ANNUAL ALLIANCE REPORT
Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the
Society for the Plastics Industry, Inc.
November 1, 2003

1. Alliance Background

   Date Signed

   September 19, 2002

   Overview

   The OSHA and Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc. (SPI) Alliance focuses on providing employers with information and guidance that will help them protect employees' health and safety, particularly in identifying and eliminating hazards likely to result in amputations and reducing and preventing exposure to ergonomic hazards. The goals of the Alliance include:

   Training and education:

   • Jointly developing training addressing machine safety and safe ergonomic practices, to be delivered in conferences, meetings and through SPI's Plastics Learning Network.

   Outreach and communication:

   • Encouraging the continuing development of ergonomic guidelines by the plastics industry.

   • Jointly developing and disseminate information and guidance on workplace safety and health issues, including but not limited to amputation and ergonomic hazards and control mechanisms such as lockout tag-out and machine guarding through SPI workshops, meetings, and print and electronic media.

   • Promoting OSHA's cooperative programs within the industry.

   Implementation Team Members

   Susan Howe

   SPI

   Larry Halprin

   SPI, Washington Counsel

   Wayne Wilson

   SPI, United Southern Industries, Inc.

   Cathy Cronin

   OSHA Training Institute

   John Hermanson

   OSHA, Region V

   Jim Washam

   OSHA, Region V

   Travis Hannan

   OSHA, Salt Lake Technical Center

   Edward Lewis

   North Carolina OSHA

   Nilgun Tolek

   OSHA, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances

   Contributors

   Doug Simon

   OSHA Training Institute

   Dana Root

   OSHA Region V

   Doug Halsey

   SPI Midwest Region

   Bob Monteith

   Milacron Inc. (SPI member)

   Loren Mills

   Van Dorn Demag (SPI member)

   James Dillard

   OSHA Region V

   Bill Coulehan

   OSHA Region V

   Gary Weil

   OSHA Region V

   Pete Hosten

   OSHA Region V

   Rebecca Jones

   OSHA Region V

   Greg George

   OSHA Salt Lake Technical Center

   Evaluation Period

   September 19, 2002 through October 10, 2003

2. Implementation Team Meetings

   October 29, 2002

   Kick-off implementation team meeting

   December 2, 2002

   Implementation team meeting (in person and by teleconference)

   January 16-17, 2003

   Implementation team meeting (in person)

   February 4, 2003

   Implementation team meeting (in person and by teleconference)

   April 1-4, 2003

   Implementation team meeting (in person and by teleconference)

   July 28, 2003

   Implementation team meeting (in person and by teleconference)

   September 8, 2003

   Implementation team meeting (in person and by teleconference)

3. Events and Products

   Training and Education

   Events

   • Machine Safety for Injection Molding Machines

     This train-the trainer course has been presented, free-of-charge by the Alliance. The course focuses on mutual concerns for injuries seen in the plastics processing industry. The presenters, Jim Washam, of OSHA's Region V, and Wayne Wilson, of United Southern Industries, Inc., describe the types of injuries seen in the injection molding industry; discuss the causes of these injuries; and describe the ways that employees can protect themselves by recognizing the hazards in the job they are doing, understanding the requirements for guarding machines, and implementing solutions for identified problems. Participants receive a package of training materials, including PowerPoint presentations and other resource materials, so they can deliver the course at their own workplaces. The course has been presented at the following locations:

     • Isothermal Community College, Forest City, NC, August 6, 2003

     • NEP 2003, Chicago, IL, June 26, 2003

   Products

   • Injection Molding Machine Safety Course

   Outreach and Communication

   Events

   • NPE 2003

     The Alliance showed a strong presence at NPE 2003, the triennial, international plastics exposition, at McCormick Place in Chicago from June 23 - 27, 2003:

     Alliance Booth. The Alliance had a booth within the SPI Pavilion. Among the materials distributed were over 1,300 copies of a targeted CD, produced for the event, containing ergonomics resources and references, the materials used in the ergonomics workshop, machine safety information, and other industry-related materials.

     How to Develop an Ergonomics Process. This interactive workshop described how to set up successful ergonomics processes, identify and analyze problem tasks, and develop solutions that are successful in reducing injuries. The workshop was delivered twice.

     Face to Face with OSHA. An informal workshop was held with a diverse group of OSHA personnel representing various OSHA program areas. Experts in lockout/tagout, ergonomics, cooperative programs and OSHA's Region V, including the Assistant Region V Administrator, were there to answer questions and build relationships.

   Products

   • Safety and Health Topics page - OSHA Assistance for the Plastics Industry

     The Alliance implementation team supported OSHA's development of the Safety and Health Topics page - OSHA Assistance for the Plastics Industry, which features information on what standards apply to the industry and identifies hazards and solutions.

   • eTool

     The Alliance implementation team provided input on a new module on plastics machinery for the OSHA Machine Guarding eTool.

     • The team also created an Interactive Safety Tour of a Horizontal Injection Molding Machine.

   • CD ROM

     The Alliance produced a targeted CD for NPE 2003 and for training course deliveries.

4. Results

   The effect of this Alliance on the plastics industry has been even greater than anticipated. The injection molding community responded favorably to the training and electronic tools that were developed in the first year or the Alliance. Trainings have been very well attended and the usage of web-based tools has remained close to 1,000 hits per month. Further evidence of their value can be seen in the fact that SPI members in other sectors of the plastics industry, extrusion and thermoforming, responded by asking for the same tools and training for their sectors.

   Type of Activity (Conference, Training, Print and Electronic Distribution, etc.)	Number of Individuals Reached or Trained
   "Machine Safety for Injection Molding Machines" training course at NPE 2003, June 23-27, 2003	40
   "Machine Safety for Injection Molding Machines" training course at Isothermal College, August 6, 2003	50
   "Machine Safety for Injection Molding Machines" training course at Sinclair Community College, November 18, 2003.	50
   Alliance Booth at NPE 2003	1300
   Targeted CDs distributed at NPE 2003	1300
   OSHA eTool: Machine Guarding	Data not available
   Interactive Safety Tour of a Horizontal Injection Molding Machine	Data not available
   Safety and Health Topics page: OSHA Assistance for the Plastics Industry	Data not available
   "How to Develop an Ergonomics Process," workshop delivered at NPE 2003	20
   TOTAL	2760

5. Upcoming Milestones

   • Renewal of the Alliance.

   • Developing eTool and training modules on safety and health concerns in other sectors of the plastics industry, including thermoforming and extrusion.

   • Providing training through Webcasting and satellite broadcasting now that OSHA has these capabilities. Members of the extrusion community on the extrusion workgroup have informed OSHA staff that this would be a very convenient and widely utilized medium, due to the capability to deliver on any shift.

   • Developing an eTool on ergonomics for the plastics industry, if funded. The SPI Ergonomics Committee worked for a year to survey the membership on ergonomic issues, and has come to the conclusion that there is no support for the industry developing its own guidelines at this time. There is, however, widespread interest in getting help with ergonomic solutions, so the SPI Ergonomics Committee has requested help from the Alliance in the form of an eTool.

   • A joint presence at Plastics USA, September 28-30, 2004, at McCormick Place East, Chicago, Illinois.

   • Plans are underway to make the Machine Safety for Injection Molding Machines training available through OSHA Ed Centers.

Report prepared by: Nilgun Tolek, OSHA/SPI Alliance Coordinator, November 1, 2003