CBPP - Alliance Annual Report - May 6, 2005


Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the
Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business
Center for Business and Public Policy (CBPP)

  1. Alliance Background

    Date Signed

    April 10, 2003

    Evaluation Period

    April 10, 2004 – April 9, 2005

    Overview

    The OSHA and CBPP Alliance focuses on encouraging the advancement of workplace safety and health as a topic for education in business schools' curricula and facilitating dialog on workplace safety and health issues.

    Implementation Team Members

    OSHA:

    Lee Anne Jillings
    Office of Outreach Services and Alliances (OOSA)
    Beth Sherfy
    OOSA
    Stew Burkhammer
    Directorate of Construction

    CBPP:

    Lucia Almendras
    Center Coordinator*
    Kelly Castellon
    Associate Director
    John Mayo
    Executive Director
    Lamar Reinsch
    Faculty Associate

    *April 10, 2003, to August 6, 2004.

  2. Implementation Team Meetings

    October 5, 2004
    Implementation Team Meeting, Georgetown University
    March 8, 2005
    Implementation Team Meeting
  3. Results

    1. Events and Products

      Training and Education Goals

      • Working cooperatively to facilitate an active dialogue on safety and health issues by supporting an annual Workplace Safety Summit held at Georgetown University.

      Events

      Workplace Safety and Health Summit

      CBPP hosted its Workplace Safety and Health Summit in 2003, but the event did not produce a long-lasting dialogue on the issue, so the summit is no longer a priority for CBPP, and the center does not plan to host another one.

      • Participating in the ongoing Industry, Policy, and Safety Seminar Series which brings together leading scholars, business leaders, and policy officials to discuss research related to issues at the intersection of business and public policy, especially those issues related to workplace safety and health.

      Events

      Workplace Safety and Health Seminar Series

      OSHA staff was invited to and attended two seminars on workplace safety and health that were hosted by CBPP. The first was held on January 28, 2005, in Washington, DC, and addressed "The Relationship between Firm's Safety and Financial Performance: Theoretical and Empirical Evidence." A second seminar was held April 8, 2005, on "Interpreting ‘Near Misses’ and Management: What We Know and What We Need to Know." A third seminar is scheduled for May 13, 2005, and will address "Workplace Health Protection and Health Promotion: What Will it Take to do Both Well?"

      • Encouraging the development of sound research by business and economic scholars to investigate the economic and ethical dimensions of workplace safety and health.

      Products

      Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business Faculty Research

      Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business has several faculty members conducting research related to safety and health. Professors Robin Dillon-Merril and Kathy Tinsley and another colleague are researching "near misses" with a grant from the National Aeronautic and Space Administration. OSHA staff were invited to hear about their findings at the April 8, 2005, Workplace Safety and Health Seminar, "Interpreting ‘Near Misses’ and Management: What We Know and What We Need to Know." The study on "near misses" should be complete at the end of 2005 and the others should take a least one more year.

      Another faculty member, Professor Jeff Macher, is researching safety in the drug manufacturing industry. Another faculty member is researching employee retention, including the effect of safety and health programs.

      • Encouraging the advancement of workplace safety and health as a topic for education in business schools' curricula.

      Products

      Masters in Business Administration Curricula

      health in the Spring of 2005. "Safety and Health Issues for Business Management" is taught by Janice Bradley from the International Safety Equipment Association, another Alliance Program participant.

      Additionally, Georgetown University faculty members teach individual case studies that address workplace safety and health as part of the core curriculum. For example, the school teaches a Harvard Business School Case Study focusing on Alcoa Corporation that addresses organizational behavior, including safety and health.

      • Exploring opportunities for educating the current executive workforce through executive education courses designed to raise awareness of the business value and competitive advantage associated with excellence in safety and health.

      Executive Education Program

      The Alliance’s education and training goal of developing an executive education program is no longer a priority for CBPP. CBPP developed a two-part Executive Education Program and offered the first half at the 2003 National Safety Congress in Chicago, Illinois as a one-day course. The second half of the program was offered in December 2003 at CBPP in Washington, DC. While more than 20 people attended the program in Chicago, not that many students attended the second half of the program in Washington, DC. There was not enough interest from students due to the cost and travel required for the program. As a result, CBPP is no longer pursuing this project.

      Outreach and Communication Goals

      • Participating in working group meetings that explore workplace safety and health and other policy issues and create networks of mutual interest.

