AMI - Alliance Annual Report - March 16, 2005

ALLIANCE ANNUAL REPORT
Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the
American Meat Institute (AMI)
March 16, 2005

I. Alliance Background

Date Signed

October 24, 2002

Date Renewed

July 12, 2004

Evaluation Period

October 24, 2003 - October 23, 2004

Overview

The OSHA-AMI Alliance addresses ergonomics and related workplace safety issues in the meat industry by using the collective expertise of AMI's members to advance a culture of injury and illness prevention and the sharing of best practices and technical knowledge.

Implementation Team Members

OSHA

Brett Besser
Salt Lake Technical Center (SLTC)
Betty Copeland
North Carolina OSHA
Cathy Cronin
Office of Training and Education (OTE)
Brently Donaldson
OTE
Frank Herman
Office of Outreach Services and Alliances (OOSA)*
Lee Anne Jillings
OOSA
Lisa Ramber
OOSA
Beth Sherfy
OOSA

Contributors

Courtney Arrendale
SLTC
Dick Clark
SLTC
Leighton Hill
SLTC

AMI:

Regina Barker
Practical Ergonomics
Mike Hartley
Smithfield Packing Company
Dan McCausland
AMI - Director, Worker Safety and Human Resources
Tim Newquist
Kraft Foods
Eric Reynolds
Taylor, an Excel Foods Co.
Gary Walters
Premium Standard Farms

*December 2003-April 30, 2004

II. Implementation Team Meetings

October 24, 2003
Implementation Team Conference Call
February 6, 2004
Implementation Team Conference Call
July 22, 2004
Implementation Team Meeting, Arlington, Virginia

III. Activities and Products

  1. Events and Products

    Training and Education Goals

    • Develop and deliver training and education programs on ergonomic issues. AMI will include ergonomics training sessions at the annual AMIF Worker Safety, Health and Human Resources conference.

      Events

      Ergonomics Training Course

      "Ergonomics: Practical Solutions for the Meat Industry," which was offered by Regina Barker was held in May and June of 2004. Approximately 35 meat industry representatives attended each session.

      Meat Industry Seminar

      On April 6, 2004, the Alliance held a "Meat Industry Orientation Seminar" for OSHA federal and state personnel in Region IV in Jacksonville, Florida. Over twenty-five participants attended the seminar, representing the Agency's Region IV Area Offices in Mississippi, Florida, and Georgia; Consultation Projects in Kentucky and Florida; and the State Plan States of North Carolina and Tennessee. Speakers included Dan McCausland, Director, Worker Safety and Human Resources for AMI; Eric Reynolds, Manager of Safety and Ergonomics, Taylor, an Excel Foods Co.; Tim Newquist, Area Director of Safety and Risk Management, Kraft Foods; and Gary Walters, Processing Safety Manager, Premium Standard Farms. They provided in-depth orientation to the meat industry and discussed specific safety applications, including lockout/tagout, process safety management for ammonia refrigeration systems, ergonomics, personnel protective equipment, machine guarding and job hazard analyses. At the same meeting, Doug Fletcher, a Compliance Assistance Specialist from Region VII's Omaha, Nebraska Area Office, provided information on the Nebraska Meat Industry/OSHA Strategic Partnership. He reviewed the partnership's formation and its challenges and successes.

    • Cross-train OSHA personnel and industry safety and health practitioners in AMI ergonomic best practices or programs.

      Products

      OSHA 10- and 30-hour Training Courses for the Meat Industry

      The AMI Alliance implementation team developed outlines for the OSHA 10- and 30-hour training courses that AMI plans to deliver to members of the meat industry. OSHA's Office of Training and Education has approved the outlines.

    Outreach and Communication Goals

    • Seek opportunities to jointly develop and disseminate information and guidance through print and electronic media, particularly the AMI and OSHA Web sites.

