ANNUAL ALLIANCE REPORT
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the
American Biological Safety Association (ABSA)
October 3, 2011

1. Alliance Background  
   
   Date Signed
   
   September 23, 2002
   
   Date Renewed
   
   October 13, 2004
   January 29, 2007
   March 3, 2009
   
   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:
   
   Sharon Carr - Office of Biological Hazards (OBH), Directorate of Standards and Guidance (DSG)
   Nancy Hauter - Office of Health Enforcement (OHE), Directorate of Enforcement Programs (DEP)
   Jack Longmire - Office of Occupational Medicine, DTSEM
   Morgan Seuberling - Office of Outreach Services and Alliances, Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs
   Thomas Nerad - OBH, DSG
   Gary Senatore - OHE, DEP
   Dionne Williams - OHE, DEP
   
   
   ABSA:
   
   David Counts - Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory; ABSA Member
   Penny Holeman - Lovelace Respiratory Research Institute; ABSA Member
   Barbara Owen - Merck Company; ABSA Member
   Rich Rebar - GlaxoSmithKline; ABSA Councilor
   Ed Stygar - Executive Director, ABSA
   Brian Petuch - Merck Company; ABSA Member
   
   Evaluation Period
   
   September 23, 2010 - September 22, 2011
    
2. Implementation Team Meetings
   
   January 11, 2011 - Implementation Team Meeting
   June 2, 2011 - Implementation Team Meeting
   September 8, 2011 - 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

   OSHA's eTools

   ABSA's Technical Review Committee members serve on the editorial boards of the following OSHA eTools, providing OSHA with their expertise and technical review:

   Events

   53rd Annual Biological Safety Conference, September 30-October 6, 2010, Denver, Colorado

   OSHA supported ABSA's 53rd Annual Biological Safety Conference through the following activities: 

   hare 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).
   
   During the reporting period the OSHA and ABSA implementation Team did not address this Alliance goal.

   Promoting the National Dialogue on Workplace Safety and Health Goal

   Events

   2011 North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week, May 1-7, 2011, Washington, DC.

   The American Biological Safety Association and a number of other Alliance Program participants supported 2011 NAOSH Week. 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 2011 was "Celebrating a Century of Safety."
   
   To help support the event, ABSA disseminated information about 2011 NAOSH Week to their membership and posted the 2011 NAOSH Week banner to the Alliance-related Web page.

   1. Products and Events

      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

      Principles of Good Microbiological Practice Fact Sheet

      Through the OSHA and American Biological Safety Association (ABSA) Alliance, ABSA developed a fact sheet providing laboratory workers with a reference tool on the proper handling and safety procedures for working with infectious agents or materials. The fact sheet is posted on the ABSA and OSHA Alliance-related Web page on the ABSA Web site and linked to from the OSHA and ABSA Alliance Web page and the Alliance Program Participants Developed Products page on the OSHA Web site.   
      
      General Microbiology Fact Sheet

      Through the OSHA and American Biological Safety Association (ABSA) Alliance, ABSA developed a fact sheet providing laboratory workers with a reference tool for the most common diseases including information on transmission, signs and symptoms, and incubation period as well as a micrograph visual aid. The fact sheet is posted on the ABSA and OSHA Alliance-related Web page on the ABSA Web site and linked to from the OSHA and ABSA Alliance Web page and the Alliance Program Participants Developed Products page on the OSHA Web site.  

      ABSA and OSHA Alliance-related Web Page

      ABSA continually updates the ABSA and OSHA Alliance Web page. The page includes links to the OSHA and ABSA Alliance agreement, renewal agreements and related documents on the OSHA and ABSA Alliance Web page on the Agency Web site. During the reporting period, links to the ABSA-developed fact sheets created through OSHA and ABSA Alliance were added to the page.

      OSHA and ABSA Alliance Web Page

      OSHA is continuing to update the OSHA and ABSA Alliance Web page posted on the Agency Web site. The page includes information on Alliance events, milestones and successes, and links to the OSHA and ABSA agreement, news releases, and to the ABSA and OSHA Alliance Web page on the ABSA Web site. During the reporting period, links to the ABSA-developed fact sheets created through OSHA and ABSA Alliance were added to the page.