      OSHA invited CBPP to attend the Design for Safety Workgroup meeting that was scheduled for October 21, 2004, and involved a number of construction Alliance Program participants that had attended OSHA’s Construction Roundtable in July 2004.

      • Sharing information to be appropriately disseminated on OSHA's and CBPP' respective Web pages.

      Products

      The OSHA and CBPP Alliance Web Page on OSHA’s Web Site

      The OSHA and CBPP Alliance Web page on the OSHA Website features links to the OSHA and CBPP Alliance agreement and related documents, activities and events, and milestones and successes.

      CBPP’s Web Site

      CBPP’s Web site contains information on workplace safety and health, including the OSHA and CBPP Alliance; the workplace safety and health seminar series hosted by CBPP; and the course, "Safety and Health Issues for Business Management," which is offered by Georgetown University, McDonough School of Business during the Spring 2005 semester.

      • Speaking, exhibiting, or appearing at conferences, local meetings, or other events.

      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 CBPP focused on encouraging the advancement of workplace safety and health as a topic for education in business schools' curricula and facilitating dialog on workplace safety and health issues.

      The OSHA and CBPP Alliance implementation team has completed a number of successful projects that advance workplace safety and health as a topic for education in business schools' curricula and promote the Alliance Program. The OSHA and CBPP Alliance Web page on OSHA’s Web site features links to related documents, activities and events, and milestones and successes. CBPP’s Web site contains information on workplace safety and health, including the OSHA and CBPP Alliance and the course, "Safety and Health Issues for Business Management," which was offered by Georgetown University during the Spring 2005 semester.

      The Web site also has information on the workplace safety and health seminar series CBPP is hosting. Representatives from OSHA attended the January 28, 2005, seminar on "The Relationship between Firm's Safety and Financial Performance: Theoretical and Empirical Evidence," and the April 8, 2005, on "Interpreting ‘Near Misses’ and Management: What We Know and What We Need to Know," both of which drew approximately 40 attendees. A third seminar is planned for May 13, 2005, on "Workplace Health Protection and Health Promotion: What Will it Take to do Both Well?"

      As part of its Masters in Business Administration curricula, Georgetown University offered a class on workplace safety and health in the Spring of 2005. "Safety and Health Issues for Business Management" is taught by Janice Bradley from the International Safety Equipment Association, another Alliance Program participant. Additionally, Georgetown University faculty members teach individual case studies that address workplace safety and health as part of the core curriculum. For example, the school teaches a Harvard Business School Case Study focusing on Alcoa Corporation that addresses organizational behavior, including safety and health.

      The OSHA-CBPP Alliance implementation team addressed several other projects identified in the Alliance agreement, such as hosting an annual Workplace Safety Summit and developing executive education curriculum. However, these projects were not successful due to limited response and the projects are no longer a priority for CBPP.

    3. Alliance Program Reach

      Type of Activity (Conference, Training, Print and Electronic Distribution, etc.) Number of Individuals Reached or Trained
      OSHA and CBPP Alliance Web page on the OSHA Web site 4649
      CBPP's Workplace Safety and Health Web page Data Not Available
      January 28, 2005 - Workplace Safety and Health Seminar Series: "The Relationship between Firm's Safety and Financial Performance: Theoretical and Empirical Evidence." 40
      April 8, 2005 - Workplace Safety and Health Seminar Series: "Interpreting 'Near Misses' and Management: What we Know and What we Need to Know" 40
      TOTAL 4729

       
  4. Upcoming Milestones

    While the OSHA and CBPP Alliance implementation team worked on a number of projects to advance workplace safety and health as a topic for business school curricula, many of the projects and activities identified in the Alliance agreement are no longer a priority for CBPP. Because of CBPP’s changing priorities, the parties agreed to successfully conclude the OSHA and CBPP Alliance at the end of its two-year period on April 10, 2005. OSHA and CBPP are discussing developing a new Alliance agreement that will build on the original agreement’s successes such as CBPP’s Workplace Safety Seminars and its research mission. Other topics being discussed include incorporating safety and health into the business school curriculum, making the business case for safety and health, and bringing OSHA staff "into the classroom" at Georgetown.

    Report prepared by: Elizabeth Sherfy, Alliance Coordinator, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances, May 9, 2005.