AGSP - Alliance Annual Report - February 6, 2012

ANNUAL ALLIANCE REPORT
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
and the
Airline Group
February 6, 2012

  1. Alliance Background

    Date Signed

    May 20, 2008

    Evaluation Period

    May 20, 2008 - May 19, 2009

    Overview

    The OSHA and Airline Group Alliance focuses on providing the Airline Group's members and others with information, guidance, and access to training resources that will help them protect employees' health and safety, particularly in reducing and preventing exposure to amputations (pinch points, caught in or between), falls, struck by objects, and vehicle accidents/collisions while operating beltloaders and tugs (aircraft ground support equipment). The Airline Group signatories are:
     
    • American Airlines (American)
    • Air Transport Association of America, Inc. (ATA)
    • Continental Airlines (Continental)
    • JetBlue Airways (JetBlue)
    • Midwest Airlines (Midwest)
    • US Airways (US Air)
    • United Airlines (United)


    Implementation Team Members

    OSHA:

    Bill Willson - Office of Outreach Services and Alliances (OOSA)

    Airline Group:
     
    • Kenneth Edwards - US Air
    • Kerry Fischman - United
    • Arnold Gomez, III - Continental
    • Mike Hodes - American
    • Phillip Le Claire - Continental
    • Paul Mitsonis - US Air
    • Marianne Psipsikas - JetBlue
    • Nobuyo Sakata - ATA
    • Mont Smith - ATA
  2. Implementation Team Meetings
    • August 18, 2010 - Implementation Team Meeting
    • November 10, 2010 - Implementation Team Meeting
    • March 2, 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 Program's progress and results  

  3. Results
    1. Events and Products

      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 the Airline Group's Web sites) to employers and employees in the industry.

        Products

        Belt Loader Fact Sheets

        Preventing Pinch Point, Amputations and Caught In-Between Injuries

        Through the OSHA and Airline Group Alliance, the Airline Group developed a "Preventing Pinch Point, Amputations and Caught In-Between Injuries" fact sheet. The fact sheet provides possible solutions for the prevention of caught in-between and pinch point injuries from belt loaders. The fact sheet was completed and posted on the on the ATA Web site in November 2010. OSHA established a link from the OSHA and Airline Group Alliance Web page on the OSHA Web site to the fact sheet on the Airline Group Web site.

        Preventing Injuries Caused by Falling Objects

        Through the OSHA and Airline Group Alliance, the Airline Group developed a "Preventing Injuries Caused by Falling Objects" fact sheet. The fact sheet provides possible solutions for the prevention of injuries and aircraft/equipment damage from falling objects. The fact sheet was completed and posted on the on the ATA Web site in November 2010. OSHA established a link from the OSHA and Airline Group Alliance Web page on the OSHA Web site to the fact sheet on the Airline Group Web site.

        Preventing Slips, Trips and Falls

        Through the OSHA and Airline Group Alliance, the Airline Group developed a "Preventing Slips, Trips and Falls" fact sheet. The fact sheet provides information to help prevent injuries due to potential slips, trips and falls from belt loaders while entering and exiting aircraft bins. The fact sheet was completed and posted on the on the ATA Web site in May 2011. OSHA established a link from the OSHA and Airline Group Alliance Web page on the OSHA Web site to the fact sheet on the Airline Group Web site.

        OSHA and Airline Group Alliance Web Page

        OSHA continues to update the OSHA and Airline Group Alliance Web page on the Agency's Web site. The page includes links to the Alliance agreement and related documents, activities and events, and safety and health resources. During the reporting period, three Belt Loader Fact Sheets were added to the page including:
         
        • Preventing Pinch Point, Amputations and Caught In-between Injuries
        • Injuries Caused by Falling Objects
        • Preventing Slips, Trips and Falls


        The ATA/Alliance Web site

        The Airline Group created and maintains an OSHA and Airline Group Alliance Web page on the ATA Web site: (http://www.airlines.org/oshaairalliance). The page has information on the OSHA and Airline Group Alliance and links to the OSHA Web site. In addition, the Web site hosts resources developed by the Airline Group through the OSHA and Airline Group Alliance including fact sheets, reference guide, and toolbox talk.

        OSHA Electronic Tools

        Marianne Psipsikas, Senior Analyst Occupational Health and Safety, JetBlue, continues to server on the editorial boards for the eTools and Safety and Health Topics pages:
         
        • Airline Industry Safety and Health Topics page
        • Evacuation Plans and Procedures eTool
        • Noise and Hearing Conservation Safety and Health Topics page
        • Recordkeeping Safety and Health Topics page
        • Safety & Health Management Systems eTool
        • Walking/Working Surfaces Safety and Health Topics page
      • Speak, exhibit, or appear at OSHA's or the Airline Group's (e.g. Airside Partners in Safety, Air Transport Association, and/or International Air Transport Association) conferences, and/or meetings.

