OSHA and The Steel Group Alliance
Close-Out Report

On July 7, 2004, OSHA and The Steel Group, comprised of the American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), the Specialty Steel Industry of North America (SSINA) and the Steel Manufacturers Association (SMA), signed an Alliance to provide the steel manufacturing industry and others, including downstream manufacturers, with information, guidance, and mentoring to help them protect employees' health and safety. The Alliance was renewed on August 26, 2005 and August 21, 2006.

Because the goals of the Alliance agreement have been met and injuries and fatalities in the steel industry have declined since the Alliance signing, OSHA and The Steel Group agreed to conclude the Alliance as of July 7, 2007. However, OSHA will continue to work with AISI, SSINA and SMA through other avenues to share information on steel-related safety and heath issues.

A number of successes resulted from OSHA and The Steel Group working together to meet the Alliance's goals. For example:

• On May 24, 2007, representatives of The Steel Group presented a Basic Steelmaking Training Day in Pittsburg, Pennsylvania for OSHA staff on the major processes in steelmaking from iron ore to product shipping. The training focused on the safety and health hazards associated with the steelmaking process.

• On May 15, 2007, OSHA's Assistant Secretary, Edwin G. Foulke, Jr., gave an update on OSHA's compliance assistance and cooperative program activities, including the OSHA and The Steel Group Alliance, to SMA's Annual Member Conference in Washington, DC.

• On May 1-4, 2006, OSHA's Region V Cleveland, Ohio Area Office staffed an Alliance Program exhibit booth at AISI's 2006 Iron and Steel Technology Conference and Exposition at the Cleveland Convention Center in Cleveland, Ohio.

• The Steel Group supported and promoted the 2006 North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week, April 30-May 6, 2006. The event, sponsored by the American Society of Safety Engineers, an Alliance Program participant, promotes the importance of occupational safety and health.

• On November 30, 2005, the OSHA and The Steel Group Alliance implementation team and OSHA Region IV representatives toured IPSCO's steel manufacturing plant in Mobile, Alabama.

• On February 15, 2005, representatives of The Steel Group participated in the Alliance Program Hazard Communication Roundtable in Washington, DC to discuss the development of hazard communication compliance assistance resources.

• The Steel Group provided OSHA with input and expertise during the Agency's development of its Basic Steel Products Safety and Health Topics page.

• Through the Alliance, Chaparral Steel worked with OSHA to develop a case study on its Manager Accountable Safety and Health (MASH) Program. Chaparral Steel also worked with OSHA to develop a success story that focuses on its use of soap and water in a spray bottle to identify leaking cutting torch hose connections.

Report prepared by: Todd Briggs, Alliance Coordinator, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances, July 16, 2007.