AHTD - Alliance Annual Report - February 6, 2009

ANNUAL ALLIANCE REPORT
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
and the
Association for High Technology Distribution (AHTD)
February 6, 2009

  1. Alliance Background

    Date Signed

    November 29, 2004

    Dates Renewed

    November 28, 2006
    November 18, 2008

    Overview:

    Through the Alliance, OSHA and AHTD are working together to provide 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

    OSHA:

    Lee Anne Jillings*, Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs (DCSP), Office of Outreach Services and Alliances (OOSA)
    Lisa Ramber**, DCSP, OOSA
    Bill Willson, DCSP, OOSA

    AHTD:

    Phil Allen, Grace Engineering
    James Norton, JHN Group
    George Otte, AHTD
    Steve Phillips, Ross Controls
    Maggie Skarich, Management Resource Association (MRA)
    Tom Swenton, Applied Automation Controls, Inc.

    * Lee Anne Jillings served on the Alliance Implementation Team until August 2008.
    **Lisa Ramber served on the Alliance Implementation Team until September 2008.

    Evaluation Period

    November 29, 2007 - November 28, 2008
     
  2. Implementation Team Meetings

    December 10, 2007 - Implementation Team Meeting
    March 12, 2008 - Implementation Team Meeting
    June 18, 2008 - Implementation Team Meeting
    October 1, 2008 - 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
     
    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

      Safety Light Curtain Checklist

      Through the OSHA and AHTD Alliance, AHTD completed its Sample Safety Light Curtain Check-out Log. The log is posted to the AHTD and OSHA Alliance Web page on the association’s Web site and linked to from the OSHA and AHTD Alliance Web page on the Agency’s Web site.

      OSHA and AHTD Alliance Web Page

      OSHA continues to maintain and update the OSHA and AHTD Alliance Web page on the Agency’s Web site. The page includes information on the Alliance’s activities and events, products and resources, and milestones and successes. For more information on the number of visits to the OSHA and AHTD Alliance Web page, please see the “Alliance Program Reach Table.”

      AHTD Web Site

      In 2008, AHTD continued to update the AHTD and OSHA Alliance Web page with links to OSHA safety and health resources and a number of Department of Labor-developed articles.

      In addition, AHTD posts editions of the Alliance Program’s Alliance Quarterly Review (AQR) newsletter on the members’ only section of the association’s Web site.

      PowerPoint® Presentation on Machine Guarding Devices

      The OSHA and AHTD Alliance implementation team developed a 2-hour training course on Machine Guarding Devices, to present to OSHA staff. The presentation addresses high technology machine guarding devices that are used in the workplace. During this reporting period the agency provided review and comment to AHTD regarding the new section “Control Reliable Fluid Power Valves Module” in the presentation.

      OSHA Safety and Health Topics Pages

      Through the Alliance, AHTD representatives continue to serve on the editorial boards for the following OSHA Safety and Health Topics pages and provide the Agency with their expertise and feedback:
      • Control of Hazardous Energy
        • Jim Norton, JHN Group, Hanover, MA
        • Steve Phillips, ROSS Controls, Troy, MI
        • John Thompson, Dittman and Greer Inc., Middletown, CT
      • Machine Guarding
        • Jim Norton, JHN Group, Hanover, MA
        • John Pirner, PowerMation, St. Paul, MN
        • John Thompson, Dittman and Greer Inc., Middletown, CT
      • Robotics
        • Jim Norton, JHN Group, Hanover, MA
        • Roberta Nelson Shea, Pilz Automation Safety, L.P., Canton, MI
        • John Thompson, Dittman and Greer Inc., Middletown, CT
      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

      2008 AHTD Spring Meeting, Key West, Florida, April 2 - 5, 2008

      OSHA provided AHTD with a number of the agency’s publications for distribution to its members during the association’s Spring Meeting April 2 - 5, 2008, in Key West, Florida. The OSHA publications included: the OSHA and AHTD Alliance Activities Summary, Control of Hazardous Energy Lockout-Tagout, Controlling Electrical Hazards and Questions & Answers for Small Business Employers.

      2008 AHTD Fall Meeting, Vail, Colorado, October 8 - 11, 2008

      On October 9, 2008, Bill Wright, Safety Engineer, Region VIII, USDOL-OSHA, spoke at AHTD's Fall Meeting in Vail, Colorado. Mr. Wright gave a presentation on OSHA's compliance assistance resources and the OSHA and AHTD Alliance activities to approximately 200 attendees. In addition, he provided safety and health publications including:
      • OSHA and AHTD Alliance Activities Summary
      • Alliance Brochure
      • Safety and Health Adds Value Brochure
      • Partnership Brochure
      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.

      OSHA Region I

      As a result of the relationship established with Region I's staff through their participation in the AHTD’s Machine Guarding Technology Training Seminar, which is a product of the Alliance, a working relationship has been established between OSHA staff in Region I and AHTD.

