ANNUAL ALLIANCE REPORT
Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the
National Electrical Contractors Association (NECA)
August 13, 2004

1. Alliance Background
   
   Date Signed
   
   August 12, 2003
   
   Overview
   
   The Alliance focuses on providing NECA members and others with information, guidance, and access to training resources that will help them protect employees’ health and safety, particularly in reducing and preventing exposure to electrical and construction hazards. The Alliance’s goals include:
   
   Training and Education
    
   • Identify training needs relating to inside electrical, power line, and video-data-voice systems construction and maintenance, then develop training that can be delivered at NECA chapters.
   Outreach and communication:
    
   • Develop and disseminate information through print and electronic media, including links from OSHA’s and NECA’s Web sites.
      
   • Speak, exhibit or appear at meetings or other events such as the NECA Expo.
      
   • Cross-train OSHA personnel and industry safety and health professionals in best practices or effective approaches as jointly determined by OSHA and NECA. 
      
   • Promote and encourage NECA members’ participation in OSHA’s cooperative programs such as compliance assistance and the Consultation Program. NECA will act as mentor to members that aspire to excellence in safety and health.
      
   Promoting the national dialogue on workplace safety and health:
    
   • Raise others’ awareness of and demonstrate their own commitment to workplace safety and health, whenever NECA leaders address groups.
      
   • Share information on NECA worksites’ best practices, as jointly determined by OSHA and NECA, with others in the industry through outreach by NECA and through OSHA- or NECA-developed training programs and materials. Promote their implementation through print or electronic media, at conferences, or by other means.
      
   • Convene or participate in forums, roundtable discussions, or stakeholder meetings on electrical contracting industry problems to help forge innovative solutions to electrical and associated construction safety and health issues in the workplace.
   Implementation Team Members
    

   NECA:
   Stuart Binstock	Management Education Institute, Executive Director
   Brian Damant	Manager, Central Ohio Chapter
   Palmer Hickman	Safety Codes and Standards
   David Potts1	Director of Safety & Insurance
   Brook Stauffer	Executive Director, Standards and Safety
   OSHA:
   Steve Cloutier	Office of Construction Services (OCS)
   Cathy Cronin	Office of Training and Education (OTE)
   Ginger Henry	OCS
   Sharon Hudson	Office of Small Business Assistance
   Jess McCluer	Office of Outreach Services and Alliances (OOSA)
   Lisa Ramber	OOSA
   Doug Simon	OTE
   Nilgun Tolek2	OOSA

Evaluation Period:

August 12, 2003 – August 11, 2004

2. Implementation Team Meetings

September 25, 2003 October 23, 2003 November 3, 2003 January 28, 2004 June 8, 2004

Kick-off meeting, OSHA, Washington, DC Meeting, OSHA, Washington, DC Meeting, OSHA, Washington, DC Meeting, OSHA, Washington, DC Meeting, OSHA, Washington, DC

3. Events and Products
   
   Outreach and Communication
   
   Events:
    
   • February 29-March 3, 2004: NECA Association Executives Institute Conference, Biltmore Hotel, Los Angeles, California.
     
     On March 1, 2004, Paula White, Director, Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs, USDOL-OSHA, gave a presentation titled, "Cooperative Programs: Working with OSHA" that discussed OSHA's cooperative programs; including Alliances, in particular the NECA Alliance and Strategic Partnerships. 
   Products:
    
   • Safety and Health Topics Pages Editorial Boards
     
     Brooke Stauffer is a member of both the Electrical and the Electrical Contractors Safety and Health Topics pages Editorial Board.
      
   • NECA Web page, Safety Section
     
     NECA put a link to Alliance agreement on OSHA’s Web page.
     
     OSHA provided NECA with recommendations on material to include on the safety section of their Web page.
      
   • OSHA and NECA Alliance Web Page
     
     The OSHA and NECA Alliance Web page on OSHA’s Web site contains information on the Alliance, Products and Resources, Activities and Events, and Milestones and Successes. The page is updated regularly.
      
   • Media Coverage
     
     - August 12 2003 - OSHA distributed a news release announcing the Alliance.
     
     - August 12, 2003 - NECA distributed a press release announcing the Alliance.
     
      - August 15, 2003 - OSHA included information on the OSHA/NECA Alliance signing in its bi-weekly e-newsletter, QuickTakes.
     
     - August 18, 2003 - "OSHA Partners with National Electrical Contractors Association", Insidehealthpolicy.com.
     
     - March 8, 2004 - NECA distributed a press release regarding Paula White’s presentation at the NECA Association Executives Institute Conference on March 1, 2004.
      
   Promoting the National Dialogue on Workplace Safety and Health
   
   Specific activities have not yet been planned to meet the Alliance goals of promoting the national dialogue on workplace safety and health. These goals will continue to be discussed by the Implementation Team during the Alliance’s second year.
    
4. Results
   
   The OSHA/NECA Alliance has helped increase NECA members’ understanding of OSHA’s cooperative programs, including the Alliance Program and the Strategic Partnership Program. Through the Alliance, Paula White, Director, Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs, made a presentation on the OSHA/NECA Alliance at the NECA Association Executives Institute Conference. Ms. White’s presentation was titled "Cooperative Programs: Working with OSHA" and focused on the goals and activities of the Alliance which include: the Directorate of Construction drafting articles for NECA Electrical Contractor magazine and NECA participation at the OSHA Compliance Assistance Training Sessions. Ms. White also discussed potential future activities which included identifying and developing new training programs for electrical contractors.
   
   Overall, NECA members were very pleased with Ms. White’s presentation and now have a better understanding of the goals and activities of the OSHA/NECA Alliance along with the resources that are available through OSHA that help educate employers and employees about the Alliance Program. In addition, Ms. White’s presentation has also been linked to on the OSHA Alliance Program Web page. 
   
   However, staff changes at NECA limited the Alliance’s activities in early 2004. Due to the transition, the Implementation Team has had to re-identify the areas of focus. As a result, this has limited the development of materials and products and the overall activities of the Alliance.

5. Upcoming Milestones
   
   The OSHA/NECA Alliance Implementation Team has discussed a number of activities related to the outreach and communications goals of the Alliance that will be pursued in the upcoming year. NECA members would like to work on the development of a Voice-Data-Video Fact Sheet. The fact sheet would be based on the NECA Voice-Data-Video Contractor Safety Compliance Manual. In addition, NECA would like to have its chapters participate in the Alliance Program through Regional/Area Alliances and place information about the Alliance Program and the NECA National Alliance in chapter newsletters. Further, NECA has indicated that OSHA staff will be invited to make presentations on particular safety topics at NECA Chapter meetings. OSHA and NECA are in the process of discussing the opportunities for OSHA to provide either speakers and/or exhibits at upcoming NECA conferences or conventions. Finally, NECA members will continue to serve on the Electrical and the Electrical Contractors Safety and Health Topics pages Editorial Boards. 
   
   Pursuant to achieving the promoting the national dialogue goals, NECA has expressed interest in participating in the upcoming Construction Roundtable for construction-related National Alliances scheduled to take place in July 2004. The Roundtable is designed for the construction-related National Alliances to discuss how they can work together to address issues such as ergonomics, silica and motor vehicle safety, which many of them are addressing individually through their Alliances.

Report prepared by: Jess McCluer, Alliance Coordinator, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances, August 13, 2004