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ALLIANCE ANNUAL REPORT

Occupational Safety and Health Administration and
The Steel Group
September 7, 2006

I. Alliance Background

Date Signed

July 7, 2004

Date Renewed

August 26, 2005

Overview

Signatories of the Alliance (known as The Steel Group):
  • American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI)
  • Specialty Steel Industry of North America (SSINA)
  • Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA)
OSHA and The Steel Group are working together to provide the steel manufacturing industry and others, including downstream manufacturers, with information, guidance, and mentoring that will help them protect employees' health and safety.

Implementation Team Members
 
OSHA:  
   
Todd Briggs
Lee Anne Jillings
Lisa Ramber		 Office of Outreach Services and Alliances (OOSA)
OOSA
OOSA
   
The Steel Group:  
   
John Carroll
Kristina Cushing
Tom Danjczek
Jeff Dierdorf
Peter Hernandez
Ronald Herring
Kathy McMahon
Charles Prezzia
Andrew Sharkey
Mike Stokes		 IPSCO, Inc.
Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA)
SMA
United States Steel Corporation (USSC)
Management Advisors
Chaparral Steel
Specialty Steel Industry of North America (SSINA)
American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI)
AISI
AISI

Evaluation Period

July 7, 2005 - July 6, 2006

II. Implementation Team Meetings
 
October 11, 2005
October 31, 2005
November 30, 2005
January 17, 2006
January 31, 2006
March 1, 2006
March 21, 2006
May 15, 2006		 Teleconference, Basic Steel Products Topics Page
Teleconference, Basic Steel Products Topics Page
Implementation Team Meeting, Mobile, Alabama
Teleconference, Basic Steel Products Topics Page
Teleconference, Basic Steel Products Topics Page
Teleconference, Basic Steel Products Topics Page
Implementation Team Meeting, Teleconference
Teleconference, Basic Steel Products Topics Page

III. 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 The Steel Group's Web sites) to employers and employees in the industry
    Products

    OSHA and The Steel Group Alliance Web Page

    The OSHA and The Steel Group Alliance Web page on OSHA's Web site includes links to the Alliance agreement and related documents, activities and events, milestones and successes, and products of the Alliance. This Web page is updated on a regular basis.

    Steel Group OSHA Alliance Web Site

    The Steel Group updated and enhanced the Steel Group OSHA Alliance Web site in June 2006 with links to the Agency's safety and health and training resources such as the Personal Protective Equipment, Workplace Substance Abuse, Fall Protection and Hexavalent Chromium Safety and Health Topics pages and the Lockout/Tagout eTool. This Web page is updated on a regular basis.

    Chaparral Steel Case Study

    Ron Herring, Safety Manager for Chaparral Steel, worked with OSHA to develop a case study on Chaparral Steel's Manager Accountable Safety and Health (MASH) Program.

    The case study is posted on OSHA's Compliance Assistance: Success Stories and Case Studies Web page and linked to a number of Web pages including the OSHA and The Steel Group Alliance Web page, the Basic Steel Products Safety and Health Topics page and the Steel Group OSHA Alliance Web site.

    Chaparral Steel Success Story

    Ron Herring also worked with OSHA to develop a success story that focuses Chaparral Steel's use of soap and water in a spray bottle to identify leaking cutting torch hose connections.

    The success story is posted on OSHA's Compliance Assistance: Success Stories and Case Studies Web page and linked to a number of Web pages including the OSHA and The Steel Group Alliance Web page, the Basic Steel Products Safety and Health Topics page and the Steel Group OSHA Alliance Web site.

    Print and Media

    OSHA published information on the Alliance through a news release. For more information on the article, please refer to the Alliance Program Reach section.

    OSHA's Basic Steel Products Safety and Health Topics Page

    The Steel Group provided OSHA with input and expertise during the Agency's development of its Basic Steel Products Safety and Health Topics page. The Topics page was posted on OSHA's Web site in June 2006. The page highlights OSHA's standards, directives and standards interpretations applicable to the basic steel industry and identifies potential workplace hazards and possible solutions. It also provides additional resources including information on safety and health case studies. The OSHA and Crane, Hoist and Monorail Alliance, consisting of the Crane Manufacturers Association of America, the Hoist Manufacturers Institute and the Monorail Manufacturers Association, contributed crane and hoist safety and health related information during the development of the page.