      This relationship lead to an opportunity for AHTD to present "Robotics," a draft training seminar being developed by AHTD through the OSHA and AHTD Alliance, to 19 OSHA Regional staff in Boston, Massachusetts on September 19, 2008. The presentation covered how robots are becoming more prevalent in the workplace and the safety measures involved in utilizing them.
      • 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 Technology Training Seminar

      Through the Alliance, AHTD delivered a number of Machine Guarding Technology Training Seminars to 139 OSHA staff. The seminar, taught by a member of AHTD, 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. During the training, the attendees also learn about safety issues associated with robotic equipment, the types of robotics used in the workplace and the applicable OSHA machine guarding and robotics-related ANSI standards.

      The following seminars were conducted during the reporting period:
      • May 21, 2008, Wethersfield, Connecticut
      • May 29, 2008, Montpellier, Vermont
      • September 10, 2008, Seattle, Washington
      • September 11, 2008, Portland, Oregon
      • September 30, 2008, Kansas City, Missouri
      • October 14, 2008, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida
      • October 16, 2008, Jacksonville, Florida
         
      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.

        The OSHA and AHTD Alliance Implementation Team has not started work on programs or projects to address this goal.
         
    2. Executive Summary

      Through the OSHA and AHTD Alliance, the organizations have continued their excellent working relationship through their combined efforts to raise awareness about high technology machine guarding devices and robotics through sharing information and participating in outreach opportunities.

      AHTD distributed a number of OSHA’s publications at AHTD’s 2008 Spring Meeting in Key West, Florida and at AHTD’s Fall Meeting in Vail, Colorado. In addition, Bill Wright presented information about Agency safety and health resources along with information about the Alliance Program.

      Through the Alliance AHTD presented their Machine Guarding Technology Training Seminar to 139 OSHA staff members in three Regions. AHTD also presented their Robotics Training Seminar to OSHA staff in Boston, Massachusetts.

      Lastly, OSHA and the AHTD renewed the OSHA and AHTD Alliance on November 18, 2008.
       
    3. Alliance Program Reach
       
      Type of Activity Number of Individuals Reached
      OSHA and AHTD Alliance Web page Waiting for Web Trends to come back up
      AHTD/OSHA Alliance Web page Data Not Available
      April 1, 2008 AHTD Spring Meeting, Key West, Florida
      Publications      		 270
      May 21, 2008, Machine Guarding Technology Training Seminar – Wethersfield, Connecticut 13
      May 29, 2008, Machine Guarding Technology Training Seminar – Montpellier, Vermont 18
      September 10, 2008, Machine Guarding Technology Training Seminar – Seattle, Washington 25
      September 11, 2008, Machine Guarding Technology Training Seminar – Portland, Oregon 20
      September 19, 2008, Robotics Training Seminar – Boston, Massachusetts 19
      September 30, 2008, Machine Guarding Technology Training Seminar – Kansas City, Missouri 16
      October 14, 2008, Machine Guarding Technology Training Seminar – Ft. Lauderdale, Florida 17
      October 16, 2008, Machine Guarding Technology Training Seminar – Jacksonville, Florida 11
      October 8, 2008, AHTD 2008 Fall Meeting, Vail, Colorado
      Bill Wright      		 200
      November 2008 - OSHA Renews Alliance with the Association for High Technology Distribution (Compliance Home - OSHA News, http://www.compliancehome.com) Data Not Available
      Control of Hazardous Energy
      Safety and Health Topics page      		 73,380
      Machine Guarding
      Safety and Health Topics page      		 29,339
      Robotics
      Safety and Health Topics page      		 5,840
      Total 110,545
  4. 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 2009 Spring Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona and the AHTD Fall Meeting in Hilton Head, South Carolina.

    The OSHA and AHTD Alliance implementation team plans to deliver the Machine Guarding Technology Training Seminar for OSHA staff in OSHA Regions III and IV during 2009. Training is being scheduled for OSHA staff in:
      • Philadelphia, PA, 2009
      • Mobile, AL, 2009
      • Atlanta, GA, 2009
      • Nashville, TN, 2009
      • Birmingham, AL, 2009
      • Jackson, MS, 2009
  5. AHTD will continue to publish its AHTD Newsletter that will regularly contain OSHA safety and health information.

    Through the Alliance, AHTD will be working to complete its’ draft Safety Tips Sheet on Safety Switches. In addition, AHTD is planning on getting final approval from AHTD members to allow the Robotics presentation to be posted on the AHTD and OSHA Web page and linked to from the OSHA and AHTD Alliance Web page on the Agency’s Web site.

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

Report prepared by: Bill Willson, Alliance Coordinator, Office of Outreach
Services Alliances, February 6, 2009.