      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, providing OSHA with their expertise and technical review:

      • Anthrax
        • Robert J. Hawley, Senior Advisor, Midwest Research Institute, Fredrick, MD
        • Jonathan Richmond, President, Jonathan Richmond and Associates, Southport, NC
      • Biological Agents
        • Elizabeth Gilman Duane, Associate Director, Biosafety, Wyeth, Cambridge, MA
        • Richard Rebar, Biosafety, GlaxoSmithKline, King of Prussia, PA
      • Bloodborne Pathogens and Needlestick Prevention
        • Mary Cipriano, Manager of Biological Safety, Abbott Laboratories, Abbott Park, IL
        • Elizabeth Gilman Duane, Associate Director, Biosafety, Wyeth, Cambridge, MA
        • Richard Rebar, Biosafety, GlaxoSmithKline, King of Prussia, PA
      • Botulism
        • Elizabeth Gilman Duane, Associate Director, Biosafety, Wyeth, Cambridge, MA
        • Richard Rebar, Biosafety, GlaxoSmithKline, King of Prussia, PA
      • Foodborne Disease
        • Elizabeth Gilman Duane, Associate Director, Biosafety, Wyeth, Cambridge, MA
        • Richard Rebar, Biosafety, GlaxoSmithKline, King of Prussia, PA
      • Hantavirus
        • Elizabeth Gilman Duane, Associate Director, Biosafety, Wyeth, Cambridge, MA
        • Richard Rebar, Biosafety, GlaxoSmithKline, King of Prussia, PA
      • Hazardous Waste
        • Elizabeth Gilman Duane, Associate Director, Biosafety, Wyeth, Cambridge, MA
        • Richard Rebar, Biosafety, GlaxoSmithKline, King of Prussia, PA
        • Stefan Wagener, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
      • Indoor Air Quality
        • Richard Rebar, Biosafety, GlaxoSmithKline, King of Prussia, PA
        • Wayne Thomann, PhD, Duke University Occupational and Environmental Safety Office, Durham, NC
      • Ionizing Radiation
        • Richard Rebar, Biosafety, GlaxoSmithKline, King of Prussia, PA
        • Stefan Wagener, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
      • Legionnaires' Disease
        • Elizabeth Gilman Duane, Associate Director, Biosafety, Wyeth, Cambridge, MA
        • Richard W. Gilpin, President, Gilpin, LTD, Baltimore,
        • Jack Keene, BioHazTec Associates, Midlothian, VA
        • Richard Rebar, Biosafety, GlaxoSmithKline, King of Prussia,
      • Mold and Fungi
        • Elizabeth Gilman Duane, Associate Director, Biosafety, Wyeth, Cambridge, MA
        • Richard W. Gilpin, President, Gilpin, LTD, Baltimore, MD
        • Richard Rebar, Biosafety, GlaxoSmithKline, King of Prussia, PA
        • Wayne Thomann, PhD, Duke University Occupational and Environmental Safety Office, Durham, NC
      • Plague
        • Elizabeth Gilman Duane, Associate Director, Biosafety, Wyeth, Cambridge, MA
        • Richard Rebar, Biosafety, GlaxoSmithKline, King of Prussia, PA
      • Ricin
        • Elizabeth Gilman Duane, Associate Director, Biosafety, Wyeth, Cambridge, MA
        • Richard Rebar, Biosafety, GlaxoSmithKline, King of Prussia, PA
      • Smallpox
        • Elizabeth Gilman Duane, Associate Director, Biosafety, Wyeth, Cambridge, MA
        • Richard Rebar, Biosafety, GlaxoSmithKline, King of Prussia, PA
      • Tularemia
        • Richard Rebar, Biosafety, GlaxoSmithKline, King of Prussia, PA
      • Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers
        • Richard Rebar, Biosafety, GlaxoSmithKline, King of Prussia, PA
      • Anthrax
        • Elizabeth Gilman Duane, Associate Director, Biosafety, Wyeth, Cambridge, MA
        • Richard Rebar, Biosafety, GlaxoSmithKline, King of Prussia, PA
      • Hospital
        • Debra L. Hunt, Director, Biological Safety, Duke University, Durham, NC
        • Yolanda Arriaga Stringer, Biological Safety Officer, Children's Mercy Hospitals & Clinics, Kansas City, MO
      • Legionnaires' Disease
        • Richard W. Gilpin, President, Gilpin, LTD, Baltimore,
      • Speak, exhibit or appear at OSHA's or ABSA's conferences, local meetings, or other events such as ABSA's Annual Conference.
      • Nancy Hauter, Director, OHE, DEP, USDOL-OSHA, gave a presentation entitled "All You Ever Wanted to Know About OSHA" on October 3, 2010.
      • OSHA representatives from Region VIII and the DEP staffed an Alliance Program exhibit booth and distributed OSHA Safety and Health publications to conference attendees from October 3-5, 2010.
      • Convene or participate in forums, round table discussions, or stakeholder meetings on Biosafety issues to help forge innovative solutions in the workplace or to provide input on safety and health issues.
   2. Executive Summary
       

      Through the Alliance Program, OSHA and ABSA are working together to develop resources that focus on reducing and preventing exposure to biological health and safety hazards to assist employers, including small businesses. The positive relationship that ABSA and OSHA have developed over the past nine years has led to the development of many projects that the team is currently working on or has produced.
      