    The Steel Group Editorial Board participants are:

      • Jeff Adams, Safety Group Manager Steel Group East, CMC Steel Group, Cayce, South Carolina
      • John Carroll, Director, Safety and Security, IPSCO Enterprises Inc., Lisle, Illinois
      • Kristina Cushing, Manager, Member Service and Administration, Steel Manufacturers Association, Washington, DC
      • Thomas Danjczek, President, Steel Manufacturers Association, Washington, DC
      • Jeffery Dierdorf, General Manager, Safety and Industrial Hygiene, United States Steel Corporation, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
      • Peter Hernandez, Consultant, Management Advisers, LLC, Alpharetta, Georgia
      • Ron Herring, Safety Manager, Chaparral Steel USA, Midlothian, Texas
      • Charles Prezzia, MD, MPH, MMM, General Manager, Health Services and Medical Director, United States Steel Corporation, Pittsburg, Pennsylvania
    • Speak, exhibit or appear at OSHA's or The Steel Group's conferences, local meetings, or other events.
    Events

    Association for Iron and Steel Technology (AISTech) 2006 - The Iron & Steel Technology Conference and Exposition, May 1-4, 2006, Cleveland, Ohio

    Through the OSHA and The Steel Group Alliance, OSHA's Region V Cleveland, Ohio Area Office staffed an Alliance Program exhibit booth at the Association for Iron and Steel Technology 2006 - The Iron and Steel Technology Conference and Exposition, May 1-4, 2006 at the Cleveland Convention Center, Cleveland, Ohio. Region V representatives distributed OSHA's compliance assistance resources and cooperative program information to the conference's attendees.

    • Share information among OSHA personnel and industry safety and health professionals regarding The Steel Group's best practices or effective approaches and publicize results through outreach by The Steel Group and through OSHA- or The Steel Group's developed materials, training programs, workshops, seminars, and lectures (or any other applicable forum)

      United States Steel Corporation's Physician's Guide

      During this evaluation period, The Steel Group implementation team contacted OSHA's Directorate of Science, Technology and Medicine to request review and comment of the United States Steel Corporation's Physician's Guide. The document reflects medical surveillance guidelines for a fitness for duty evaluation form for applicable occupations within the steel industry.

    • Promote and encourage The Steel Group members' or worksites' participation in OSHA's cooperative programs such as compliance assistance, the Voluntary Protection Programs, and the 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.

    • Work with other Alliance participants on specific issues and projects that are addressed and developed through the Alliance Program.

      Basic Steel Products Safety and Health Topics Page

      The OSHA and Crane, Hoist and Monorail Alliance, consisting of the Crane Manufacturers Association of America, the Hoist Manufacturers Institute and the Monorail Manufacturers Association, contributed to the development of OSHA's Basic Steel Products Safety and Health Topics page (noted above).
    Promoting the National Dialogue on Workplace Safety and Health Goals

    • Convene or participate in forums, roundtable discussions, conferences and stakeholder meetings on issues concerning injuries and illnesses that may occur in steel industry plants to help forge innovative solutions to these incidents in the workplace.
    Events

    IPSCO Plant Tour

    The OSHA and The Steel Group Alliance implementation team toured IPSCO's steel manufacturing plant November 30, 2005 in Mobile, Alabama. During the tour, the group learned about safety and health issues associated with the steel industry and gathered information that may be used to develop a steel industry best practices seminar for OSHA staff.

  2. Executive Summary

    During the OSHA and Steel Group Alliance's second year, OSHA learned more about safety and health issues associated with the steel industry and the Steel Group learned about compliance assistance resources and programs that the Agency has developed.

    For example, OSHA and The Steel Group Alliance implementation team toured IPSCO's steel manufacturing plant November 30, 2005 in Mobile, Alabama and learned more about safety and health issues associated with the steel industry and gathered information that may be used to develop a steel industry best practices seminar for OSHA staff.