      Products

      Meat Packing Industry Safety and Health Topics Page

      Representatives from the OSHA-AMI Alliance help to review and revise OSHA's Meat Packing Industry Safety and Health Topics page. This page is maintained as a product of the Alliance between OSHA and AMI. The following representatives from AMI serve as members of the page's editorial board:

      • Mike Hartley, Corporate Safety Director, Smithfield Packing Co.;
      • Dan McCausland, Director, Worker Safety and Human Resources;
      • Tim Newquist, Area Director of Safety and Risk Management,
      • Eric Reynolds, Manager of Safety and Ergonomics, Taylor/Excel Foods;
      • Gary Walters, Processing Safety Manager, Premium Standards Farms;
      • Regina Barker, Executive Director, Practical Ergonomics;

      Ammonia Refrigeration eTool

      Representatives from the OSHA-AMI Alliance worked with representatives from the Dow Chemical Company, another Alliance Program participant, to develop OSHA's Ammonia Refrigeration eTool. The following representatives from AMI serve as members of the editorial board of OSHA's Ammonia Refrigeration eTool:

      • Greg Bishop, UniSea;
      • Mark Halvoresen, Armour Swift-Eckrich;
      • Dan McCausland, American Meat Institute (AMI), Director, Worker Safety and Human Resources;
      • Debbie Pike, International Seafoods of Alaska, Inc.;
      • Tim Newquist, Kraft Foods, Inc.

      AMI's Web site

      AMI's Website contains a Worker Safety Page that includes links to the OSHA and AMI Alliance Web page on OSHA's Website, OSHA's Meat Packing Industry Safety and Health Topics page, and AMI fact sheets on worker safety and health and line speeds in meat and poultry plants.

      OSHA and AMI's Alliance Web page

      The OSHA and AMI Web page on the OSHA Website includes links to the Alliance agreement and related documents, activities and events, milestones and successes, and products of the Alliance such as the Ammonia Refrigeration eTool and the Meat Packing Industry Safety and Health Topics page. For more information on the number of visits to the OSHA and AMI Alliance Web page, please see the Alliance Program Reach table on page 7.

      Print and Electronic Media

      Articles on the OSHA and AMI Alliance and products developed through it have appeared in a number of print and online publications, including: USNewswire.com, BNA Occupational Safety and Health Reporter, Poultry and Egg News online, Occupational Health and Safety Online, and OSHA's press releases, Quick Takes and Alliance Quarterly Review.

      Safety Lifting Quick Card

      The Alliance reviewed and provided comments on OSHA's draft Quick Card for Safe Lifting, developed by the Agency's Office of Communications.

    • Seek opportunities to jointly disseminate information and guidance in Spanish and other languages.

      During this evaluation period, no products or resources have been developed to meet this Alliance goal.

    • Seek opportunities to speak, exhibit, or appear at conferences, local meetings, or other events to promote the effectiveness of their ergonomic programs.

      Events

      AMI International Meat, Poultry & Seafood Convention & Exposition

      On October 30, 2003, Lee Anne Jillings, Director of OSHA's Office of Outreach Services and Alliances, USDOL-OSHA, and Dan McCausland, Director of Worker Safety and Human Resources at AMI, presented a speech entitled "Cooperative and Collaborative Approach to Workplace Safety" at the AMI International Meat, Poultry & Seafood Convention & Exposition, McCormick Place Conference Center, Chicago, Illinois. Ms. Jillings and Mr. McCausland discussed OSHA's Strategic Management Plan and the benefits of the OSHA and AMI Alliance. Copies of the "Meat Packing Industry" CD that was developed through the Alliance were distributed to attendees.

      AMI Conference on Worker Safety, Health and Human Resources

      On April 20, 2004, Paula White, Director, Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs, USDOL-OSHA, participated in a workshop session during the AMI Conference on Worker Safety, Health and Human Resources in Phoenix, Arizona. Ms. White's presentation, "Cooperative Programs: Working with OSHA," gave the attendees in-depth information on OSHA's cooperative programs and the OSHA and AMI Alliance. Copies of the "Meat Packing Industry" CD that was developed through the Alliance were distributed to attendees.

    • Promote and encourage AMI members' participation in OSHA's cooperative programs such as compliance assistance, the Voluntary Protection Program, Consultation, SHARP, and mentoring among AMI members.

      During this evaluation period, no products or resources have been developed to meet this Alliance goal.

    Promoting the National Dialogue on Workplace Safety and Health Goals

    • Encourage AMI members to act as industry liaisons and resources for OSHA's cooperative programs and Compliance Assistance Specialists.

      During this evaluation period, no products or resources have been developed to meet this Alliance goal.

    • Share information on best practices of AMI members with others in the industry.

      During this evaluation period, no products or resources have been developed to meet this Alliance goal.

