ALLIANCE ANNUAL REPORT
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
and the
Association for High Technology Distribution (AHTD)
November 14, 2006

I. Alliance Background

Date Signed

November 29, 2004

Date Renewed

November 28, 2006

Overview

The OSHA and AHTD Alliance focuses on promoting worker safety and health in industrial workplaces, including small businesses, and protecting employees' health and safety. Through the Alliance, the organizations are providing industrial workers, supervisors and machine designers with information and guidance to raise awareness of the importance of proper selection, use, maintenance and installation of machine guarding equipment and the use of lockout/tagout procedures.

Implementation Team Members

Evaluation Period

November 29, 2005 - November 28, 2006

II. Implementation Team Meetings

III. Results

1. Events and Products
   
   Outreach and Communication Goals
    
   • Work with OSHA to provide expertise in developing and disseminating information on machine guarding equipment and lockout/tagout procedures, 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 AHTD's Web site to employers and employees in the industry.)
   Products
   
   OSHA and AHTD Alliance Web Page
   
   OSHA continues to maintain and update its OSHA and AHTD Alliance Web page on the Agency's Web site. The page includes a copy of the OSHA and AHTD Alliance agreement, a photograph of the signing ceremony, news releases and activities and events, products and resources, and milestones and successes. During 2006, the OSHA and AHTD Alliance Web page averaged about 481 visitors per month.
   
   AHTD Web Site
   
   AHTD created an AHTD and OSHA Alliance Web page, which highlights the OSHA and AHTD Alliance on the association's Web site. AHTD also created an OSHA's Electronic Resources for Small Businesses Web page on its Web site which links to a number of OSHA's resources on the Agency's Web site including: eTools; Safety and Health Topics pages, Compliance Assistance Quick Start and the Small Business and Compliance Assistance: Hispanic Employers and Workers Web pages.
   
   In addition, AHTD posts editions of the Alliance Program's, Alliance Quarterly Review newsletter on the members' only section of the association's Web site.
   
   OSHA Safety and Health Topics Pages
   
   Through the Alliance, several members of AHTD continue to serve on the editorial boards for the following OSHA Safety and Health Topics pages:
    
   • • Control of Hazardous Energy
       • Jim Norton, Gibson Engineering Co. Inc., Norwood, MA
       • John Thompson, Dittman and Greer Inc., Middletown, CT
     • Machine Guarding
       • Joe Lazarra, Scientific Technologies Inc., Fremont, CA
       • Jim Norton, Gibson Engineering Co. Inc., Norwood, MA
       • John Pirner, PowerMation, St. Paul, MN
       • Greg Taylor, Cross Company, Belmont, NC
       • John Thompson, Dittman and Greer Inc., Middletown, CT
     • Robotics
       • Jim Norton, Gibson Engineering Co. Inc., Norwood, MA
       • Chris Soranno, Scientific Technologies Inc., Fremont, CA
   • Speak, exhibit, or appear at OSHA's and AHTD's conferences, meetings or other events, such as the AHDT Spring and Fall Meetings and regional safety conferences that AHTD member companies may participate in.
   Events
   
   2006 AHTD Fall Meeting, Asheville, North Carolina, September 27, 2006
   
   OSHA provided AHTD with a number of the agency's publications which were distributed by AHTD members during the association's Fall Meeting's, New Products Showcase Reception, September 27, 2006, in Asheville, North Carolina. The OSHA publications included: the OSHA and AHTD Alliance Activities Summary; Small Business Handbook and Safeguarding Equipment and Protecting Workers from Amputations Small Business Safety and Health Management Series.
   
   2006 National Safety Congress & Expo – "Successes of the Alliance Program: Best Practices Workshop", November 7, 2006, San Diego, CA
   
   On November 7, 2006, Lee Anne Jillings, Director, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances, USDOL-OSHA; Jim Norton, President, AHTD; and representatives from the American Petroleum Institute (representing the Safe Tank Alliance) and the Independent Lubricant Manufacturers Association Alliance spoke to 10 attendees about products developed through the Alliance Program in a workshop, "Successes of the Alliance Program: Best Practices," during the 2006 National Safety Congress & Expo on November 7, 2006 in San Diego, CA.
    
   • Encourage AHTD's members to build relationships with OSHA's Regional and Area Offices to address health and safety issues in the industrial workplace, including machine safeguarding and lockout/tagout procedures.
     
     Region I, Augusta, Maine Area Office
     
     As a result of the Region I Augusta Maine Area Office's staff participation in the Machine-Guarding Devices and Robotics Training Seminars, a working relationship has been established between OSHA staff in the Augusta Area Office and AHTD. For example, on June 20, 2006, Jim Norton, AHTD, met with Area Office staff and provided information on robotics standards in the workplace.
      
   • Work with other Alliance participants on projects to address safety and health issues in the industrial workplace including machine safeguarding and lockout/tagout procedures.
     
     The OSHA and AHTD Alliance Implementation Team has not started work on programs or projects to address this goal.
      
   • Share information among OSHA personnel and industry safety and health professionals regarding AHTD best practices or effective approaches and publicize the results through outreach by AHTD and through OSHA-or AHTD-developed training programs, workshops, seminars and lectures (or any other applicable forum).
   Events
   
   Machine Guarding Devices and Robotics Training Seminars, April 6, 2006, Fairfield, Maine; May 10, 2006, Middlebury, Massachusetts; and November 28, 2006, Department of Labor, Washington, D.C.
   
