The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the
International Society of Canine Cosmetologists (ISCC)

I. Alliance Background

Date Signed

October 3, 2005

Evaluation Period

October 3, 2006 – October 2, 2007

Overview

Through the OSHA and ISCC Alliance, the organizations are working together to provide ISCC members and others, including small businesses, in the pet care industry with information, guidance, and access to training resources to help them protect employees' health and safety. In particular, the Alliance focuses on reducing and preventing exposure to ergonomic hazards and addressing hazard communication issues in the workplace.

Implementation Team Members
 

II. Implementation Team Meetings
 

In addition to these formal meetings, the Alliance Implementation Team members from both groups maintained regular contact throughout the reporting period to monitor the Alliance's progress and results.

III. Results

1. Events and Products
   
   Training and Education Goals
    
   • Work with OSHA to provide expertise to develop workplace safety and health curricula.
   OSHA and You for the Pet Grooming Industry
   
   ISCC is revising its course, "OSHA and You! Safety and Health Program" to follow the format of OSHA's Short Course, "Introduction to OSHA for Small Business," for owners and managers of pet grooming businesses. The ISCC course's goal is to help employers and employees in the pet grooming industry to gain an understanding of OSHA's operations and procedures and learn how they can work with the agency to prevent or reduce injuries and illnesses in their workplaces.
   
   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 the ISCC's Web sites) to employers and employees in the industry.
   Products
   
   OSHA and ISCC Alliance Web page
   
   OSHA is continuing to update the OSHA and ISCC Alliance Web page that is posted on the agency's Web site. The page includes links to the OSHA and ISCC Alliance agreement, news releases, events, and milestones and successes.
   
   ISCC and OSHA Web site
   
   ISCC is developing an ISCC and OSHA Alliance Web site. The site will include links to the OSHA and ISCC Alliance Web page on the agency's Web site, related documents, activities and events and OSHA Safety and Health Topic pages. After the site is complete, the ISCC developed tip sheets, "Clipper Ergonomics;" "Warm up and Stretching;" and "Preventing Carpel Tunnel Syndrome in the Pet Styling Industry" will be added to it.
   
   OSHA's Electronic Assistance Tools
   
   ISCC representative, Chuck Lauritzen, Co-founder, ISCC will continue to participate on the editorial boards of OSHA's Medical and First Aid, Occupational Epidemiology, and Ventilation Safety and Health Topics pages.
   
   Tip Sheets
   
   Through the Alliance, OSHA reviewed and provided comments on the following ISCC developed tip sheets for the pet styling industry:
    
   • Clipper Ergonomics
   • Warm up and Stretching
   • Preventing Carpel Tunnel Syndrome in the Pet Styling Industry
   The tip sheets will be distributed at the 2007 U.S. Pet Pro Classic and posted on the ISCC and OSHA Alliance Web site after the site is completed. OSHA will add a link to the tip sheets on the OSHA and ISCC Alliance Web page and the Alliance Program Participant Developed Products Web page on the agency's Web site after they are posted on the ISCC and OSHA Alliance Web site.
   
   In addition, ISCC is developing the following tip sheets:
    
   • Know the rules regarding OSHA Secondary Container Requirements
   • Exposure to Pesticides
   • Proper Lifting Techniques
   The documents will be finalized in 2008.
    
   • Speak, exhibit, or appear at OSHA's or ISCC's conferences, local meetings, or pet care industry trade events such as the U.S. Pet Pro Classic.
   Events
   
   U. S. Pet Pro Classic, November 10 – 13, 2006, Dallas, Texas
   
   On November 10, 2006, Kathryn Delaney, Area Director, Region VI, Dallas, Texas Area Office, USDOL-OSHA, gave a presentation, "All about OSHA: How Small Employers Can Get into Compliance," to over 75 attendees during the 2006 U.S. Pet Pro Classic.
   
   On November 11, 2006, Pam Lauritzen and Melissa Sirianni gave a presentation on the OSHA and ISCC Alliance. In addition, Ms. Sirianni and Ms. Lauritzen staffed an ISCC and OSHA Alliance Program exhibit booth and distributed OSHA publications including, the OSHA and ISCC Alliance Activities Summary, All About OSHA and the Alliance Program brochure to attendees.
   
   Atlanta Pet Fair, March 2 – 4, 2007, Atlanta, Georgia
   
   During the Atlanta Pet Fair, March 2-4, 2007 in Atlanta, Georgia, Melissa Sirianni distributed OSHA publications including, All About OSHA, the Alliance Program brochure; Alliance Program and Consultation Program fact sheets and the OSHA and ISCC Alliance Activities Summary to the fair's attendees.
   
   2007 Intergroom Pet Styling Expo, April 20 – 23, 2007, Garden State Exhibit Center, Somerset, New Jersey
   
   During the 2007 Intergroom Pet Styling Expo, April 20-23, 2007, in Somerset, New Jersey, Melissa Sirianni distributed OSHA publications including, All About OSHA, the Alliance Program, Voluntary Protection Programs, and Consultation Program fact sheets, and the OSHA and ISCC Alliance Activities Summary to the expo's attendees.
    