  2. Executive Summary

    Through the Alliance Program, OSHA and AMI are working to reduce and prevent exposure to ergonomic hazards in the workplace for the meat industry. During its second year, OSHA and AMI renewed the Alliance on July 12, 2004, for 2 years.

    The OSHA-AMI Alliance implementation team developed several resources with information about the Alliance, ergonomics and other safety and health resources. The OSHA-AMI Alliance Webpage on the OSHA Website features links to related documents, activities and events, and milestones and successes. AMI's Website contains a Worker Safety Page that includes links to the OSHA and AMI Alliance Web page on OSHA's Website, OSHA's Meat Packing Industry Safety and Health Topics page, and AMI fact sheets on worker safety and line speeds in meat and poultry plants.

    During the past year, the AMI Alliance implementation team members contributed to a number of OSHA's compliance assistance products. AMI members continued to serve on the Meat Packing Industry Safety and Health Topics page editorial board, providing expert input to SLTC to help maintain the page. Representatives from the OSHA-AMI Alliance worked collaboratively with representatives from the Dow Chemical Company, another Alliance Program participate, to develop OSHA's Ammonia Refrigeration eTool. The eTool includes information on receiving and storage, emergency response, and general safety as well as a plant safety self-inspection checklist. The OSHA-AMI Alliance's members also provided comments to the Agency on the draft OSHA Quick Card on Amputations.

    Members of the AMI Alliance implementation team helped identify speakers to make presentations about OSHA's cooperative programs at industry conferences. For example, on October 30, 2003, Lee Anne Jillings, Director of OSHA's Office of Outreach Services and Alliances, USDOL-OSHA, and Dan McCausland, Director of Worker Safety and Human Resources at AMI, made a presentation entitled "Cooperative and Collaborative Approach to Workplace Safety" at the AMI International Meat, Poultry & Seafood Convention & Exposition in Chicago, Illinois. On April 20, 2004, Paula White, Director, Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs, USDOL-OSHA, participated in a workshop session during the AMI Conference on Worker Safety, Health and Human Resources in Phoenix, Arizona. Ms. White's presentation, "Cooperative Programs: Working with OSHA," gave the attendees in-depth information on OSHA's cooperative programs and the OSHA and AMI Alliance.

    The OSHA and AMI Alliance developed and hosted a "Meat Industry Seminar" for OSHA federal and state personnel in Region IV in Jacksonville, Florida on April 6, 2004. Over twenty-five participants attended the seminar, representing the Agency's Region IV Area Offices in Mississippi, Florida, and Georgia; Consultation Projects in Kentucky and Florida; and the State Plan States of North Carolina and Tennessee. Speakers from AMI gave in-depth orientation to the meat industry and discussed specific safety applications, including lockout/tagout, process safety management for ammonia refrigeration systems, ergonomics, personnel protective equipment, machine guarding and job hazard analyses. At the same meeting, Doug Fletcher, a Compliance Assistance Specialist from Region VII's Omaha, Nebraska Area Office, provided information on the Nebraska Meat Industry/OSHA Strategic Partnership. In addition, a course entitled "Ergonomics: Practical Solutions for the Meat Industry" was offered by Regina Barkers in May and June of 2005. Approximately 35 meat industry representatives attended each session.

    The OSHA-AMI Alliance implementation team has also developed outlines for the OSHA 10- and 30-hour training courses that AMI plans to deliver to members of the meat industry. OSHA's Office of Training and Education has approved the outlines.

  3. Alliance Program Reach

    Type of Activity (Conference, Training, Print and Electronic Distribution, etc.)

    Number of Individuals Reached or Trained
    OSHA and AMI Alliance Webpage on the OSHA Website

    4649
    AMI Worker Safety Page

    Data Not Available
    Meat Packing Safety and Health Topics Page

    10,800
    Ammonia Refrigeration eTool

    9,000
    OSHA's draft Quick Card on Safe Lifting

    Data Not Available
    October 30, 2003: AMI International Meat, Poultry an Seafood Convention and Exposition, Chicago, Illinois

    Speakers:
    • Lee Anne Jillings, Director, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances, OSHA
    • Dan McCausland, Director of Worker Safety and Human Resources, AMI

