Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Forging Industry Association (FIA)

I. Alliance Background

Date Signed

December 7, 2005

Overview

The OSHA and FIA Alliance focuses on the organizations working together to provide FIA's members and others in the forging industry, including small businesses, with information, guidance, and access to training resources that will help them protect employees' health and safety. The Alliance addresses issues associated with ergonomics and machine guarding, including the prevention of amputations that may be experienced by employees in the forging industry.

Implementation Team Members
 

Evaluation Period

December 7, 2005 – December 6, 2006

II. Implementation Team Meetings
 

III. Results

1. Events and Products
   
   Outreach and Communication Goals
    
   • Work with OSHA to provide expertise in developing information on the recognition and prevention of workplace hazards, and to provide expertise in developing ways of communicating such information (e.g. print and electronic media, electronic assistance - tools and OSHA's and FIA's Web sites) to employers and employees in the industry.
   Products
   
   OSHA and FIA Alliance Web Page
   
   OSHA developed an OSHA and FIA Alliance Web page on the Agency's Web site. The page includes the OSHA and FIA Alliance agreement, activities and events, products and resources. During 2006, the OSHA and FIA Alliance Web page averaged 436 visitors per month.
   
   FIA Web Site
   
   FIA created an FIA and OSHA Alliance Web page as a part of the association's “Contact Us” member's only section of its Web page. The page has links to the Alliance agreement; meeting notes; tracking sheet and to the OSHA and FIA Alliance Web page on the agency's Web site. The Alliance Program logo was also added that the page. In addition, FIA created links from the association's “What's New” Web page to OSHA's On-site Consultation Program Web page and to the agency's Cooperative Programs Web page.
    
   • Speak, exhibit, or appear at OSHA's or FIA's conferences, local meetings, or other events such as FIA's Fall and Annual Meeting of Members.
   Events
   
   Forging Industry Association 2006 Forge Fair, Cincinnati, Ohio, April 4-6, 2006
   
   OSHA provided FIA with a number of the agency's publications which were distributed by FIA members during the association's 2006 Forge Fair, April 4-6, 2006 in Cincinnati, Ohio. The OSHA publications included: the OSHA and FIA Alliance Activities Summary; Alliance Program brochure and Small Business Handbook.
   
   Forging Industry Association Annual Meeting of Members, Hilton Head, South Carolina, May 13-16, 2006
   
   FIA displayed information on the OSHA and FIA Alliance in the attendee registration area of the association's 2006 Forge Fair, May 13-16, 2006 in Cincinnati, Ohio to promote the OSHA and FIA Alliance. OSHA also provided FIA with a number of the agency's publications which were distributed by FIA members during the meeting. The publications included: the OSHA and FIA Alliance Activities Summary; Alliance Program brochure and Small Business Handbook.
   
   Forging Industry Association Annual 2006 Fall Meeting of Members, Houston, Texas, November 13-14, 2006
   
   FIA promoted the OSHA and FIA Alliance to its members at the association's 2006 Fall Meeting of Members, November 13-14, 2006 in Houston, Texas. OSHA provided FIA with a number of the agency's publications including: OSHA and FIA Alliance Activities Summary; Alliance Program brochure and Small Business Handbook for FIA to share with the association's members at the meeting.
    
   • Share information among OSHA personnel and forging industry safety and health professionals regarding FIA's best practices and publicize results through outreach by FIA and through OSHA or FIA developed materials, training programs, workshops, seminars, and lectures (or any other applicable forum).
   Products
   
   Preventing Foreign Body in Eyes Injuries Safety Tips Sheet
   
   FIA implementation team members developed a draft Safety Tips Sheet, “Preventing Foreign Body in Eye Injuries.” The tips sheet addresses a number of issues related to hazards associated with the forging industry, identifies several potential hazards which cause eye injuries and provides several tips to help prevent eye injuries. FIA shared the draft document with OSHA and the agency provided comments and feedback to FIA on it.
   
   FIA Accident Information and Bureau of Labor Statistics for 2004
   
   Through the Alliance, OSHA and FIA shared statistical information about injuries and accidents in the forging industry. FIA provided OSHA with statistical information on injuries in the forging industry, complied by FIA from its OSHA Form 300 records. OSHA provided FIA with information on OSHA accident investigations during 2001 to 2006 and shared the agency's data on most frequently cited standards in the forging industry. In addition, OSHA provided FIA with information from the Bureau of Labor Statistics' report, “Census of Fatal Occupational Injuries for 2004.”
    
   • Promote the benefits of the forging industry participating in OSHA's cooperative programs such as Compliance Assistance, the Voluntary Protection Programs, Consultation and its Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program.
     
     The OSHA and FIA Alliance Implementation Team has not started work on programs or projects to address this goal.
   Promoting the National Dialogue Goals:
    
   • Convene or participate in forums, roundtable discussions, or stakeholder meetings on forging industry issues to help create innovative solutions in the workplace or to provide input on safety and health issues.
     
     The OSHA and FIA Alliance Implementation Team has not started work on programs or projects to address this goal.
2. Executive Summary
   
   Through the OSHA and FIA Alliance, the organizations established an excellent working relationship during the first year of the Alliance. OSHA and FIA are working together to share information and raise awareness about potential workplace hazards and injuries that impact the forging industry.
   
   For example, OSHA created an OSHA and FIA Alliance Web page on the Agency's Web site. The page includes the OSHA and FIA Alliance agreement, activities and events, and products and resources. During 2006, the page averaged about 436 visitors per month.
   
   To share Alliance Program information with its members, FIA created an FIA and OSHA Alliance Web page which highlights the OSHA and FIA Alliance on the association's Web site. FIA also created links to OSHA's Web site from the association's “What's New” Web page, including links to OSHA's On-site Consultation Program Web page and to the agency's Cooperative Programs Web page.
   
   In addition, OSHA and FIA shared information and participated in outreach opportunities during the reporting period. For example, FIA distributed a number of OSHA's publications at the 2006 Forge Fair in Cincinnati, Ohio; 2006 Annual Meeting of Members in Hilton Head, South Carolina and 2006 Fall Meeting in Houston, Texas. Further, OSHA and FIA exchanged information on forging industry injuries; fatalities; OSHA accident investigations and frequently cited standards.
   
   Also, through the Alliance, the association created a draft Safety Tips Sheet, “Preventing Foreign Body in Eye Injuries,” to address eye hazards that impact the forging industry. The sheet describes the possible causes of eye injuries in the workplace and provides safety tips on preventing the injuries. FIA shared the Tips Sheet with OSHA, who provided the association with comments and feedback on the document.
    
3. Alliance Program Reach

IV. Upcoming Milestones

In the next year of the Alliance, OSHA and FIA will continue to work together to identify opportunities for promoting safety and health and the OSHA and FIA Alliance through potential presentations and exhibiting opportunities at the association's events such as the FIA 2007 Fall Meeting in Long Beach, California. In addition, the Alliance implementation team will continue discussing the potential development on min-workshops on OSHA's On-site Consultation Program for FIA members. The mini-workshops would be presented at FIA's fall Meeting of members and/or posted on FIA's Web site.

The implementation team will be working together on a number of other projects including finalizing the draft Tips Sheet on Preventing Foreign Body in Eye Injuries. In addition, the OSHA and FIA Alliance intends to develop two additional Tips Sheets; Back Strains and Slips, Trips and Falls as well as Lacerations. The implantation team will also consider developing a success story or case study on preventing eye injuries in the forging industry.


Report prepared by: Richard L. Harris, Alliance Coordinator, Office of Outreach Services Alliances, December 11, 2006