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Through the OSHA and SCHC Alliance, the organizations will provide SCHC members and others, including small businesses, with information, guidance, and access to training resources that will help them protect employees' health and safety. In particular, the Alliance will focus on reducing and preventing exposure to health and physical hazards of chemicals and addressing hazard communication, including training, labeling and material safety data sheets in the workplace. In addition, the Alliance will work to distribute information and increase awareness of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals. The Alliance's goals include:

Training and education:

• Work with OSHA to provide expertise to develop training and education programs for small business and other employers regarding hazard communication and to provide expertise in communicating such information to employers and employees in the industry.

Outreach and communication:

• 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 the SCHC's Web sites) to employers and employees in the industry.
• Speak, exhibit, or appear at OSHA's or SCHC's conferences, local meetings, or other events.
• Work with other Alliance participants on specific issues and projects on hazard communication that are addressed and developed through the Alliance Program.

Promoting the national dialogue on workplace safety and health:

• Convene or participate in forums, round table discussions, or stakeholder meetings on hazard communication issues to help forge innovative solutions in the workplace or to provide input on safety and health issues.

Milestones and Successes

• Society for Chemical Hazard Communication Alliance Milestones and Successes (2007, February).

Related Documents

Alliance Agreements

• Agreement signed October 22, 2003.
• Renewal Agreement signed December 5, 2005.
• Renewal Agreement signed March 24, 2008.

Alliance Annual Reports

• Alliance Annual Report 2003-2004, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances.
• Alliance Annual Report 2004-2005, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances.
• Alliance Annual Report 2005-2006, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances.
• Alliance Annual Report 2006-2007, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances.
• Alliance Annual Report 2007 -2008, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances.
• Alliance Annual Report 2008-2009, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances.
• Alliance Annual Report 2009-2010, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances.

Alliance News Releases

• OSHA Aligns with Society for Chemical Hazard Communication. OSHA News Release (2003, October 22).
• OSHA and SCHC Renew Alliance. OSHA News Release (2005, December 5).
• OSHA Makes the Business Case for Safety and Health. OSHA News Release (2006, October 5).
• OSHA Renews its Alliance with the Society for Chemical Hazard Communication. OSHA News Release (2008, March 28).

• October 1-5, 2011: 2011 Fall Meeting, Arlington, Virginia.
• October 4, 2011: OSHA staff at Alliance exhibit booth.
• October 4, 2011: Presenters: Maureen Ruskin, Director, Office of Chemical Hazards - Metals, Directorate of Standards and Guidance, USDOL-OSHA and Jennifer Silk, OSHA Consultant. Presentation Name: Keynote Address – OSHA GHS Update.
• May 1-7, 2011: 2011 North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week. The Society for Chemical Hazard Communication and a number of other Alliance Program participants supported 2011 NAOSH Week. Sponsored annually by the American Society of Safety Engineers, an Alliance Program participant, and the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering, the Week focuses on the importance of preventing injuries and illnesses in the workplace. The theme for 2011 was "Celebrating a Century of Safety."
• October 2-6, 2010: 2010 Fall Technical Meeting, Arlington, Virginia.
  • October 5, 2010: OSHA Personnel staffed an Alliance exhibition booth.
  • October 5, 2010: Maureen Ruskin, Director, Office of Chemical Hazards - Metals, Directorate of Standards and Guidance, USDOL-OSHA, presented "GHS Update" during the meeting.
• May 2-8, 2010: 2010 North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week. The Society for Chemical Hazard Communication (SCHC) and a number of other Alliance Program participants supported 2010 NAOSH Week, "Mission NAOSH 2010: Safe Workplaces." Sponsored annually by the American Society of Safety Engineers, an Alliance Program participant, and the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering, the week focuses on the importance of preventing injuries and illnesses in the workplace.
• October 3-7, 2009: SCHC Fall Meeting, Marriott Hotel Crystal Gateway, Arlington, Virginia.
  • October 6, 2009: Maureen Ruskin, Director, Office of Chemical Hazards - Metals, Directorate of Standards and Guidance, USDOL-OSHA, and Jennifer Silk, Consultant to OSHA, presented a keynote session entitled "Notice of Proposed Rule Making on GHS” during the meeting.
  • October 6, 2009: OSHA personnel staffed an Alliance Program exhibit booth.
  • October 7, 2009: Richard Fairfax, Director, Directorate of Enforcement Programs, USDOL-OSHA, presented "Communicating Hazards for Non-Industrial Products on MSDS for Consumer Products, FDA-Regulated Products (Medical, Dental, Pharmaceutical), Cosmetics and Articles" during the meeting.
  • October 7, 2009, Dr. Rosemary Sokas, Director, Office of Occupational Medicine, Directorate of Technical Support and Emergency Management, USDOL-OSHA, presented "Communicating Hazards of Exposure to Latex and Other Sensitizers" during the meeting.
• May 3-9, 2009: May 3-9, 2009: 2009 North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week. The Society for Chemical Hazard Communication and more than 55 other Alliance Program participants supported 2009 NAOSH Week. Sponsored annually by the American Society of Safety Engineers, an Alliance Program participant, and the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering, 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."

