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ANNUAL ALLIANCE REPORT
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and
Society for Chemical Hazard Communication (SCHC) Alliance
December 4, 2008
  1. Alliance Background

    Date Signed

    October 22, 2003

    Date Renewed

    December 5, 2005
    March 24, 2008

    Evaluation Period

    October 22, 2007 – October 21, 2008

    Overview

    The OSHA and SCHC Alliance focuses on providing SCHC’s members and others, including small businesses, with information, guidance, and access to training resources to 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.

    Implementation Team Members

     
    OSHA:  
       
    Jackie Annis
    Karen Heckman
    Deana Holmes
    Lee Anne Jillings
    Barney Lawrence
    Maureen O’Donnell
    Tony Mapes**
    Lisa Ramber*
    Elizabeth (Bea) Way    		 Office of General Industry Enforcement, Directorate of Enforcement Programs (DEP)
    Office of Training and Educational Development, Directorate of Training and Education (DTE)
    Office of Chemical Hazards (OCH), Directorate of Standards and Guidance (DSG)
    Office of Outreach Services and Alliance (OOSA), Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs (DCSP)
    OOSA, DCSP
    OCH, DSG
    OOSA, DCSP
    OOSA, DCSP
    OOSA, DCSP
       
    SCHC:  
       
    Ann Brockhaus
    Mark Cohen
    Denise Deeds
    Dan Levine
    Suzanne Matuszewski
    Robert Skoglund
    Michelle Sullivan     		Committee Member
    President
    Past President
    Committee Member
    Vice-President/Chair
    Board Member
    Board Member

    * Lisa Ramber served as the Alliance Coordinator until January 22, 2008.
    ** Tony Mapes has served as the Alliance Coordinator since January 22, 2008.

     
  2. Implementation Team Meetings
     
    December 13, 2007
    April 17, 2008
    August 22, 2008     		Implementation Team Meeting
    Implementation Team Meeting
    Implementation Team Meeting

    In addition to these formal meetings, the Alliance coordinators from both groups maintained regular contact throughout the reporting period to monitor the Alliance’s progress and results.

     
  3. Results
     
    1. Events and Products

      Training and Education Goal
       
      • 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.
      Product

      Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) Authors’ Course, November 11, 2008, OSHA Southwest Education Center, Mesquite, Texas

      Through the OSHA and SCHC Alliance, SCHC is working with the OSHA Training Institute to develop a Material Safety Data Sheet Authors’ Course that is tentatively scheduled to be held at the OSHA Southwest Education Center in Mesquite, Texas, on November 11, 2008. The course is designed to provide a basic understanding of the OSHA requirements for when an MSDS is required, as well as developing the content of an MSDS. The course will be offered to all of the OSHA Education Centers after the pilot course is completed and any revisions are incorporated.

      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 the SCHC’s Web sites) to employers and employees in the industry.
      Product

      "Info Sheet #1: Pictograms"

      Through the Alliance, SCHC developed "Info Sheet #1: Pictograms." The Info Sheet provides employees with information on the pictograms and symbols used in the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals and the corresponding chemical hazards. It also provides examples of GHS pictograms and symbols.

      "Info Sheet #2, Flammable and Combustible Liquids"

      Through the Alliance, SCHC developed "Info Sheet #2: Flammable and Combustible Liquids." The Info Sheet details on how U.S. regulations and consensus standards define flammable and combustible liquids and how the Globally Harmonized System (GHS) of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals harmonizes its flammable liquid criteria. It also provides GHS label elements for flammable and combustible liquids.

      Publications

      Information on the activities of the OSHA and SCHC Alliance has appeared in numerous publications, such as Occupational Hazards Magazine and Industry News. For more information on the articles, see the "Alliance Program Reach Table."

      OSHA and SCHC Alliance Web page

      OSHA is continuing to update the OSHA and SCHC Alliance Web page that is posted on the OSHA Web site. The page includes the OSHA and SCHC Alliance agreement, renewal agreements, annual reports, news releases, information on activities and events, and links to resources developed by SCHC through the Alliance Program.

