AWEA - Annual Alliance Report - August 8, 2014

ANNUAL ALLIANCE REPORT
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the
and the American Wind Energy Association (AWEA)
August 8, 2014

  1. Alliance Background
    1. Date Signed

      August 8, 2011

    2. Evaluation Period

      August 8, 2013 - August 7, 2014

    3. 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

    • Morgan Seuberling - Occupational Safety and Health Specialist, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances, Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs
    • Tom Bielema - Area Director, Peoria Area Office, Region V
    • Sanji Kanth - Safety Engineer, Office of General Industry Enforcement (OGIE), Directorate of Enforcement Programs (DEP)
    • Brian Sturtecky - Area Director, Jacksonville Area Office, Region IV
    • Sherman Williamson - Safety and Occupational Health Specialist, OGIE, DEP
    • Courtney Murray - Occupational Safety and Health Specialist, OCS, DOC
    • Erin Patterson - Regulatory Analyst, OCS, DOC

    AWEA

    • Michele Mihelic - Director, Labor, Health and Safety Policy, AWEA
    • John Valerius - Duke Energy; Worker Representative, AWEA
    • Grayling Vander Velde - NextEra Energy; Committee Member, AWEA
    • Diane Waghorne - Tech Safety Lines; Committee Member, AWEA
    • Robert Edinger - GoldWind America; Committee Member, AWEA
    • Rick Kroon - Vestas; Committee Member, AWEA
    • Michael Kelley - Upwind Solutions; Committee Member, AWEA
  2. Implementation Team Meetings
    • October 30, 2013
    • February 13, 2014

    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

    The following table summarizes the Alliance's activities in support of the goals in the Alliance agreement.

    Raising Awareness of OSHA's Rulemaking and Enforcement Initiatives Goal 1: To share information on occupational safety and health laws and standards, including the rights and responsibilities of workers and employers.
    Activity Type Activity Name/Summary OSHA Initiative Supported Number Reached
      During the reporting period, the OSHA and AWEA Alliance Implementation Team have not completed work on programs or projects to address this goal.    
     

    Raising Awareness of OSHA's Rulemaking and Enforcement Initiatives Goal 2: To convene or participate in forums, roundtable discussions, or stakeholder meetings on fall, electrical, and crane hazards in wind energy industry maintenance and operations to help forge innovative solutions in the workplace or to provide input on safety and health issues.
    Activity Type Activity Name/Summary OSHA Initiative Supported Number Reached
    Event OSHA Alliance Program Construction Roundtable Meeting, Department of Labor, March 20, 2014, Washington, DC

    Representatives from the AWEA Alliance attended the OSHA Alliance Program Construction Roundtable meeting in Washington, D.C. During the meeting, Alliance Program participants discussed products developed through the Roundtable, including resources for OSHA's National Stand-down on Falls in Construction. The breakout teams identified potential projects and resources to address safety and health hazards in the construction industry in order to support the campaigns.

    		 Falls in Construction Data Not Applicable
     

    Training and Education 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.
    Activity Type Activity Name/Summary OSHA Initiative Supported Number Reached
      During the reporting period, the OSHA and AWEA Alliance Implementation Team have not completed work on programs or projects to address this goal.    
     

    Outreach and Communication Goal 1: To develop information on the recognition and prevention of workplace hazards, and to develop ways of communicating such information (e.g., print and electronic media, electronic assistance tools, and OSHA's and the AWEA's Web sites) to employers and workers in the industry.
    Activity Type Activity Name/Summary OSHA Initiative Supported Number Reached
    Product AWEA and OSHA Alliance Web Page

    AWEA maintains the AWEA and OSHA Alliance Web page on its Website. Information includes links to the Alliance agreement and resources developed through the Alliance.

    		   Data Not Available
    Product OSHA and AWEA Alliance Web Page

    OSHA maintains the OSHA and AWEA Alliance Web page that is posted on the OSHA Website. The page includes the Alliance agreement, the renewal agreement, annual reports, news releases, information on activities and events, and links to resources developed by AWEA through the Alliance Program.

    		   562 Page Views
     

    Outreach and Communication Goal 2: To speak, exhibit, or appear at OSHA's or AWEA's conferences, local meetings, or other events.
    Activity Type Activity Name/Summary OSHA Initiative Supported Number Reached
    Speaker

    2014 AWEA Operation, Maintenance, and Safety Seminar, January 15-16, 2014, San Diego, California

    On January 15, 2014, Thomas Bielema, Area Director, Region V, Peoria, Illinois Area Office, DOL-OSHA gave a presentation on OSHA Updates at the Opening Session.

    On January 16, 201, Thomas Bielema, Area Director, Region V, Peoria, Illinois Area Office, DOL-OSHA, and Brian Sturtecky, Area Director, Jacksonville, Florida Area Office, DOL-OSHA were panel participants on an OSHA Roundtable entitled "Wind Energy and OSHA."

    		   533
    Speaker

    2014 AWEA Operation, Maintenance, and Safety Seminar, January 15-16, 2014, San Diego, California

    On January 16, 201, Thomas Bielema, Area Director, Region V, Peoria, Illinois Area Office, DOL-OSHA, and Brian Sturtecky, Area Director, Jacksonville, Florida Area Office, DOL-OSHA were panel participants on an OSHA Roundtable entitled "Wind Energy and OSHA."

    		   217
     

    Outreach and Communication Goal 3: To share information among OSHA personnel and industry safety and health professionals regarding AWEA's good practices or effective approaches through training programs, workshops, seminars, and lectures (or any other applicable forum) developed by the participants.
    Activity Type Activity Name/Summary OSHA Initiative Supported Number Reached
      During the reporting period, the OSHA and AWEA Alliance Implementation Team have not completed work on programs or projects to address this goal.    
    TOTAL     1,332
  4. Upcoming Milestones

    In the upcoming year, OSHA and AWEA will continue work together to provide AWEA's members and others with guidance and access to information and training resources that will focus on fall protection, crane safety and electrical safety in the wind industry.

    For example, AWEA will complete the Fall Protection PPE Fact Sheet, the Fall Protection PPE Quick Tips, and the Crane Safety Fact Sheet in the wind industry. The resources will be posted on the AWEA Alliance-related Web page and OSHA will link the resources to the OSHA and AWEA Web page, the Alliance Program Participants Developed Products Web page, and other appropriate locations on the Agency Web site.

    In addition, AWEA will also participate in the evaluation of the impact of AWEA's Alliance developed products and training program on the wind industry by developing methods to survey the benefits of their Alliance products through the Alliance Program. AWEA will provide their results to OSHA.

    Finally, AWEA will continue to attend the Alliance Program Construction Roundtable, when scheduled, and will contribute to the development of products through these Alliance events. For completing their outreach goals, AWEA will provide OSHA with an Alliance exhibit and opportunities for speakers during their Annual WINDPOWER Conference and Exhibition, the 2015 AWEA EHS Seminar and provide an Alliance exhibit at the Offshore Windpower Conference and Exhibition.

    Report prepared by: Morgan Seuberling, Safety and Occupational Health Specialist, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances, August 8, 2014.