ABSA - Alliance Annual Report - October 15, 2007

ALLIANCE ANNUAL REPORT
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
and the
American Biological Safety Association (ABSA)
October 15, 2007)

  1. Alliance Background

    Date Signed

    September 23, 2002

    Dates Renewed

    October 26, 2004

    January 29, 2007

    Overview

    The OSHA and ABSA Alliance focuses on promoting healthy and safe workplaces. The organizations use their collective expertise both to enhance workplace health and safety and to assist employers, including small businesses, in developing a preventive focus for biological safety issues facing the American workplace.

    Implementation Team Members
     
    OSHA:  
    Jack Longmire
    Sandi Khan
    Melody Sands
    Dionne Williams    		 Directorate of Science, Technology and Medicine
    Office of Outreach Services and Alliances (OOSA)
    Directorate of Enforcement Programs (DEP)
    DEP
       
    ABSA:  
    Penny Holeman
    Rich Rebar
    Ed Styger    		 Johnson & Johnson
    GlaxoSmithKline
    Executive Director

    Evaluation Period

    September 23, 2006 – September 22, 2007
     
  2. Implementation Team Meetings
     
    December 13, 2006
    April 3, 2007
    August 24, 2007    		 Conference Call, Washington, DC
    Meeting, Washington, DC
    Meeting, Washington, DC

    In addition to these formal meetings and conference calls, 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 Goals
       
      • Work with OSHA to provide expertise to develop training and education materials for OSHA Compliance Safety and Health Officers (CSHOs) regarding Biosafety and to provide expertise in communicating such information to employers and employees in the industry.
      Products

      Essentials of Biosafety: Assessment and Strategies

      ABSA members provided OSHA with information and best practices during the Agency's development of "Essentials of Biosafety: Assessment and Strategies" training course for OSHA Compliance Safety and Health Officers (CSHOs). In addition, OSHA representative, Dionne Williams, Team Leader, Office of Health Enforcement, DEP, USDOL-OSHA and ABSA representatives, John Keene, Diane Fleming, Barbara Johnson conducted OSHA's, "Essentials of Biosafety: Assessment and Strategies," training course for 35 OSHA CSHOs on October 2-6, 2006 in Bethesda, Maryland.

      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 ABSA's Web sites) to employers and employees in the industry.
      Products

      ABSA and OSHA Alliance Web Page

      ABSA continually updates the ABSA and OSHA Alliance Web page, which has links to OSHA's Safety and Health Topic pages including Avian Flu, Biological Agents, Indoor Air Quality and Small Pox and to information on the OSHA and ABSA Alliance Web page on OSHA's Web site including the OSHA and ABSA Alliance agreement, annual reports and milestones and successes.

      OSHA and ABSA Alliance Web Page

      OSHA is continuing to update the OSHA and ABSA Alliance Web page that is posted on the Agency's Web site. The page includes links to the OSHA and ABSA agreement, news releases, events, milestones and successes and a link to the ABSA and OSHA Alliance Web page on ABSA's Web site.

      OSHA's Safety and Health Topics pages

      ABSA's Technical Review Committee members serve on the editorial boards of the following OSHA Safety and Health Topics pages:
       
      • Anthrax
      • Avian Flu
      • Biological Agents
      • Bloodborne Pathogens and Needlestick Prevention
      • Botulism
      • Foodborne Disease
      • Hantavirus
      • Hazardous Waste
      • Indoor Air Quality
      • Ionizing Radiation
      • Legionnaires' Disease
      • Mold and Fungi
      • Plague
      • Ricin
      • Smallpox
      • Tularemia
      • Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers
      Please see Appendix A for a list of the ABSA reviewers.

      OSHA's Hospital eTool

      As part of the OSHA and ABSA Alliance, ABSA's Technical Review Committee members are participating on the agency's update of its Hospital eTool. The Committee submitted an extensive review of a number of the tools modules including bloodborne pathogens, laboratory and health care wide hazards.

      Please see Appendix A for a list of the ABSA reviewers.
       
      • Speak, exhibit or appear at OSHA's or ABSA's conferences, local meetings, or other events such as ABSA's Annual Conference.
      Events

      49th Annual Biological Safety Conference, Boston, Massachusetts, October 15-18, 2006

      A number of OSHA representatives participated in the ABSA's 49th Biological Safety Conference, October 15-18, 2006 in Boston, Massachusetts. Melody Sands, Director, Office of Health Enforcement, DEP, USDOL-OSHA, Dionne Williams, Team Leader, Office of Health Enforcement, DEP, USDOL-OSHA, and Karen Heckmann, Directorate of Training and Education, USDOL-OSHA provided OSHA's Professional Development Course, "Introduction to OSHA for Biosafety Professionals," during the pre-conference training session on October 14, 2006. In addition, Dionne Williams and an ABSA representative, Rich Rebar, staffed the OSHA and ABSA Alliance Program exhibit booth during the conference.

