shipbuilding Alliances”

    Occupational Health & Safety E-News    		 Data Not Available
    June 2009, “OSHA Alliances – SCA”

    OSHA Up To Date    		 62 News Services
    October 27, 2009, NSC Congress and Expo, Orlando, Florida, “Maritime Industry Safety and Health Products and Information”
    Speakers:

    Stephen Butler, Director, Office of Maritime Enforcement, Directorate of Enforcement Programs, USDOL-OSHA and Ian Bennitt, Manager, Government Affairs, SCA    		 35
    September 10, 2009, SCA Health and Safety Seminar, Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin

    Speaker:
    Kelly Bubolz, CAS, Region V, Appleton, Wisconsin Area Office, USDOL-OSHA    		 35
    TOTAL 240,644

     
  4. Upcoming Milestones

    To build on the success of the Alliance’s first seven years, the OSHA and SCA Alliance was renewed in March 2009. To meet the goals of the renewed cooperative agreement, the Alliance Implementation Team will be working on a number of compliance assistance activities and products for the maritime industry. For example, SCA will work with ASA, NSRP, AIHA and ASSE through the Alliance Program to finalize a safety alert focusing on ventilation safety-related issues in shipyard employment. SCA representatives will review and provide feedback on an OSHA Safety and Health Information Prevention Sheet (SHIPS) focusing on rigging. SCA representatives will also review and provide feedback on OSHA-developed products, including a series of maritime-related fatality fact sheets and QuickCards focusing on aerial lifts.

    Through the OSHA Region IV Mobile, Alabama Area Office and Gulf Coast Safety Maritime Safety Association Alliance, members from SCA will review and provide feedback on draft compliance assistance and outreach documents focusing on safety and health issues in the maritime industry.

    In addition, SCA representatives will continue to serve on the OSHA Maritime Industry and Ship Building and Ship Repair Safety and Health Topics pages’ editorial boards and the OSHA Shipyard Employment eTool’s editorial board.

    Further, SCA will support 2010 NAOSH Week, “Mission NAOSH 2010: Safe Workplaces” and will promote the Alliance Program and Agency compliance assistance materials.

    SCA will publish articles in its quarterly publication, Shipyard Chronicle, and include Alliance-related information in the “News and Public Information” section on its Web site. In addition, SCA will post the products the Alliance develops to the association’s Web site which will be linked to from the OSHA and SCA Alliance Web page and the Alliance Program Participants Developed Products Web page on the Agency’s Web site.

    John Vos, CAS, Region IV, Savannah Area Office, USDOL-OSHA, will deliver a presentation focusing on maritime health and safety issues at the SCA Spring Health and Safety Seminar on March 11, 2010, in Mobile, Alabama.

    Finally, OSHA is working with ASA, NSRP, and SCA to conclude the individual Alliances and sign one maritime-related cooperative agreement in August 2010 that will address the same goals and safety and safety and health topic areas.


    Report prepared by: Todd Briggs, Alliance Coordinator, OOSA, June 22, 2010.