AWEA - Alliance Annual Report - August 27, 2012

ANNUAL ALLIANCE REPORT
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
And the
American Wind Energy Association (AWEA)
August 27, 2012

  1. Alliance Background

    Date Signed:

    August 8, 2011

    Evaluation Period

    August 8, 2011 - August 7, 2012

    Overview

    The OSHA and AWEA Alliance focuses on providing AWEA affiliates and others with information, guidance, and access to training resources that will help them protect the health of workers and provide safe workplaces, particularly by reducing and preventing exposures to fall, electrical, and crane hazards, and to aid in understanding the rights of workers and the responsibilities of employers under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act).

    Implementation Team Members

    OSHA

    • Tom Bielema - Area Director, Peoria Area Office, Region V
    • Sanji Kanth - Safety Engineer, Office of General Industry Enforcement (OGIE), Directorate of Enforcement Programs (DEP0
    • Dean McKenzie - Safety and Occupational Health Specialist, Office of Construction Services, Directorate of Construction
    • Morgan Seuberling - Occupational Safety and Health Specialist, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances (OOSA), Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs (DCSP)
    • Eric Lahaie * - Acting Director, OOSA, DCSP
    • Brian Sturtecky - Area Director, Jacksonville Area Office, Region IV
    • Sherman Williamson - Safety and Occupational Health Specialist, OGIE, DEP

    AWEA

    • John Amos - Siemens Energy, Inc.; Committee Member, AWEA
    • Brian Arndt - Outland Energy Services; Committee Member, AWEA
    • David Bentley - Acciona Wind Energy USA, LLC; Committee Member, AWEA
    • Thomas Budler - MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co; Committee Member, AWEA
    • Luis Carbonell - Siemens Energy Wind Power Americas; Committee Member, AWEA
    • Myron Coon - Power Partners Mastec, LLC; Committee Member, AWEA
    • Lane Cross - enXco, Inc.; Committee Member, AWEA
    • Tom Daft - - MidAmerican Energy Holdings Co.; Committee Member, AWEA
    • Justin Davis - Duke Energy; Worker Representative, AWEA
    • Carlos Diaz - Edison Mission Energy; Committee Member, AWEA
    • Kyle Fritz - Edison Mission Energy; Committee Member, AWEA
    • Reggie Ham - UpWind Solutions Inc.; Worker Representative, AWEA
    • Michael Hughes - Siemens Energy Wind Power Americas; Committee Member, AWEA
    • Jerome Kaiser - GE Energy; Worker Representative, AWEA
    • Michael Kelley - UpWind Solutions; Committee Member, AWEA
    • Rick Kroon, - Vestas American Wind Technology, Inc.; Committee Member, AWEA
    • Gary Lee - EDP Renewables North America; Committee Member, AWEA
    • Randolph Mann - Edison Mission Energy; Committee Member, AWEA
    • Susan Marshall - Siemens AG; Committee Member, AWEA
    • Michele Mihelic - Manager, Labor, Health and Safety Policy, AWEA
    • Christopher Mugge - Lost Lakes Wind Farm; Committee Member, AWEA
    • Daniel Olson- GE Energy; Committee Member, AWEA
    • Tim Palmer - Wanzek; Committee Member, AWEA
    • Ken Ripper - EDP Renewables North America, LLC; Committee Member, AWEA
    • Joseph Reisinger - Broadway Energy, Inc.; Committee Member, AWEA
    • Harold Ross - Siemens Energy, Inc.; Committee Member, AWEA
    • Trent Schon - Mortensen Construction; Committee Member, AWEA
    • Brian Schultz - Grand Rapids Community College; Committee Member, AWEA
    • Joshua Shaw - Amerisafe Consulting and Safety Services; Committee Member, AWEA
    • Eric Sheldon - Grand Rapids Community College; Committee Member, AWEA
    • Scott Stone - NextEra Energy Resources; Committee Member, AWEA
    • John Sullivan - Siemens Energy Wind Power Americas; Committee Member, AWEA
    • Frank Tognotti - Shell WindEnergy Inc.; Committee Member, AWEA
    • John Valerius - Duke Energy; Worker Representative, AWEA
    • Grayling V. Velde - Duke Energy; Committee Member, AWEA
    • Thomas Vinson - Director, Regulatory Affairs, AWEA
    • Diane Waghorne - Tech Safety Lines; Committee Member, AWEA
    • Dennis Winn - Alberdrola; Committee Member, AWEA
    • Jeffrey Wolf - E.ON Climate & Renewables North America; Committee Member, AWEA
    • John York - Edison Mission Energy; Committee Member, AWEA

    *Eric Lahaie served on the OSHA and AWEA Alliance Implementation Team until May 31, 2012

  2. Implementation Team Meetings

    • August 8, 2011
    • December 7, 2011
    • April 18, 2012
    • July 26, 2012

    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

      Raising Awareness of OSHA's Rulemaking and Enforcement Initiatives

      • To share information on occupational safety and health laws and standards, including the rights and responsibilities of workers and employers.