      2007 North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week, May 6-12, 2007

      ABSA joined with more than 15 other Alliance Program participants to support 2007 NAOSH Week and the Kick-off event on May 7, 2007 at the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington, DC. NAOSH Week, sponsored by the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), an Alliance Program participant, focuses on increasing the understanding of the positive benefits of investing in occupational safety, health and environmental programs among employers, employees and the public; raising awareness of the role and contribution of safety, health and environmental professionals; and reducing workplace injuries and illness by encouraging safety and health activities at all companies and organizations.
       
      • Share information among OSHA personnel and industry safety and health professionals regarding ABSA's best practices or effective approaches and publicize results through outreach by ABSA and through OSHA or ABSA developed materials, training programs, workshops, seminars, and lectures (or any other applicable forum).
      OSHA and ABSA Alliance-Developed Fact Sheets

      Through the OSHA and ABSA Alliance, ABSA developed and OSHA is reviewing a number of Biohazard fact sheets including, Principals of Good Microbiological Practice; Principals of Biosafety; Universal Precautions for Handling Human Blood; Body Fluids and Tissues in the Clinical And Research Laboratory; List of Bloodborne Pathogens, their Symptoms and Epidemiology; List of Zoonotic Diseases and Pathogens and Biosafety Levels. The fact sheets will be completed in 2008. posted on the ABSA and OSHA Alliance Web page on the organizations Web site and OSHA will link to the fact sheets from the OSHA and ABSA Alliance Web page on the agency's Web site.
       
    2. Executive Summary

      During the reporting period, OSHA and ABSA renewed its Alliance agreement on January 29, 2007. The organizations are continuing to use their collective expertise both to enhance workplace health and safety and to assist employers, including small businesses, in developing a preventive focus for biological safety issues facing the American workplace.

      For example, the OSHA and ABSA Alliance maintained several informational resources about the Alliance, biological hazards and other safety and health materials. The OSHA and ABSA Alliance Web page on the Agency's Web site features links to the Alliance agreement, the renewal agreement, related documents, activities and events, and milestones and successes. The ABSA and OSHA Alliance Web page on the organization's Web site features a biological hazards page that provides ABSA members and other visitors to the site with resources for addressing biological hazards, including links to the OSHA and ABSA Alliance Web page, OSHA's Safety and Health Topics pages and compliance assistance materials. Additionally, ABSA's Technical Review Committee members helped to review and provide OSHA with information for many of the agency's Safety and Health Topics pages and eTools covering such issues as hazardous waste, Legionnaires disease, mold and fungi, tularemia and viral hemorrhagic fevers through serving on the tools' editorial boards. ABSA representatives are also participating in the agency's update of its Hospital eTool.

      In addition, OSHA representatives, Melody Sands, Director, Office of Health Enforcement, DEP, Dionne Williams, Team Leader, Office of Health Enforcement, DEP, and Karen Heckmann, Directorate of Training and Education, provided the OSHA Professional Development Course, "Introduction to OSHA for Biosafety Professionals," during a pre-conference training session at ABSA's 49th Annual Biological Safety Conference on October 14, 2006. OSHA and ABSA representatives also staffed an Alliance Program exhibit booth and shared safety and health information and products with the attendees covering OSHA's cooperative programs and compliance assistance resources; particularly the Alliance and On-site Consultation Programs.

      Finally, OSHA and ABSA representatives Dionne Williams, John Keene, Diane Fleming, and Barbara Johnson conducted OSHA's, "Essentials of Biosafety: Assessment and Strategies," training course for OSHA CSHOs on October 2-6, 2006 in Bethesda, Maryland.
       
    3. Alliance Program Reach
      Type of Activity (Conference, Training, Print and Electronic Distribution, etc.) Number of Individuals Reached or Trained
      OSHA and ABSA Alliance Web page on OSHA's Web site 4,785
      ABSA and OSHA Alliance Web page on ABSA's Web site Data not available
      Members of ABSA serve on 17 of OSHA's Safety and Health Topics pages:
       
      • Anthrax
      • Avian Flu
      • Biological Agents
      • Bloodborne Pathogens and Needlestick Prevention
      • Botulism
      • Foodborne Disease
      • Hantavirus
      • Hazardous Waste
      • Indoor Air Quality
      • Ionizing Radiation
      • Legionnaires' Disease
      • Mold and Fungi
      • Plague
      • Ricin
      • Smallpox
      • Tularemia
      • Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers
      		 271,129
       
      October 2-6, 2006: Essentials of Biosafety: Assessment and Strategies
      Bethesda, Maryland      		 35
      March 1, 2007: OSHA Renews Alliance with American Biological Safety Association

