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UNITED STATES
DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

AGREEMENT RENEWING AN ALLIANCE
BETWEEN
THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
AND
THE SOCIETY FOR CHEMICAL HAZARD COMMUNICATION

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Society for Chemical Hazard Communication (SCHC) continue to recognize the value of maintaining a collaborative relationship to foster safer and more healthful American workplaces. To that end, OSHA and SCHC hereby renew the Alliance signed October 22, 2003, and renewed December 5, 2005, March 24, 2008, and March 1, 2012, with a continued emphasis on reducing and preventing exposures to health and physical hazards of chemicals. Specifically, both organizations are committed to providing SCHC members and others with information, guidance, and access to training resources that will help them protect the health and safety of workers, particularly by: (1) advancing an understanding of hazard communication in order to reduce or prevent exposure to chemical hazards; (2) increasing awareness of the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS); and (3) understanding the rights of workers and the responsibilities of employers under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act).

Through the Alliance, the organizations will help identify training opportunities and other areas of emphasis for Alliance awareness, outreach, and communication activities. The organizations will also implement a means to evaluate the effectiveness of the Alliance's products and activities. In renewing this Alliance, OSHA and SCHC recognize that OSHA's State Plan and On-site Consultation Project partners are an integral part of the OSHA national effort, and that they may participate in Alliance activities.

This renewal agreement provides a framework and objectives for the Alliance's activities. Alliance participants will summarize specific activities and timeframes for completion in a written work plan that will be updated annually.

Training and Education

The Participants will:

• Develop webinars to assist employers in complying with hazard communication requirements for the preparation of labels and Safety Data Sheets (SDSs).
• Arrange to have the hazard communication and GHS webinars delivered through the Alliance and archived afterwards for future free access through the Web by OSHA staff, small businesses and others per the annual work plan.

Outreach and Communication

The Participants will:

• Develop and disseminate five information sheets annually regarding safety and health issues focusing on Hazard Communication, SDSs and the GHS.
• Provide annual training seminars and/or webinars addressing hazard communication health and safety issues related to increasing awareness of Agency regulations and GHS.
• Disseminate quarterly (via print and electronic media, and the SCHC's web site) information on topics such as OSHA's initiatives, workers' rights, employer responsibilities, and other information on occupational safety and health to employers and workers.
• Provide opportunities annually for OSHA to speak, exhibit, or appear at the SCHC Spring and Fall Meetings.

OSHA's Alliances provide parties an opportunity to participate in a voluntary cooperative relationship with OSHA for purposes such as raising awareness of OSHA's rulemaking and enforcement initiatives, training and education, and outreach and communication. These Alliances have proved to be valuable tools for both OSHA and its Alliance participants. By entering into an Alliance with a party, OSHA is not endorsing or promoting, nor does it intend to endorse or promote, any of that party's products or services.

An implementation team made up of representatives of each organization will meet at least twice per year to track progress in meeting the goals of the Alliance. During one of those meetings, they will develop or update/revise a work plan, determine working procedures, define the roles and responsibilities of the participants in the plan, establish timelines for tasks, and evaluate the impact of the Alliance's activities in the preceding year. OSHA team members will include representatives of the Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs, the Directorate of Enforcement Programs, the Directorate of Standards and Guidance, Directorate of Training and Education, and any other appropriate offices. OSHA will encourage State Plan States' and OSHA On-site Consultation Projects' participation on the team.

This agreement will remain in effect for five years. Either signatory may terminate it for any reason at any time, provided they give 30 days' written notice. This agreement may be modified at any time with the written concurrence of both signatories.

Signed this 13th day of April, 2015.