Alliance -- An OSHA Cooperative Program<< Back to Concluded Alliances - Region V

  1. Alliance Background

    Date Signed.

    January 21, 2005

    Alliance Overview.

    The Alliance provides parties an opportunity to participate in a voluntary cooperative relationship with OSHA for training and education; outreach and communication; and promoting a dialogue on workplace safety and health. The goal of the Alliance is to increase safety and health awareness and commitment.

    Implementation Team Members.

    Wisconsin OSHA Area Directors
    Wisconsin Ready Mix Concrete Association, OES (Operations, Environmental, Safety) Committee
    Wisconsin Safety Consultation Program Manager
    Wisconsin Health Consultation Program Manger

  2. Implementation Team Meetings

    Team Meetings were held in person at WRMCA Office in Madison on the following dates:
      January 21, 2005
      June 24, 2005
      October 21, 2005
      December 9, 2005
      January 13, 2006
  3. Activities and Products

    Evaluation Period.

    The evaluation period is from January 21, 2005 to March 30, 2006;

    Alliance Activity.
    • Training and Education
      • February 22, 2005 – Annual Safety and Health Workshop – OSHA conducted training sessions on recordkeeping, work zone safety, and OSHA regulatory review.
      • February 1, 2006 – Annual Occupational and Environmental Safety Workshop – OSHA gave a presentation on the recent LEP results and establishing a safety culture. WSLH gave a presentation on lockout/tagout for concrete mixer trucks.
      • Invited them to a live, February 22, 2006, webcast/video conference presented by the Illinois Ready Mix Concrete Association on How to Eliminate Silica and PRCS Hazards in Chipping Operations.
    • Outreach and Communication
      • Participated in a safety recognition ceremony at their annual convention on March 2, 2006-04-14
      • Submitted three articles to the WRMCA Scoop covering 1. Most Frequently Cited Standards in the Ready Mix industry, 2. The cancellation of the Concrete LEP, and 3. Hazards Associated with Cleaning Mixer Drums. A fourth article, written by WRMCA, covered the actual signing of the alliance.
      • Submitted one article on OSHA Compliance Assistance Specialists which was published in their weekly publication, In the Mix.
      • Sent 100 copies of OSHA’s Concrete Industry pocket guide publication to WRMCA for distribution Forwarded brochures to WRMCA for VPPPA conference in Milwaukee in May 2006
      • Handed out plaques for companies having the “best in class” safety and health injury and illness incidence rates. Issued certificates to 35 companies who had injury and illness rates that were better than the national average.
    • Promoting the National Dialogue on Safety and Health
      • OSHA and the OES Committee are meeting quarterly. This is more often than specified in the Alliance which requires biannual meetings. The meetings characteristically discuss a variety of safety and health issues and assign action items. Action items are assigned to individuals with dates for completion.
    Alliance Products.
    • Analyzed survey results and presented them at workshop.
    • WRMCA revised the following chapters of their Safety and Health Manual
      • Hearing conservation
      • PPE
      • Lockout
      • Hazard communication
      • Silica
      • Emergency action
      • Confined space
      • respirator
  4. Results

    1. Impact
      1. Based upon the progress with the Alliance and falling injury and illness rates, OSHA discontinued the Concrete LEP. Thirty four OSHA inspections had been conducted under the LEP. The LEP would be revived if injuries and illnesses were not being addressed.

      2. As part of the Alliance, WRMCA has developed a "WRMCA OES Safety Benchmark Survey". Participation in the survey is voluntary and submissions are confidential. Survey results indicated that half of the injuries occurred on the ready mix truck. A third of the injuries occurred in the yard and the remaining 17 % of the injuries occurred on the jobsite. Strains and sprains were the leading type of illness. Falls (from heights and the same level) were the leading cause of injury.

      3. Sixty five plants submitted injury and illness data. Thirty five were able to reduce injuries and illnesses below the industry average for NAICS 327320. The following table summarizes injury and illness rates for all reporting companies. It shows that incidence rates for NAICS 3273 in Wisconsin are on a definite downward trend.
        Comparison of Injury & Illness Incidence Rates – NAICS 3273
        TCIR – Total Case Incident Rate
        DART – Days Away, Restricted and Transfer
         
          TCIR DART
        Wisconsin 2003 11.8 6.6
        Wisconsin 2004 9.6 4.3
        National 2004 – NAICS 327 8.0 4.8
        WRMCA Survey 10.4 5.3

      4. OSHA presented 4 plaques to operations that had the best safety and health performance in their class. Additionally, OSHA signed certificates for those companies that had incident rates that were better than the industry average. The awards were presented on March 2, 2006 as part of the WRMCA Annual Convention. A number of company representatives who attended the awards ceremony commented on how pleased they were with the Alliance and the work of the OES Committee.

    2. Type of Activity (Conference, Training, Print and Electronic Distribution, etc.) Number of Individuals
      Reached or Trained
      February 22, 2005 – Annual Safety and Health Workshop 53
      February 1, 2006 – Annual Occupational and Environmental Safety Workshop 60
      March 2, 2006 – Annual Convention 90
      Article in WRMCA Scoop, 2nd quarter, 2005 128
      Two articles in WRMCA Scoop, 3rd quarter, 2005 128
      Article in WRMCA Scoop, last quarter, 2005 128
      Article in WRMCA Scoop, 1st quarter, 2006 128
      Invitation to webcast 250
      OSHA’s Concrete Industry pocket guide publication 300
      VPPPA brochures 250
      TOTAL 1515
  5. Upcoming Milestones

    Planned activities for the Alliance in the next reporting period include the following:
    • The OES Committee plans to work with OSHA and Consultation to develop specific procedures for lockout/tagout as it relates to ready mix trucks. done
    • Strategy for reducing strain/sprain injuries and falls.
    • Encourage more companies to complete the safety survey
    • Will develop and provide an OSHA 10+ curriculum for the WRMCA industry
    • Considering looking into ways that employee involvement can be improved.
    • Maintain the high level of involvement and interaction that has contributed to the success of this Alliance.

    Report Prepared by: Melvin R. Lischefski, Appleton OSHA Office; Leslie Ptak, Madison OSHA Office

    For more information, contact the Office of Outreach Services and Alliances at 202-693-2340 or go to OSHA.