      SCHC and OSHA Alliance Web page

      SCHC is continuing to update the SCHC and OSHA Alliance Web page that is posted on the SCHC Web site. The page includes the goals of the Alliance and a link to the OSHA and SCHC Alliance Web page on the Agency’s Web site. In addition, there are links to a number of OSHA’s compliance assistance and cooperative program resources.

      OSHA Electronic Assistance Tools

      Representatives from SCHC serve on the editorial boards of the following OSHA Safety and Health Topics pages, providing OSHA with their expertise and technical review:
      • Hazard Communication
        • Michele Sullivan, Chair, SCHC; Annandale, VA
        • Daniel Levine, Product Safety Solutions; Basking Ridge, NJ
      • Making the Business Case for Safety and Health
        • Ann Brockhaus, Consultant, ORC Worldwide, Washington, DC
      • Speak, exhibit, or appear at OSHA’s or SCHC’s conferences, local meetings, or other events.
      Events

      SCHC Fall Meeting, September 20-24, 2008, Marriott Hotel Crystal Gateway, Arlington, Virginia

      Maureen O’Donnell, Industrial Hygienist, OCH, DSG, USDOL-OSHA, presented an OSHA regulatory update to 170 people focusing on hazard communication on September 21, 2008. In addition, Maureen presented "OSHA Update: Globally Harmonized System (GHS) of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals" to 170 people on September 23, 2008.

      Jackie Annis, Safety and Occupational Health Specialist, Office of General Industry Enforcement, DEP, USDOL-OSHA; Tony Mapes, Safety and Occupational Health Specialist, OOSA, DCSP, USDOL-OSHA; and Ryan Tremain, Safety and Occupational Health Specialist, OOSA, DCSP, USDOL-OSHA, staffed the OSHA and SCHC Alliance exhibit booth at the SCHC Fall Meeting on September 23, 2008. OSHA staff distributed OSHA safety and health information and answered questions from the conferences’ attendees. There were more than 150 attendees at the meeting.
       
      • Share information among OSHA personnel and industry safety and health professionals regarding effective approaches to hazard communication issues in the workplace and publicize these results through outreach by SCHC and through OSHA- or SCHC-developed materials, training programs, workshops, seminars, and lectures.
         
      SCHC Fall Meeting, September 20-24, 2008, Marriott Hotel Crystal Gateway, Arlington, Virginia

      Deana Holmes, OCH, DSG, USDOL-OSHA attended "HazCom 101 – Introduction to Chemical Hazard Communication" on September 21, 2008, in Arlington, Virginia. In addition, Deana attended "Globally Harmonized System (GHS) for Classification and Labeling of Chemicals" on September 23, 2008.
       
      • Work with other Alliance participants on specific issues and projects on hazard communication that are addressed and developed through the Alliance Program.
      Society for Chemical Hazard Communication (SCHC) Spring Meeting, April 5-9, 2008, Atlanta, Georgia

      Through the Alliance Program, Bill Balek, Director of Legislative Affairs, ISSA, presented "Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s) Across North America" at the SCHC Spring Meeting on April 8, 2008, in Atlanta, Georgia.

      National Dialogue on Workplace Safety and Health Goal
       
      • 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.

        2008 North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week, May 4-10, 2008, Washington, DC.

        On May 5, 2008, Deputy Assistant Secretary Donald Shalhoub, USDOL-OSHA spoke to OSHA staff, Alliance Program participants and other safety and health professionals during the 2008 North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week kick-off event at the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington, D.C. Sponsored annually by the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), 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 the 2008 NAOSH Week was "Safety is Good Business." The OSHA and SCHC Alliance, along with a number of other Alliance Program participants, supported the Week.

        In support of NAOSH Week, SCHC placed a link on the SCHC and OSHA Alliance Web page on the SCHC Web site to the 2008 NAOSH Week Web page on the ASSE Web site. In addition, SCHC included a 2008 NAOSH Week brochure in the 700 attendees’ registration packets at their Annual Spring Meeting, April 5-9, 2008, in Atlanta, Georgia.
         