      Laboratory News      		 Data Not Available
      March 5, 2007: OSHA Renews Alliance with American Biological Safety Association

      Safety Online      		 Data Not Available
      March 5, 2007: OSHA Renews Alliance with American Biological Safety Association

      Environmental Resource Center      		 Data Not Available
      March 5, 2007: Alliance Renewed Between OSHA and American Biological Safety Association

      New Equipment Digest      		 Data Not Available
      May 2007: NAOSH Partners

      The American Society of Safety Engineers      		 Data Not Available
      May 14, 2007: OSHA renews alliance with ABSA

      Industrial Newsroom      		 Data Not Available
      October 15-18, 2006
      49th Annual Biological Safety Conference
      Boston, Massachusetts
      Alliance Program Exhibit      		 600
      October 15-18, 2006
      49th Annual Biological Safety Conference
      Boston, Massachusetts
      OSHA presentation: "Introduction to OSHA for Biosafety Professionals"

      Speakers:
      Melody Sands, Director, Office of Health Enforcement, DEP
      Karen Heckmann, Directorate of Training and Education
      Dionne Williams, Team Leader, Office of Health Enforcement, DEP      		 50
      TOTAL 276,599
  4. Upcoming Milestones

    In the upcoming year, OSHA and ABSA will renew the Alliance agreement and continue to promote awareness of the Program and use their collective expertise to enhance workplace health and safety and to assist employers, including small businesses, in developing a preventive focus for biological safety issues facing the American workplace. For example, OSHA and ABSA Alliance implementation team members are committed to maintaining and updating the OSHA and ABSA Alliance Web page on the Agency's Web site and ABSA's Alliance-related Web page on the organization's Web site.

    In addition, ABSA's Technical Review Committee members will continue to contribute their expertise and serve on editorial boards for 17 OSHA Safety and Health Topics pages. ABSA's Technical Review Committee will also continue to work with other Alliance Program participants, including the Laser Institute of America and The Joint Commission/Joint Commission Resources, to update OSHA's Hospital eTool. ABSA members will also review biological safety and health documents developed by OSHA, as requested.

    OSHA representatives, Melody Sands, Karen Heckmann, and Dionne Williams, will deliver OSHA's Professional Development Course, "Introduction to OSHA for Biosafety Professionals," at ABSA's 50th Annual Biological Safety Conference on October 7-10, 2007, in Nashville, Tennessee. Ms. Williams will also give a presentation, "OSHA Protection; Past, Present and Future OSHA Efforts Concerning Workers on October 7. In addition, ABSA is providing exhibit space for an Alliance Program booth.

    Finally, OSHA and ABSA will complete the development of the Biohazard fact sheets in 2008 and post them on the ABSA and OSHA Alliance Web page on the organizations Web site and OSHA will link to the fact sheets from the OSHA and ABSA Alliance Web page on the agency's Web site.

    Report prepared by: Sandra Khan, Alliance Coordinator, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances, October 15, 2007.

     

Appendix A

Editorial Review Board

Matthew J. Bankowski, ViroMed (LabCorp), Minnetonka, MN

Franklin R. Champlin, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS

Mary L. Cipriano, Abbott, Abbott Park, IL

Robert P. Ellis, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO

Glenn A. Funk, ABSA President

Raymond W. Hackney, Jr., University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC

Philip Hagan, Georgetown University, Washington, DC

Robert J. Hawley, Midwest Research Institute, Frederick, MD

Richard Henkel, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA

Debra L. Hunt, Duke University, Durham, NC

Peter C. Iwen, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE

John H. Keene, Biohaztec Associates, Inc., Midlothian, VA

Paul Michael Kivistik, University of Nevada, Reno, NV

Joseph P. Kozlovac, USDA-ARS, Beltsville, MD

Jens H. Kuhn, Harvard Medical School, Southborough, MA

Margy S. Lambert, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI

R. Thomas Leonard, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA

Paul J. Meechan, Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA

Mark Nicas, University of California, Berkeley, CA

Beryl J. Packer, Iowa State University, Ames, IA

Tim Ravita, Constella Health Sciences, Atlanta, GA

Richard Rebar, GlaxoSmithKline R&D, King of Prussia, PA

Jonathan Y. Richmond, Jonathan Richmond & Associates, Inc., Southport, NC

Deanna S. Robbins, Department of Veterans Affairs, Baltimore, MD

Richard J. Shaughnessy, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK

Allan Showler, USDA-ARS, Weslaco, TX

Cecil R. Smith, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH

Gerard J. Spahn, The Salk Institute, La Jolla, CA

Donald Vesley, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN

Catherine L. Wilhelmsen, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID), Fort Detrick, MD

Linda B. Wolfe, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA

Jeffrey D. Wolt, Iowa State University, Ames, IA

Alan G. Woodard, International Environmental Health Alliance, Gansevoort, NY