Products and Resources

• Alliance Program Participant Background

Alliance Program Participant Developed Products

• Info Sheet #1: Pictograms [English PDF^* - 118 KB, Spanish PDF^* - 891 KB]. Through the OSHA and Society for Chemical Hazard Communication (SCHC) Alliance, SCHC developed an information sheet which provides employees with pictograms, symbols of classification, labeling of chemicals, and corresponding chemical hazards as used in the Globally Harmonized System (GHS). (2010, January; Spanish translation 2012, January)
• Info Sheet #2: Flammable and Combustible Liquids [English PDF^* - 97 KB, Spanish PDF ^* - 326 KB]. Through the OSHA and Society for Chemical Hazard Communication (SCHC) Alliance, SCHC developed an information sheet which provides details on how U.S. regulations and consensus standards define flammable and combustible liquids, how the GHS classification and labeling of chemicals harmonizes its flammable liquid criteria, and GHS label elements for flammable and combustible liquids. (2010, January; Spanish translation 2012, January)
• Info Sheet #3: What is the GHS? [English PDF^* - 71 KB, Spanish PDF ^* - 224 KB]. Through the OSHA and Society for Chemical Hazard Communication (SCHC) Alliance, SCHC developed an information sheet which provides employees with the definition and benefits of GHS classification and labeling of chemicals and addresses how the GHS will affect compliance with the OSHA Hazard Communication Standard. (2010, March; Spanish translation 2012, January)
• Info Sheet #4: Labeling-OSHA vs. GHS [English PDF^* - 56 KB, Spanish PDF^* - 275 KB]. Through the OSHA and Society for Chemical Hazard Communication (SCHC) Alliance, SCHC developed an information sheet which provides employees with the definition of a label for both GHS and OSHA. In addition, it also addresses the purpose, requirements and label verbiage differences between OSHA and GHS. (2010, March; Spanish translation 2012, January)
• Info Sheet #5: Eye Damage/Eye Irritation [English PDF^* - 97 KB, Spanish PDF^* - 315 KB]. Through the OSHA and Society for Chemical Hazard Communication (SCHC) Alliance, SCHC developed an information sheet which provides employees with the GHS definition of each injury and labeling requirements and addresses GHS substance classification based on animal testing and physical characteristics of a compound. (2010, May; Spanish translation 2012, January)
• Info Sheet #6: Germ Cell Mutagenicity [Englsih PDF^* - 1 MB, Spanish PDF^* - 387 KB]. Through the OSHA and Society for Chemical Hazard Communication (SCHC) Alliance, SCHC developed an information sheet which provides employees with the GHS definition and classification of germ cell mutagenicity and addresses classification under GHS and hazard communication labeling. (2010, May; Spanish translation 2012, January)
• Info Sheet #7: Carcinogenicity [PDF* - 94 KB]. Through the OSHA and Society for Chemical Hazard Communication (SCHC) Alliance, SCHC developed an information sheet which provides employees with the GHS definition and classification of carcinogenicity and addresses classification of carcinogens under GHS and hazard communication labeling. (2011, August)

OSHA Safety and Health Topics Pages

• Hazard Communication^**
• Making the Business Case for Safety and Health^**
• Personal Protective Equipment^**
• Respiratory Protection^**

Additional Resources

• SCHC/OSHA Alliance page
• OSHA Guidance for Hazard Determination

^**Alliance Implementation Team members serve on the editorial board.

• Small Businesses

Accessibility Assistance: Contact the OSHA Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs at 202-693-2200 for assistance accessing PDF materials.

^*These files are provided for downloading.