        The OSHA and Airline Group Alliance Implementation Team was unable to identify an event for the Alliance to support during the reporting period.
         
      • Promote and encourage the Airline Group's members' or worksites' participation in OSHA's cooperative programs such as compliance assistance, the Voluntary Protection Programs, and the On-site Consultation Program and its Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program.

        Business Partner Safety Meetings

        Each of the Airline Group signatories hold regular safety meetings with their business partners. At each of these meetings, the business partners are encouraged to participate in OSHA's cooperative programs such as the On-site Consultation Program.
      • Work with other Alliance participants on specific issues and projects that are addressed and developed through the Alliance Program.

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

        The Airline Group and a number of other Alliance Program participants supported 2011 NAOSH Week, "Celebrating a Century of Safety." Sponsored annually by the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), an Alliance Program participant, and the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE), the week focuses on the importance of preventing injuries and illnesses in the workplace.

        To help support the event, Airline Group members disseminated information about 2011 NAOSH Week to their membership through a press release in March 2011. In addition, Nobuyo Sakata, Manager of Operations & Safety Analysis, Air Transport Association, Marianne Psipsikas, Senior Analyst Occupational Health and Safety, JetBlue, and Mike Hodes, Senior Safety Analyst, American Airlines, attended the NAOSH Week Kick-off event at the U.S. Department of Labor on May 2, 2011, in Washington, DC. Assistant Secretary Dr. David Michaels, USDOL-OSHA; Darryl Hill, President, ASSE; and Andrew Cooper, Vice President, CSSE; provided brief remarks. The Kick-off event also featured interviews with the ASSE Kids' "Safety on the Job" Poster Winners.
         
      Promoting the National Dialogue on Workplace Safety and Health Goal
       
      • Convene or participate in forums, roundtable discussions, or stakeholder meetings on ground support operations issues to help forge innovative solutions in the workplace or to provide input on safety and health issues.

        The OSHA and Airline Group Alliance Implementation Team was unable to convene or participate in forums, roundtable discussions, or stakeholder meetings though the Alliance during the reporting period. The team expects to meet this goal over the next year.
         
    2. Executive Summary

      Through the Alliance renewal agreement, the OSHA and Airline Group Alliance Implementation Team will continue to advance its excellent working relationship by collaborating on projects and activities to achieve the goals of the Alliance. The Airline Group completed work on a number of fact sheets including:
       
      • Preventing Pinch Point, Amputations and Caught In-between Injuries
      • Preventing Injuries Caused by Falling Objects
      • Preventing Slips, Trips and Falls

      In addition, OSHA and Airline Group representatives continued sharing their expertise through participation on OSHA's electronic assistance tools' editorial boards and events, including:
       
      • Airline Group members continuing to serve on the editorial board for six OSHA eTools and Safety and Health Topics pages.
      • Airline Group signatories held regular safety meetings with their business partners at which the partners are encouraged to participate in OSHA's cooperative programs such as compliance the On-site Consultation Program and Voluntary Protection.
      • The Airline Group supported 2011 NAOSH Week.
    3. Alliance Program Reach
       
      Type of Activity (Conference, Training, Print and Electronic Distribution, etc.) Number of Individuals Reached or Trained
      OSHA and Airline Group Web Page site on the OSHA Web site 1,795
      Airline Group and OSHA Web page on the ATA Web site Data Not Available
      OSHA Airline Industry Safety and Health Topics page 8,998
      OSHA Evacuation Plans and Procedures eTool 58,676
      OSHA Noise and Hearing Conservation Safety and Health Topics page 71,119
      OSHA Recordkeeping Safety and Health Topics page 316,632
      OSHA Safety & Health Management Systems eTool 45,382
      OSHA Walking/Working Surfaces Safety and Health Topics page 32,706
      Total 535,308
  4. Upcoming Milestones

    Over the next year, OSHA and the Airline Group will continue to work together to provide the Airline Group's members and others with information, guidance, and access to training resources that will reduce and prevent amputations, falls, struck by objects, and vehicle accidents/collisions while operating beltloaders and tugs.

    Work will be completed on the following Bag Tugs and Carts Fact Sheets
     
    • Types and Fundamentals
    • Slip, Trips and Falls
    • Accidents and Collisions
    The OSHA and Airline Group Alliance Implementation Team will continue to develop additional products focusing on tugs and carts and walking and working surfaces.

    In addition, Airline Group representatives will continue to serve on six eTool and Safety and Health Topics pages' editorial boards and support 2011 NAOSH Week.

    Finally, the Airline Group hopes to renew the Alliance agreement with new signatories and union/worker participation.
     

Report prepared by: Bill Willson, Program Analyst, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances, February 6, 2012.