    OSHA and The Steel Group also worked together to develop a case study on Chaparral Steel's Manager Accountable Safety and Health (MASH) Program and a success story on the company's use of soap and water in a spray bottle to identify leaking cutting torch hose connections.

    In addition, The Steel Group also developed and posted The Steel Group OSHA Alliance Web site and assisted in the development of OSHA's Basic Steel Products Safety and Health Topics page. OSHA's Region V Cleveland, Ohio Area Office staffed an exhibit booth at the AISTech 2006, The Iron & Steel Technology Conference and Exposition, May 1-4, 2006, Cleveland, Ohio.

  3. Alliance Program Reach
Type of Activity (Conference, Training, Print and Electronic Distribution, etc.) Number of Individuals Reached or Trained
AISTech 2006 - The Iron & Steel Technology Conference and Exposition, May 1-4, 2006, Cleveland, Ohio. 75
June 30, 2006 - "OSHA Launches New Safety and Health Topics Page" (Basic Steel), OSHA News Release 69 News Services
The Steel Group OSHA Alliance Web site Data not available
OSHA's Basic Steel Products Safety and Health Topics page 1,907
OSHA and The Steel Group Alliance Web page on OSHA's Web site 5,307
TOTAL 7,366

IV. Upcoming Milestones

The OSHA and The Steel Group Alliance was signed on July 7, 2004 and renewed August 26, 2005. The organizations will renew the Alliance agreement for another year August 21, 2006. Through the Alliance renewal agreement, the organizations will continue working together on a number of projects to develop and share safety and health compliance assistance information.

For example, the Alliance may conduct a steel industry best practices seminar. The goal of the seminar would be to improve OSHA staff's understanding of the steel industry and enhance the Agency's compliance assistance and outreach efforts. In addition, OSHA has been invited to attend a number of The Steel Group's organizations' meetings and conferences. The Steel Group has invited Paula White, OSHA's Director of Cooperative and State Programs, to make a presentation on the OSHA and The Steel Group Alliance and the Agency's other cooperative programs and compliance assistance resources at the SMA Safety Committee Meeting February 26-28, 2007 in Charleston, South Carolina. In addition, OSHA's Assistant Secretary, Edwin G. Foulke, Jr., has been invited to make a presentation at the AISI Board Member Meeting November 8, 2006 in Washington, DC. Steve Witt, OSHA's Acting Deputy Assistant Secretary, will provide an Agency regulatory update at the Steel Industry Safety and Health Conference at Sheraton Station Square in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania October 2-4, 2006. In addition, representatives from The Steel Group expressed interest in participating in the Alliance Program Hazard Communication Roundtable's Hazard Communication Awareness and Training Workgroup.

The OSHA and The Steel Group Alliance implementation team also will continue to work on a number of projects that are expected to be completed in the Alliance's third year, including holding a recordkeeping workshop for representatives from the steel industry and developing medical guidelines for a fitness for duty evaluation form. OSHA and The Steel Group will also explore developing additional steel industry-related case studies and success stories which will be posted on OSHA's Compliance Assistance: Success Stories and Case Studies Web page and linked to from the OSHA and The Steel Group Alliance Web page and the Basic Steel Products Safety and Health Topics page.

In addition, OSHA and The Steel Group will continue to update and promote the Alliance's Web pages such as the OSHA and The Steel Group Alliance Program Web page and The Steel Group OSHA Alliance Web site with safety and health resources.

The Steel Group will continue to participate on the Editorial Board for the Agency's Basic Steel Products Safety and Health Topics page. OSHA and The Steel Group will also work to promote the Basic Steel Products Safety and Health Topics page. For example, The Steel Group will work through their associations and contacts with trade associations that represent different sections of the industry to promote the Topics page. The Alliance Program will also include an article on the Topics page in the September 2006 issue of Alliance Quarterly Review.


Report prepared by: Todd Briggs, Alliance Coordinator, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances, September 7, 2006.