    2. Executive Summary

      Through the Alliance Program, OSHA and SCHC are working together to develop resources that 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 is working to distribute information and increase awareness of the GHS. The positive relationship that SCHC has developed over the past five years has led to the development of the many programs and projects that the team is currently working on or has produced.

      For example, through the Alliance, SCHC developed the following GHS info sheets:
      • Info Sheet #1: Pictograms
      • Info Sheet #2: Flammable and Combustible Liquids
      The info sheets are a valuable resource to educate the public and increase awareness of the forthcoming GHS standard. In addition, SCHC invited OSHA staff to attend professional development courses and staff an OSHA and SCHC Alliance exhibit booth at their Fall Meeting, September 20-24, 2008, in Arlington, Virginia.

      Finally, as part of their outreach efforts, SCHC and a number of Alliance Program participants supported 2008 NAOSH Week, May 4-10. In addition, SCHC representatives are sharing their expertise with OSHA through participation on the editorial boards for the following OSHA Safety and Health Topics pages.
      • Hazard Communication
      • Making the Business Case for Safety and Health
    3. Alliance Program Reach
       
      Type of Activity (Conference, Training, Print and
      Electronic Distribution, etc.)      		 Number of Individuals
      Reached or Trained
      OSHA and SCHC Alliance Web page on OSHA Web site 11,339
      SCHC and OSHA Alliance Web page on the SCHC Web site Data not available
      OSHA Hazard Communication Safety and Health Topics Page 197,438
      OSHA Making the Business Case for Safety and Health, Safety and Health Topics Page 16,135
      March 28, 2008 – "OSHA, SCHC Renew Alliance to Improve Chemical Hazcom," Industry News Data Not Available
      March 31, 2008 – "OSHA, SCHC Renew Alliance," Occupational Hazards Magazine 81,000
      April 2, 2008 – "OSHA, SCHC Renew Alliance," Regulatory News Data Not Available
      April 8, 2008 – SCHC Spring Meeting, April 5-9, 2008, Atlanta, Georgia

      Speaker: Bill Balek, Director of Legislative Affairs, ISSA, presented "Volatile Organic Compounds (VOC’s) Across North America."      		 Data not available
      September 21, 2008 – SCHC Fall Meeting, September 20-24, 2008, Arlington, Virginia

      Speaker: Maureen O’Donnell, Industrial Hygienist, Office of Chemical Hazards – Metals, Directorate of Standards and Guidance, USDOL-OSHA, presented an OSHA regulatory update focusing on hazard communication during the meeting.      		 170
      September 23, 2008 – SCHC Fall Meeting, September 20-24, 2008, Arlington, Virginia

      Speaker: Maureen O’Donnell, Industrial Hygienist, Office of Chemical Hazards – Metals, Directorate of Standards and Guidance, USDOL-OSHA, presented "OSHA Update: Global Harmonized System (GHS) of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals."      		 170
      TOTAL 306,252


  4. Upcoming Milestones

    In the upcoming year, OSHA and SCHC plan to undertake several activities and projects through the Alliance to help employers reduce and prevent exposure to health and physical hazards of chemicals. For example, through the Alliance, SCHC will be conducting a Material Safety Data Sheet Authors’ Course on November 11, 2008, at the OSHA Southwest Education Center in Mesquite, Texas. In addition, the Alliance will draft and finalize two info sheets: Cancer Hazards and Eye Hazards.

    As part of the Alliance’s outreach efforts, SCHC representatives will be joining with other Alliance Program participants to support 2009 North American Occupational Safety and Health Week, May 3-9, 2008, "Safety Means Always Coming Home." In addition, SCHC representatives will continue to provide OSHA their expertise in serving on the editorial boards of the following OSHA Safety and Health Topic pages: Hazard Communication and Making the Business Case for Safety and Health.

    Finally, SCHC will work with other Alliance participants through the Alliance Program on joint projects.



    Report prepared by: Tony Mapes, Safety and Occupational Health Specialist, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances, December 4, 2008.


Page last updated: 02/23/2010