   Developed through the OSHA and AHTD Alliance and incorporating the slide presentation, "Machine Guarding Devices" which was developed during the previous reporting period, the Machine Guarding Devices and Robotics Training Seminar provides OSHA staff with technical information about the use of machine guarding devices and robotics in the workplace. Taught by AHTD President Jim Norton, the seminar focuses on high technology equipment such as: safety interlock switches; guard locking devices (e.g. trip cords and safety mats); safety light curtains; two hand trip controls and safety laser curtains. AHTD also provided a number of machine guarding devices to enhance the training seminar by providing the attendees with hands-on information. Approximately 170 safety and health professionals or OSHA staff attended the seminars.
   
   The seminars were presented on April 6, 2006 in Fairfield, Maine, on May 10, 2006 in Middlebury, Vermont and on November 28, 2006 at the Department of Labor in Washington, D.C.
   
   Promoting the National Dialogue Goals:
    
   • Develop and disseminate case studies illustrating the business value of safety and health and publicize their results.
     
     The OSHA and AHTD Alliance Implementation Team has not started work on programs or projects to address this goal.
      
   • Participate in stakeholder and other forums for providing input on machine safeguarding and lockout/tagout issues in the workplace.
   Events
   
   Office of Small Business Assistance Forum: "The Business of Small Business Part IV: Achieving Balance Through Employee Protection, Profitability, and Compliance", Washington, DC, September 19, 2006
   
   Jim Norton, AHTD President, participated on behalf of the association in the OSHA Small Business Forum, September 19, 2006 in Washington, DC. This forum provided Alliance Program participants and others with an opportunity to learn about issues that impact on employees' safety and health and small businesses.
   
   Office of Small Business Assistance Forum: "The Business of Small Business Part III: Making the Case for Safety and Health", Washington, DC April 28, 2006
   
   On April 28, 2006, as a representative from AHTD, Jim Norton participated in the Office of Small Business Assistance forum: "Business of Small Business Part III: Making the Case for Safety and Health", in Washington, DC. A number of topics were discussed including: some of the economic and regulatory challenges small businesses face in making decisions about safety and health investments; business case studies developed as a product of the OSHA and Abbott Alliance and the cost savings benefits of working with the On-site Consultation Program.
    
2. Executive Summary
   
   Through the OSHA and AHTD Alliance, the organizations have continued their excellent working relationship which developed in the first year of the Alliance. The organizations continued their efforts to raise awareness about high technology machine guarding devices and robotics that are used in workplaces to prevent injuries and mitigate hazards.
   
   For example, OSHA continued to maintain the OSHA and AHTD Alliance Web page on the Agency's Web site. During 2006, the page averaged about 481 visitors per month. In addition, OSHA added several AHTD members to the editorial boards for OSHA's Safety and Health Topics pages for Robotics, Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout), and Machine Guarding.
   
   To share Alliance Program information with its members, AHTD created an AHTD and OSHA Alliance Web page which highlights the OSHA and AHTD Alliance on the association's Web site. AHTD also created an OSHA's Electronic Resources for Small Businesses Web page on its Web site which links to a number of OSHA's resources on the OSHA Web site including: electronic assistance tools, compliance assistance resources and Hispanic resources for employers and employees.
   
   In addition, OSHA and AHTD shared information and participated in outreach opportunities during the reporting period. For example, AHTD distributed a number of OSHA's publications at AHTD's 2006 Fall Meeting in Asheville, North Carolina. In addition, Jim Norton represented AHTD at two OSHA Small Business Forums in Washington, DC. The forums discussed a number of topics relative to safety and health issues that impact small businesses.
   
   Further, the OSHA and AHTD Alliance refined the training seminar on machine guarding devices and robotics for OSHA staff. The Alliance implementation team members and Region I staff worked together to update the training seminar and made it more beneficial to OSHA staff and others. AHTD presented the training seminar on three occasions, in Fairfield, VT, Middlebury, MA and Washington, D.C.
   
   As a result of the Alliance's successes, the organizations signed an Alliance renewal agreement on November 28, 2006.
    
3. Alliance Program Reach

IV. Upcoming Milestones

In the next year of the Alliance, OSHA and AHTD will continue to work together to identify opportunities for promoting safety and health and the OSHA and AHTD Alliance through presentations and exhibiting opportunities at AHTD events such as the AHTD 2007 Fall Meeting in St. Petersburg, Florida.

Building on the success of presenting the Machine Guarding devices and Robotics Training Seminars three times for OSHA staff in Region I and Washington, DC, the OSHA and AHTD Alliance implementation team plans to deliver the Machine-Guarding Devices and Robotics Training Seminar for OSHA staff in OSHA Regions II, IV and V during 2007. The team will work with OSHA Regional Office staff to identify appropriate dates, locations and times for the training seminars.

The implementation team will be working together on a number of other projects including developing a checklist on safety light curtains and pursuing efforts to develop a success story on the hazards of hydraulic press brakes.

Further, AHTD members will continue to serve on the editorial boards for OSHA's Safety and Health Topics Pages: Robotics, Machine Guarding, and Control of Hazardous Energy.


Report prepared by: Richard L. Harris, Alliance Coordinator, Office of Outreach Services Alliances, November 14, 2006