AGREEMENT ESTABLISHING AN ALLIANCE
BETWEEN
THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
AND
THE DOW CHEMICAL COMPANY

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and The Dow Chemical Company (Dow) recognize the value of establishing a collaborative relationship to foster safer and more healthful American workplaces. OSHA and Dow therefore agree to form an Alliance to use their collective expertise to further enhance a culture of prevention while sharing proven practices and technical knowledge, including, but not limited to, the areas of process safety management (PSM) and ergonomics. This is an essential component of OSHA's desire to partner with stakeholders, and Dow's commitment to Responsible Care™ and Dow's new 12 Point Operating Plan for Sustainable Development.

OSHA and Dow agree to establish an Alliance to promote safe and healthful working conditions in the United States by:

• Sharing information and guidance with employers that will help them protect employees' health and safety, addressing such issues as PSM and preventing and minimizing exposure to musculoskeletal hazards.

• Assisting employers who may benefit from mentoring or guidance in developing, implementing, or improving safety and health programs including, but not limited to, PSM and ergonomics.

OSHA and Dow will work together to achieve the following outreach and communication goals:

• Develop and disseminate information on effective elements of safety and health programs at conferences, events, or through print and electronic media.

• Gain a better understanding of the diversity of methods and processes for addressing health and safety challenges in the workplace. Develop ways for communicating effective approaches including cross-training, job aids, and usability studies.

• Provide OSHA with opportunities, where appropriate and agreeable to both parties, to experience hands-on information sharing in Dow's facilities to "test run" ideas and to gain a better understanding for real world impact and applications.

OSHA and Dow will work together to achieve the following goals related to promoting the national dialogue on workplace safety and health:

• Encourage Dow worksites, and personnel to act as industry liaisons and resources for OSHA's cooperative programs and Compliance Assistance Specialists.

• Seek opportunities to participate in stakeholder groups and other forums for providing input into the development of safety and health standards and guidance for the chemical industry.

• Identify and enhance methods and processes to evaluate the effectiveness of the Alliance and to encourage the continuous improvement of workplace health and safety practices and communication.

• Share information on proven practices of Dow worksites with others in industry through outreach directly by Dow and also through OSHA.

• Work together to develop new approaches and practices to address health and safety risks.

• Share data supporting the solutions to ergonomic hazards developed by Dow, as well as examples of hazard recognition strategies and analytical tools with OSHA and others in the industry to encourage wide implementation. Promote their implementation through print and/or electronic media, promotion at conferences, or other means of reaching out to others in industry.

An implementation team made up of representatives of both organizations will meet to develop a plan of action, determine working procedures, and identify the roles and responsibilities of the participants. In addition, they will meet at least quarterly to track and share information on activities and results in achieving the goals of the Alliance. OSHA will afford the opportunity for representatives of the Occupational Safety and Health State Plan Association and the association of state Consultation Projects to participate as well.

This agreement will remain in effect for one year from the date of signing and will automatically be renewed annually thereafter. This agreement may be modified at any time with the concurrence of both signatories and may be terminated for any reason with 30 days written notice from either signatory.