   • Share information among OSHA personnel and industry safety and health professionals regarding ISCC's best practices, or effective approaches and publicize results through outreach by ISCC and through OSHA- or ISCC-developed materials, training programs, workshops, seminars, and lectures (or any other applicable forum).
     
     The OSHA and ISCC Alliance Implementation Team has not started work on programs or projects to address this goal.
      
   • Promote and encourage ISCC members' or worksites' participation in OSHA's cooperative programs such as compliance assistance, the Voluntary Protection Programs, and the Consultation Program and its Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program.
     
     The OSHA and ISCC Alliance Implementation Team has not started work on programs or projects to address this goal.
      
   • Work with other Alliance participants on specific issues and projects such as ergonomics and hazard communication that are addressed and developed through the Alliance Program.
     
     The OSHA and ISCC Alliance Implementation Team has not started work on programs or projects to address this goal.
   Promoting the National Dialogue on Workplace Safety and Health Goals
    
   • Convene or participate in forums, roundtable discussions, or stakeholder meetings on ergonomics and hazard communication issues in the pet care industry to help forge innovative solutions in the workplace or to provide input on safety and health issues.
     
     The OSHA and ISCC Alliance Implementation Team has not started work on programs or projects to address this goal.
2. Executive Summary
   
   In the second year of the Alliance, OSHA and ISCC continued working together to help reduce and prevent exposure to ergonomic hazards and address hazard communication issues in the workplace.
   
   In addition, OSHA and ISCC representatives are sharing their expertise through participating on OSHA's electronic assistance tools' editorial boards, developing fact sheets for the pet grooming industry and participating and speaking at events. For example:
    
   • ISCC developed three fact sheets for the pet styling industry, "Clipper Ergonomics," Warm up and Stretching, and "Preventing Carpel Tunnel Syndrome in the Pet Styling Industry," that will be posted on the ISCC and OSHA Alliance Web site after the site is completed.
      
   • OSHA continues to update the OSHA and ISCC Alliance Web page on the agency's Web site. The Web page includes links to the OSHA and ISCC Alliance agreement, OSHA and ISCC news releases, activities and events and products and resources.
      
   • ISCC representative, Chuck Lauritzen is serving on OSHA's Medical and First Aid, Occupational Epidemiology, and Ventilation Safety and Health Topics pages' editorial boards.
      
   • Kathryn Delaney, Area Director, Region VI, Dallas, Texas Area Office, USDOL-OSHA, gave a presentation, "All about OSHA: How Small Employers Can Get into Compliance," to over 75 attendees during the 2006 U.S. Pet Pro Classic.
      
   • Melissa Sirianni and Pam Lauritzen gave a presentation on the OSHA and ISCC Alliance and staffed an ISCC and OSHA Alliance Program exhibit booth during the U. S. Pet Pro Classic, November 10 – 13, 2006 in Dallas, Texas.
      
   • During the 2007 Intergroom Pet Styling Expo, April 20-23, 2007, in Somerset, New Jersey, Melissa Sirianni distributed OSHA publications including, All About OSHA, the Alliance Program, Voluntary Protection Programs, and Consultation Program fact sheets, and the OSHA and ISCC Alliance Activities Summary to the expo's attendees.
3. Alliance Program Reach

IV. Upcoming Milestones

The OSHA and ISCC Alliance implementation team has discussed a number of activities that will be undertaken in the upcoming year. For example, Brett Besser, Industrial Hygienist, Ergonomist, Salt Lake Technical Center, Directorate of Science, Technology and Medicine, USDOL-OSHA and Susan Monroe, Industrial Hygienist, Region VI, Dallas, Texas Area Office, USDOL-OSHA will give presentations on the OSHA and ISCC Alliance and other hazards related to the pet care industry at the U. S. Pet Pro Classic, November 8 – 11, 2007 in Dallas, Texas. The Alliance developed tip sheets, "Clipper Ergonomics;" "Warm up and Stretching;" and "Preventing Carpel Tunnel Syndrome in the Pet Styling Industry" will be distributed and OSHA will also provide publications for distribution from the ISCC exhibit booth at the Classic.

In addition, ISCC will continue to serve on the editorial boards of OSHA's Medical and First Aid, Occupational Epidemiology and Ventilation Safety and Health Topics pages. The ISCC representative will review and provide comments on the pages annually.

Further, OSHA will continue to update the OSHA and ISCC Alliance Web page with safety and health information, related documents and activities and events. ISCC will complete development of its ISCC and OSHA Alliance Web page on its Web site.

ISCC will also finalize tip sheets for the pet care industry, "Know the rules regarding OSHA Secondary Container Requirements," "Exposure to Pesticides," and "Proper Lifting Techniques." After the tip sheets are completed, the documents will be posted on the ISCC and OSHA Alliance Web site.

Finally, ISCC will revise its course, "OSHA and You! Safety and Health Program" to follow the format of OSHA's Short Course, "Introduction to OSHA for Small Business," for owners and managers of pet grooming businesses. The ISCC course's goal is to help employers and employees in the pet grooming industry to gain an understanding of OSHA's operations and procedures and learn how they can work with the agency to prevent or reduce injuries and illnesses in their workplaces.


Report prepared by: Sandra Khan, Alliance Coordinator, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances, October 29, 2007.