ALLIANCE ANNUAL REPORT
Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the
Association of Diving Contractors International (ADC)
January 15, 2005

1. Alliance Background
   
   Date Signed
   
   October 9, 2003
   
   Evaluation Period
   
   October 9, 2003 - October 8, 2004
   
   Overview
   
   Through the Alliance, OSHA and ADC are working together to promote safe and healthful working conditions for commercial divers especially in the areas of increased barometric pressure and differential risks conditions. OSHA and ADC are developing and making available training courses and education programs on safety issues specific to commercial diving and underwater services and sharing up-to-date commercial diving information, such as hazard and workforce trends, to identify priorities for the development of outreach programs.
   
   Implementation Team Members
    

   OSHA:
   Bob Bell	Office of Safety Systems
   Bob Biersner	Solicitor of Labor Office
   Steve Butler	Office of Maritime Enforcement
   Jess McCluer	Office of Outreach Services and Alliances (OOSA)
   Doug Simon	Office of Training and Education
   Lisa Ramber	OOSA
   ADC:
   Fred Aichele	President
   Ross Saxon	Executive Director

    

2. Implementation Team Meetings
   
   October 9, 2003 - Kick-off Meeting, OSHA, Washington, DC
   November 6, 2003 - Meeting, OSHA, Washington, DC
   June 3, 2004 - Meeting, OSHA, Washington, DC
3. Results
   1. Events and Products
      
      Training and Education
       
      • Develop and make available training courses and education programs on safety issues specific to commercial diving and underwater services through sharing up-to-date commercial diving information such as hazard and workforce trends, between ADC and OSHA.
        
        OSHA Training Institute (OTI) course - 2090 Shipyard Processes and Standards
        
        OSHA and ADC are in the process of developing a commercial diving training course that can be taught separate from the OTI 2090 course. The course is expected to be completed in 2005.
         
      • Provide the OSHA Training Institute with educational and training support on issues specific to commercial diving.
        
        - No products or resources have been developed to meet this Alliance goal.
         
      Outreach and Communication
       
      • Develop and disseminate information through print and electronic media, including electronic assistance tools and links from OSHA's and ADC's Web sites.
        
        Products
        
        OSHA and ADC Webpage
        
        The OSHA and ADC Webpage contains a link to the Commercial Diving Safety and Health Topics page. For more information on the number of hits to the OSHA and ADC Webpage, please see the Alliance Program Reach table on page 5.
        
        Commercial Diving Safety and Health Topics page Editorial Board
        
        The following ADC members serve on OSHA's Commercial Diving Safety and Health Topics page Editorial Board:
         
        • Ross Saxon, Executive Director
        • Rebecca Roberts, ADC Communications Assistant
           
        Data Sharing
        
        Through the Alliance Program, Steve Butler, Office of Maritime Enforcement, has been providing information on OSHA's closed inspection cases to ADC. The data describes the specific types of diving injuries that occur on the job. ADC has been using the information to update current ADC training material which describes what can be done to prevent injuries.
        
        Print and Electronic Media
        
        An article on the OSHA and ADC Alliance appeared in BNA Occupational Health and Safety Reporter. For more information on the article, please see the Alliance Program Reach table on page 5.
        
        ADC Training Materials
        
        ADC sent out copies of their training materials to interested OSHA staff in Regional and Area Offices, Consultation Programs, and State Plan States. The materials ADC provided are Underwater, the ADC's monthly magazine, and safety videos entitled "Three Man Crew," "Underwater Welding," and "Differential Pressure."
         
      • Develop and update ADC's respiratory and circulatory safety and health presentations for use by the commercial diving and underwater industry, the users of commercial diving and underwater services and OSHA.
        - No products or resources have been developed to meet this Alliance goal.
         
      • Speak, exhibit or appear at conferences, local meetings, or other events such as ADC's annual meeting.
        - No products or resources have been developed to meet this Alliance goal.
         