      Products

      AWEA and OSHA Alliance-Related Web Page

      AWEA developed and maintain the AWEA and OSHA Alliance Web page on its Web site.  The Web page includes information on the Alliance agreement and OSHA’s current initiatives. 

      OSHA and AWEA Alliance Web Page

      OSHA maintains and updates the OSHA and AWEA Alliance Web page on the Agency Web site.  The page includes the Alliance’s agreement and information on Alliance activities and events.  

      Events

      OSHA Alliance Program Construction Roundtable Meeting, Department of Labor, February 10, 2012, Washington, DC

      An AWEA representative participated in the OSHA Alliance Program Construction Roundtable meeting in Washington, D.C.  During the meeting, Alliance Program participants received OSHA updates, discussed products developed through the Roundtable, including the next series of draft Construction Workplace Design Solutions, and identified potential projects and compliance assistance resources to help address safety and health hazards in the construction industry.

      OSHA Alliance Program Construction Roundtable Meeting, Department of Labor, September 20, 2011, Washington, DC

      An AWEA representative participated in the OSHA Alliance Program Construction Roundtable meeting in Washington, D.C.  During the meeting, Alliance Program participants received OSHA updates, discussed products developed through the Roundtable, including the next series of draft Construction Workplace Design Solutions, and identified potential projects and compliance assistance resources to help address safety and health hazards in the construction industry.

      Training and Education

      During the reporting period, the OSHA and AWEA Alliance Implementation Team have not completed work on programs or projects to address this goal.

      • To develop effective training and education programs for workers in the wind energy industry regarding fall, electrical, and crane hazards in maintenance and operations, and to communicate such information to constituent employers and workers.

      Outreach and Communication

      • To speak, exhibit, or appear at OSHA's or AWEA's conferences, local meetings, or other events.

      Events

      WINDPOWER Conference and Exposition, June 3-6, 2012, Atlanta, Georgia

      OSHA personnel from the Atlanta Area Office, Region IV, staffed an exhibit booth and disseminated OSHA publications to attendees.

      North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week, May 6-12, 2012, Washington, DC.

      AWEA and a number of other Alliance Program participants supported 2012 NAOSH Week. Sponsored annually by ASSE and the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering, the Week focuses on the importance of preventing injuries and illnesses in the workplace. 2012 Theme: "Safety, What Every Business Needs."

      To help support the event, AWEA disseminated information about the 2012 NAOSH Week to their membership and a representative from AWEA attended the 2012  NAOSH Week Kick-off Event in Washington, DC.

    2. Executive Summary

      During the OSHA and AWEA Alliance’s first year, the organizations established a productive working relationship.  For example, AWEA representatives attended several Alliance Program Construction Roundtables.

      As part of their outreach, OSHA personnel from the Atlanta Area Office, Region IV, staffed an exhibit booth at the WINDPOWER Conference and Expo and distributed OSHA publications to the attendees. 

      Finally AWEA supported and promoted the 2012 NAOSH Week by disseminating information about the event to their members and by attending the 2012 NAOSH Week Kick-off event.

    3. Alliance Program Reach

      Type of Activity
      (Conference, Training, Print and Electronic Distribution, etc.)      		 Number of Individuals Reached or Trained

      OSHA and AWEA Alliance Web Page on OSHA Website

      Data Not Available

      AWEA and OSHA Alliance Web Page on the AWEA Website

      Data Not Available

      June 3-6, 2012: WINDPOWER Conference and Exposition

      OSHA Exhibit

      Data Not Available

      TOTAL

      Data Not Available

  4. Upcoming Milestones

    Over the next year, OSHA and AWEA will continue to work together to provide AWEA’s members and others with guidance and access to information and training resources that will focus on reducing and preventing exposures to fall, electrical, and crane hazards.  The OSHA and AWEA Alliance Implementation Team members will finalize and implement several training programs on wind energy, including the “Wind Energy Awareness– Climb Safety” training, and develop fact sheets on electrical equipment and cranes used in the industry.  AWEA will post these resources on its Web site.  OSHA will then add links to the resources on the OSHA and AWEA Web page, the Alliance Program Participants Developed Products Web page, and other appropriate locations on the Agency Web site.

    AWEA will invite OSHA to exhibit at the Windpower 2013 Conference and Exhibition.  In addition, AWEA will distribute OSHA publications at the Offshore Windpower 2012 Conference and Exhibition.

    Finally, AWEA representatives will be joining with other Alliance Program participants to support 2013 North American Occupational Safety and Health Week and will participate in the Alliance Program Construction Roundtables.

    Report prepared by: Morgan Seuberling, Safety and Occupational Health Specialist, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances, August 27, 2012.