OSHA – On the Radar Screen and Working For You Paula O. White, Director Cooperative and State Programs Occupational Safety and Health Administration NEHS Conference March 8, 2005

OSHA’s Intervention Strategies Expanded outreach, education, and compliance assistance efforts Improved voluntary and partnership efforts Strong, effective, and fair enforcement

OSHA’s Cooperative Programs Alliance Program Alliance Program Consultation Program & SHARP Voluntary Protection Programs Voluntary Protection Programs OSHA Strategic Partnership Program OSHA Strategic Partnership Program

OSHA’s Alliance Program Broadly written agreements Established at OSHA’s National, Regional, Area Offices or Regional, Area Offices or by State Plan States by State Plan States Formed with trade associations, businesses, educational institutions, unions 72 National Alliances 232 Regional and Area Office Alliances

Who’s Entering Alliances? Abbott The Steel Group Health Physics Society National Hearing Conservation Association Drug-Free Workplace Independent Lubricant Manufacturers Association National Safety Council Board of Certified Safety Professionals Club Managers Association of America Center for Business and Public Policy, McDonough School of Business Graphic Arts Coalition Dow Chemical Company Construction Institute of American Society of Civil Engineers American Dental Association National Association of Homebuilders Modular Building Institute Industrial Truck Association American Heart Association American Apparel and Footwear Association Tree Care Industry Association Shipbuilders Council of America American Shipbuilding Association. American Meat Institute International Safety Equipment Association National Federation of Independent Business Washington Group International

Benefits of an Alliance Build a cooperative and trusting relationship with OSHA Build a cooperative and trusting relationship with OSHA Network with other organizations committed to workplace safety and health Network with other organizations committed to workplace safety and health Leverage resources to maximize worker protection Leverage resources to maximize worker protection

Some National Alliance Results Society of the Plastics Industry –Machine guarding & LOTO Training –Machine guarding e-Tool The Dow Chemical Company –Ergonomics case study –Motor vehicle safety programs case studies –Best practices – PSM Workshop

Airlines Industry Alliance Ergonomic issues of baggage-handling OSHA, 13 Airlines, NSC – International Air Transport Section OSHA, 13 Airlines, NSC – International Air Transport Section Revised eTool Revised eTool Developing training manual Developing training manual

Consultation: Help for Small Businesses Free, confidential, and professional help for employers to identify and correct hazards Assists small businesses in developing safety and health management systems and providing training No citations issued or penalties proposed Service delivered by state & territorial governments using well-trained professional staff.

Dear Senator Biden: Penn Fibre Plastics, Inc. is a manufacturer that employs 65 people in Greenwood, DE. I am writing to inform you of the valuable service that is provided by the Department of Labor's Office of Safety and Health Consultation. This Consultation service is of great benefit to small and medium-sized companies such as ours to ensure compliance to all applicable Codes of Federal Regulations of the OSHA ACT. Their approach of working together with us is highly productive. As a result, the negative stereotype of OSHA as an enforcer and regulator is corrected through the work of the Delaware Office of Safety and Health Consultation service, which demonstrates that compliance is good for business and good for people. Frankly, we would be hard-pressed to remain in compliance or in a competitive position without this service. The OSH Consultation is a true partnership between government and business that effectively establishes and promotes safe and competitive work environments. Thank you in advance for your support and recognition of a truly beneficial program such as this.

Safety & Health Achievement Recognition Program (SHARP) An effective safety and health management system Injury and illness rates below the industry average Removed from programmed inspection list for at least 1 year

Sharp Success Story

What is VPP? 1,230 VPP Participants A process for achieving safety and health excellence Labor – Management – Government cooperation Official recognition of excellence

OSHA Challenge Road Map for safety and health Recognition Conserve OSHA resources Increase and expedite participation

VPP Corporate Maximize reliance on corporate pre-screening Maximize reliance on corporate pre-screening Streamline applications Streamline onsite evaluations Maximize leadership and outreach Maximize leadership and outreach

VPP for Construction A Redesign Provides flexibility to meet unique aspects of industry Companies may attain recognition at corporate, division or business unit level

International Paper A Business Case for VPP IP has had over 90 sites in VPP since Safety performance at VPP sites was compared to non-VPP sites for years 2000 and 2001.

VPP vs. Non-VPP Total Incidence Rate (TIR) 2-year Difference: VPP sites = 28% lower Lost Workday Incident Rate (LWIR) Lost Workday Incident Rate (LWIR) 2-year Difference: VPP sites = 48% lower Workers Compensation costs: VPP sites cost 58% less

Benefits Foregone by Non-VPP If non-VPP sites had performed as well as VPP sites for the 2 years: 18% or 165 Recordable Incidents would have been prevented 45% or 56 Lost Workday cases would have been prevented $16,523,181 would have been saved in Workers Compensation claims

OSHA Strategic Partnerships 227 active partnerships 12,895 employers and 721,186 employees impacted since National partnerships

United States Postal Service OSPP Focus on Ergonomic Risk Reduction 14,196 employees & 59 facilities covered (93 sites by 8/05) 19% reduction to Total Case Incident Rate 22% reduction in Days Away, Restricted and Transferred (DART) rate 17% reduction in Lost Workday rate

Koch Industries Partnership Partnership covers 18 sites with 384 employees 2 sites have achieved VPP Star, 1 site has application pending, and 7 sites will apply in partnership sites have not had an injury or illness in the past three years 13 out of 18 sites have TCIR and DART rates which are 50% lower than national average for their industry for last 3 years

Compliance Assistance Compliance Assistance Specialists Web: eTools & Safety & Health Topic Pages OSHA Hotline: OSHA QuickTakes

Small Business Assistance

Hispanic Outreach National compliance assistance clearinghouse of Spanish language outreach materials Hispanic compliance assistance web-page National Hispanic Summit – July 2004 Hispanic Workers Task Force

Contact Paula White