      • Share information on best practices as jointly determined by OSHA and ADC, with others in the industry and publicize the results through outreach by ADC and through OSHA - or ADC developed training programs and materials.
        - No products or resources have been developed to meet this Alliance goal.
         
      • Encourage ADC chapters to build relationships with OSHA's Regional and Area Offices to address increased barometric pressure and differential risks conditions.
        - No products or resources have been developed to meet this Alliance goal.
         
      National Dialogue on Safety and Health
       
      • Participate in forums, roundtable discussions and conferences on commercial diving safety and health issues to help forge innovative solutions to raising safety awareness within the commercial diving, underwater and underwater services industries.
        - No products or resources have been developed to meet this Alliance goal.
   2. Executive Summary
      
      The OSHA and ADC Alliance has helped OSHA staffers increase their understanding of commercial diving safety issues. This has been done by ADC providing copies of their training materials to interested OSHA staff at Regional and Area Offices, Consultation Programs, and State Plan States. The materials provided are Underwater, the ADC's monthly magazine, and safety videos entitled "Three Man Crew," "Underwater Welding," and "Differential Pressure."
      
      OSHA staffers are pleased with the training materials and now have a better understanding of the specific safety and health issues that impact the commercial diving industry.
      
      Through the Alliance Program, Steve Butler, Office of Maritime Enforcement, has been providing information on OSHA's closed inspection cases to ADC. The data describes the specific types of diving injuries that occur on the job. ADC has been using the information to update current ADC training material which describes what can be done to prevent injuries.
      
      Currently, commercial diving training for OSHA staff is part of the 2-week OSHA Training Institute (OTI) course - 2090 Shipyard Processes and Standards. OSHA and ADC are in the process of developing a stand-alone commercial diving training module for OSHA staff. Mr. Butler is working with OTI on developing the course curriculum. The course is expected to be complete in 2005 and will be taught to OSHA staff in conjunction with ADC's 2006 Annual Underwater Intervention International Conference on Commercial Diving.
   3. Alliance Program Reach
       

      Type of Activity (Conference, Training, Print and Electronic Distribution, etc.)	Number of Individuals Reached or Trained
      OSHA and ADC Alliance Web page on OSHA's Webpage	734 Web visits
      Distribution of Underwater, the ADC's monthly magazine, and safety videos entitled "Three Man Crew," "Underwater Welding," and "Differential Pressure" to OSHA staff	80
      October 16, 2003 - "OSHA Signs Alliance with Diving Contractors," BNA Occupational Health and Safety Reporter	Data Not Available
      October 15, 2003 - OSHA includes information on the OSHA/ISEA Alliance in its bi-weekly e-newsletter; QuickTakes	35,000
      October 9, 2003 - OSHA distributed a news release announcing the Alliance signing	25 News Services
      Total	35,814

4. Upcoming Milestones
   
   The OSHA and ADC Alliance Implementation Team has discussed a number of activities that will be undertaken in the upcoming year. ADC members will continue to work on the development of a commercial diving training course that can be taught to OSHA staff, separate from the OTI 2090 course. The course is expected to be complete in 2005 and will be taught to OSHA staff in conjunction with ADC's 2006 Annual Underwater Intervention International Conference on Commercial Diving. In addition, ADC would like to continue to receive information from OSHA on the Agency's closed inspection cases. ADC will use the information to update current training materials which describes what can be done to prevent commercial diving related injuries.
   
   In addition, ADC has indicated that OSHA staff will be invited to attend and make presentations on safety and health topics at ADC Chapter meetings. Finally, ADC has invited the Alliance Program to exhibit at the association's 2005 Annual Underwater Intervention International Conference on Commercial Diving, February 14-16, 2005 at the Ernest N. Morial Convention Center in New Orleans, LA.
   
   Report prepared by: Jess McCluer, Alliance Coordinator, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances, January 15, 2005