    60
    April 6, 2004: Meat Industry Seminar, Jacksonville, Florida

    Speakers:
    • Doug Fletcher, Region VII, Compliance Assistance Specialist, OSHA
    • Teresa Harrison, Region IV, Deputy Regional Administrator, OSHA
    • Lee Anne Jillings, Director, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances, OSHA
    • Dan McCausland, Director , Worker Safety and Human Resources, AMI
    • Tim Newquist, Area Director of Safety and Risk Management, Kraft Foods
    • Eric Reynolds, Manager of Safety and Ergonomics, Taylor, an Excel Foods Co.
    • Gary Walters, Safety Manager, Premium Standard Farms

    25
    April 20, 2004: AMI Conference on Worker Safety, Health and Human Resources, Phoenix, Arizona

    Speaker:
    • Paula White, Director, Directorate of Cooperative and State Program, OSHA

    50
    Training Course: "Ergonomics: Practical Solutions for the Meat Industry," conducted by Regina Barker
    • May 2004
    • June 2004

    70 (35 at each class)
    July 12, 2004 - OSHA Press Release, "OSHA, American Meat Institute Renew Alliance"

    25 News Services
    July 12, 2004 - OSHA, American Meat Institute Renew Alliance; Focus Continues on Reducing Ergonomic Hazards, Sharing Best Practices (http://www.usnewswire.com)

    150,000
    July 12, 2004 - OSHA, American Meat Institute Renew Alliance; Focus Continues on Reducing Ergonomic Hazards, Sharing Best Practices (http://www.remodeling.hw.net) Data Not Available
    July 12, 2004 - OSHA, American Meat Institute Renew Alliance (http://www.oshainstitute.com)

    Data Not Available
    July 13, 2004 - "AMI, OSHA Sign Two-Year Renewal of Alliance to Enhance Worker Safety," AMI Press Release

    Data Not Available
    July 13, 2004 - OSHA, American Meat Institute Renew Alliance, Facility Safety Management (http://www.fsmmag.com)

    Data Not Available
    July 15, 2004 - OSHA Renews Meat Association Alliance (BNA Occupational Safety and Health Reporter)

    Data Not Available
    July 15, 2004 - OSHA Debuts Electronic Assistance Tool on Ammonia Refrigeration; eTool a Product of Alliance with Dow Chemical, American Meat Inst. (http://www.usnewswire.com)

    150,000
    July 15, 2004 - "OSHA Debuts Electronic Assistance Tool on Ammonia Refrigeration," OSHA Press Release

    25 News Services
    July 19, 2004 - New eTool Offers Safety Information on Ammonia Refrigeration Systems, Occupational Health and Safety E-News (http://www.oshonline.com)

    Data Not Available
    July 20, 2004 - AMI Reviews Alliance with OSHA (http://www.poultryandeggnews.com)

    Data Not Available
    TOTAL

    320,474

IV. Upcoming Milestones

OSHA and AMI are continuing to provide information, guidance, and access to training resources to help protect meat packing employees' health and safety. The Alliance implementation team will continue to identify projects, including developing and reviewing compliance assistance projects, making presentations at OSHA and AMI conferences, and developing training and education for AMI members and others in the meatpacking industry.

The members of the Alliance implementation team will continue update the Meat Packing Industry Safety and Health Topics page and the Ammonia Refrigeration eTool. They plan to review on other pages that relate to the meat packing industry such as OSHA's Powered Industrial Truck Safety and Health Topics page. Additionally, OSHA may call on the members of the implementation team for comments on OSHA draft publications such as Safety and Health Information Bulletins.

The OSHA-AMI Alliance implementation team will continue to develop and host training and education programs for the meat packing industry and OSHA staff. The group is considering presenting the Meat Industry Seminar in Region VII and AMI is working with OSHA to identify a date and location for the seminar.

The implementation team will continue to develop OSHA 10- and 30-hour training courses that AMI plans to deliver to members of the meat industry. OSHA's Office of Training and Education has approved the outlines. The group is considering delivering part of the 10-hour course at the AMI Worker Safety, Health & Human Resources Conference, which is scheduled for April 3-5, 2005, in Atlanta, Georgia. Additionally, the group will identify opportunities to host the ergonomics training course, "Ergonomics: Practical Solutions for the Meat Industry."

The group will also continue to identify opportunities for promoting the Alliance to members of the meat packing industry. AMI has invited Paula White to make a joint presentation with Dan McCausland on the Alliance Program and OSHA's other cooperative programs at the AMI Worker Safety, Health & Human Resources Conference in April.

Report prepared by: Elizabeth Sherfy, Alliance Coordinator, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances, March 16, 2005.