      Through the Alliance Program, ABSA developed and disseminated fact sheets on General Microbiology and the Principles of Good Microbiological Practice. The General Microbiology Fact Sheet provides the laboratory worker with a reference tool for the most common diseases, including information on transmission, signs and symptoms, and incubation period as well as a micrograph visual aid. The fact sheet regarding the Principles of Good Microbiological Practice provides laboratory workers with a reference tool for the proper handling and safety procedures while working with infectious agents or materials. ABSA posted both fact sheets on its Alliance Web site and OSHA linked the fact sheets to the OSHA and ABSA Alliance Web page and the Alliance Program Participants Developed Products page on the OSHA Web site.
      
      In addition, ABSA invited OSHA representatives from the National Office and Region VIII to participate during their Annual Biological Safety Conference. OSHA personnel from Region VIII and the Directorate of Enforcement Programs staffed an Alliance Program exhibit booth at the event and a representative from the National Office gave a presentation during one of the sessions.
      
      ABSA representatives are also sharing their expertise with OSHA through participation on the editorial boards for 16 OSHA Safety and Health Topics pages. The ABSA Technical Review Committee members are continuing to serve on the OSHA's editorial boards for the Anthrax, Hospital and Legionnaires' Disease eTools.
      
      Finally, as part of their outreach, ABSA supported and promoted 2011 NAOSH Week by disseminating promotional materials to their members and by adding information on the ABSA Web site.

   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 the Agency Web site	3,763
      ABSA and OSHA Alliance Web page on the ABSA Web site	Data Not Available
      October 4-6, 2010 53rd Annual Biological Safety Conference, Denver, Colorado Speaker: Nancy Hauter, Director, Office of Health Enforcement, Directorate of Enforcement Programs, USDOL-OSHA	30
      October 4-6, 2010 53rd Annual Biological Safety Conference, Denver, Colorado OSHA Staffed Alliance Exhibit Booth	400
      March 2011, “Three New ABSA Fact Sheets Available” Alliance Quarterly Review	43 National Alliance Program Participants
      Anthrax, Safety and Health Topics page	10,814
      Biological Agents, Safety and Health Topics page	12,737
      Bloodborne Pathogens and Needlestick Prevention, Safety and Health Topics page	187,016
      Botulism, Safety and Health Topics page	5,444
      Foodborne Disease, Safety and Health Topics page	17,925
      Hantavirus, Safety and Health Topics page	16,233
      Hazardous Waste, Safety and Health Topics page	35,850
      Indoor Air Quality, Safety and Health Topics page	40,417
      Ionizing Radiation, Safety and Health Topics page	34,534
      Legionnaires’ Disease, Safety and Health Topics page	10,021
      Mold and Fungi, Safety and Health Topics page	32,588
      Plague, Safety and Health Topics page	4,326
      Ricin, Safety and Health Topics page	5,694
      Smallpox, Safety and Health Topics page	11,992
      Tularemia, Safety and Health Topics page	5,106
      Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers, Safety and Health Topics page	4,627
      Anthrax, OSHA eTool	11,284
      Legionnaires’ Disease, OSHA eTool	12,649
      Hospital, OSHA eTool	42,841
      Total	506,334

4. Upcoming Milestones
    

   In the upcoming year, OSHA and ABSA will undertake several additional projects through the Alliance to help employers and workers reduce or prevent exposure to health, safety, and biological hazards in a laboratory. For example, through the Alliance, ABSA will produce fact sheets focusing on core competencies for the Biosafety Professional, Lentiviruses, and Adenoviruses.
   
   In addition, ABSA representatives will continue to provide OSHA with their expertise by in serving on the editorial boards for OSHA's Anthrax, Hospital, and Legionnaires' Disease eTools and for the 16 OSHA Safety and Health Topics pages.
   
   ABSA will also continue to provide their expertise to OSHA by providing feedback on draft biological safety and health documents developed by OSHA, as requested. OSHA representatives will participate at the ABSA's 54th Annual Biological Safety Conference, October 27-November 3, 2011, in Anaheim, California.
   
   Finally, ABSA representatives will be joining with other Alliance Program participants to support 2012 North American Occupational Safety and Health Week, May 6 - May 12, 2012, "Safety, What Every Workplace Needs."

Report prepared by: Morgan Seuberling, Safety and Occupational Health Specialist, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances, October 3, 2011.