ALLIANCE ANNUAL REPORT
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
and the International Window Cleaning Association (IWCA)
June 26, 2012

1. Alliance Background

   Date Signed

   June 10, 2010

   Evaluation Period

   June 10, 2011 – June 9, 2012

   Overview

   The OSHA and IWCA Alliance focuses on providing IWCA members and others with information, guidance, and access to training resources that will help them protect the health and safety of workers, particularly by reducing and preventing exposure to slip, trip and fall, and fall from heights hazards and addressing issues related to the proper, safe use of high-reach access equipment including ladders and scaffolding equipment and addressing the safety and health challenges of small business owners and low literacy and limited English speaking workers in the window cleaning industry.

   Implementation Team Members

   OSHA:

   Morgan Seuberling

   Office of Outreach Services and Alliances, Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs (DCSP)

   Dominique Smith

   Office of Small Business Assistance, DCSP

   Ginny Fitzner

   Office of Safety Systems, Directorate of Standards and Guidance

   Sherman Williamson

   Office of General Industry Enforcement, Directorate of Enforcement Programs

   Laura Kenny

   Region II, New York Regional Office

   IWCA:

   Deb Nemec

   IWCA

   Stefan Bright

   IWCA

   Vickie Eubanks

   South Shore Building Services, Inc.

   Noa Pedersen

   General Window Cleaning

   Matt Pierce

   Fish Window Cleaning

   Coby Powell

   Red Rock Window Cleaning

   Dan Dvorak

   Valcourt Building Services

   Alan Burton

   Everclear Enterprises, Inc

2. Implementation Team Meetings

   • August 22, 2011 Implementation Team Meeting
   • October 24, 2011 Implementation Team Meeting
   • February 16, 2012 Implementation Team Meeting

   In addition to these formal meetings, the Alliance coordinators from both groups maintained regular contact throughout the reporting period to monitor the Alliance's progress and results.

3. Results

   1. Events and Products

      Training and Education Goal

      • Provide expertise to develop training and education programs for window cleaning contractors and workers, including low literacy and limited English speaking workers, regarding the recognition and prevention of workplace accidents due to slips, trips and falls, working from heights, and the use of specialized window cleaning and high-rise access equipment, and provide expertise in communicating such information to employers and workers in the industry.

      Product

      • Water-Fed Pole (WFP) Safety Training Program
      • Through the OSHA and IWCA Alliance, IWCA developed a WFP safety training program which provides employees in the window cleaning industry with information on safe use of water-fed poles. The program contains practical precautions and instructions to help window cleaners reduce risks at job sites while taking into account the requirements for the job. The WFP training program was finalized and posted to the IWCA Web site and linked to the OSHA Web pages from IWCA's Alliance Web page in September 2011.

      Outreach and Communication Goals

      • Provide expertise in developing information on the recognition and prevention of workplace hazards, and provide expertise in developing ways of communicating such information in English, Spanish, and/or other languages (e.g., print and electronic media, electronic assistance tools and OSHA's and the IWCA's Web sites) to employers and workers in the industry.

      Products

      • Water-Fed Pole Quick Card
      • Through the OSHA and IWCA Alliance, IWCA developed a Quick Card which provides employees in the window cleaning industry with information on safe use of WFPs. The document contains practical precautions to help reduce the hazards at job sites for workers in the window cleaning industry and provides a quick reference to safe practices. The WFP Quick Card was finalized and posted to the IWCA Web site and linked to the OSHA Web pages from IWCA's Alliance Web page in June 2012.

      IWCA and OSHA Alliance-Related Web Page

      IWCA maintains and updates the IWCA and OSHA Alliance Web page on its Web site. Information includes links to the Alliance agreement and OSHA's electronic assistance tools. In addition, the page features links to products developed by IWCA through the Alliance Program, including the WFP resources.

      OSHA and IWCA Alliance Web Page

      OSHA maintains and updates the OSHA and IWCA Alliance Web page on the Agency Web site. The page includes the OSHA and IWCA Alliance agreement, annual reports, news releases, information on activities and events of the Alliance, and links to the Alliance developed products and resources.

      Publications and Newsletters

      IWCA includes several OSHA and Alliance-related articles and events in its electronic newsletter, The View and in its industry publication, The Professional Window Cleaner. The articles provide IWCA members with workplace safety and health information.

      OSHA Safety and Health Topics page

      IWCA representatives served on the editorial boards of the following OSHA Safety and Health Topics pages, providing OSHA with their expertise and technical review until January 18, 2012:

      • Fall Protection
        • Coby Powell, President, Red Rock Window Cleaning, Las Vegas, NV
      • General Cleaning Industry
        • Matt Pierce, General Manager, Fish Window Cleaning, Woburn, MA
      • Speak, exhibit, or appear at OSHA’s or the IWCA’s conferences, local meetings or other industry events such as the Building Owners and Management annual convention and the International Facility Management Association annual conference.

      Events

      IWCA Educational Forum and Showcase, February 2-4, 2012 New Orleans, LA

      OSHA supported IWCA's conference through the following activities:

      • On February 2, 2012, Wilfred Hebert, Compliance Assistance Specialist, Region VI, Baton Rouge, Louisiana Area Office, USDOL-OSHA, gave a presentation entitled "The Task at Hand, OSHA's View" to 200 conference attendees.
      • On February 2-3, 2012, OSHA personnel staffed an Alliance Program exhibit booth.

      Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA) International Conference, June 26-28, 2011, Washington, DC

      IWCA disseminated information on OSHA and the Alliance program to 750 attendees during the BOMA conference.

      • Promote and encourage the IWCA members' or worksites' participation in OSHA's cooperative programs such as compliance assistance, the Voluntary Protection Programs, and the On-site Consultation Program and its Safety and Health Achievement Recognition Program.

      Event

      IWCA Educational Forum and Showcase, February 2-4, 2012 New Orleans, LA

      On February 2, 2012, Sandra Stokes, Program Manager, Region VI, Louisiana State Consultation, gave a presentation entitled "On-site Consultation Program" to 200 IWCA members attending the conference.

      Promoting the National Dialogue on Workplace Safety and Health

      • Convene or participate in forums, roundtable discussions, or stakeholder meetings on window cleaning industry safety to discuss safety and health issues and to help forge innovative solutions in the workplace.

      Products

      Construction Workplace Design Solutions

      Through the Alliance Program Construction Roundtable (APCR), members of the IWCA Alliance Implementation Team provided feedback on a Construction Workplace Design Solutions, "Falls from Roofs (Roof Anchors)," which focuses on design solutions to help prevent falls in the construction industry.

      Events

      OSHA APCR, Department of Labor, September 20, 2011, Washington, DC

      Representatives from IWCA participated in the OSHA APCR meeting in Washington, D.C. During the meeting, Alliance Program participantsreceived OSHA updates, discussed products developed through the Roundtable, including the next series of draft Construction Workplace Design Solutions, and identified potential projects and compliance assistance resources to help address safety and health hazards in the construction industry.

      North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week, May 6-12, 2012, Washington, DC

      IWCA and a number of other Alliance Program participants supported the 2012 NAOSH Week. Sponsored annually by the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), an Alliance Program participant, and the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering, the Week focuses on the importance of preventing injuries and illnesses in the workplace. The theme for 2012 was "Safety, What Every Business Needs."

      To help support the event, IWCA disseminated information about 2012 NAOSH Week to their membership and linked the IWCA Alliance Web page to the 2012 NAOSH Web page on the ASSE Website.

   2. Executive Summary

      Through the Alliance Program, OSHA and IWCA are working together to provide information, guidance, and access to training resources on safety and health issues in the window cleaning industry. The positive relationship that IWCA has developed over the past two years has led to the development of several projects that the team is currently working on or has produced. For example, members of the IWCA Alliance Implementation Team finalized the WFP Safety Training Program and completed the WFP Quick Card. The WFP Safety Training Program and Quick Card were posted on the IWCA Web page and linked to the OSHA Web pages.

      Through the Alliance Program, IWCA members provided feedback on draft documents developed through the APCR, including the Construction Workplace Design Solutions.

      In addition, OSHA gave presentations and staffed an Alliance Program exhibit booth during the IWCA Educational Forum and Showcase in New Orleans, Louisiana. IWCA Alliance representatives staffed an OSHA publications and Alliance developed products exhibit booth during the BOMA International Conference in Washington, DC.

      IWCA representatives also shared their expertise with OSHA through participation on the editorial boards for the OSHA General Cleaning Industry and Fall Protection Safety and Health Topics pages.

      Finally, as part of their outreach, IWCA supported and promoted the 2012 NAOSH Week by adding information about the event on the IWCA Web site, issuing a press release in March, and in distributing information to their members.

   3. Alliance Program Reach

      Type of Activity (Conference, Training, Print and Electronic Distribution, etc.)	Number of Individuals Reached or Trained
      OSHA and IWCA Alliance Web Page on OSHA Website	Data Not Available
      IWCA and OSHA Alliance Web Page on the IWCA Website	616
      OSHA Fall Protection Safety and Health Topics Page	99,672
      OSHA General Cleaning Industry Safety and Health Topics Page	Data Not Available
      February 2, 2012: IWCA Educational Forum and Showcase, New Orleans, Louisiana   Speaker: Wilfred Hebert, Compliance Assistance Specialist, Region VI, Baton Rouge, Louisiana Area Office, USDOL-OSHA, gave a presentation entitled "The Task at Hand, OSHA's View."	200
      February 2, 2012: IWCA Educational Forum and Showcase, New Orleans, Louisiana   Speaker: Sandra Stokes, Program Manager, Region VI, Louisiana State Consultation, gave a presentation entitled "On-site Consultation Program."	200
      February 2-3, 2012: IWCA Educational Forum and Showcase, New Orleans, Louisiana   Exhibit: OSHA staffed Alliance Exhibit Booth	100
      June 26-28, 2011: BOMA International Conference, Washington, DC   Exhibit: IWCA Alliance Representatives staffed an OSHA publications and Alliance developed products exhibit booth.	750
      March 2012: "American Society of Safety Engineers/OSHA Announce May North American Occupational Safety and Health Week to Include International Window Cleaning Association," IWCA Press Release.	2,000
      November 2011: "OSHA Issues Videos on Construction Hazards," IWCA Press Release.	2,000
      September 2011: "OSHA Issues Memo About Fall Protection on Aerial Lifts," IWCA Press Release.	2,000
      September 2011: "OSHA Seeks Nominations for Members to Serve on National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health," The Professional Window Cleaner.	2,000
      September 2011: "Polling a Safer Workplace: Water-fed Poles Best Practices are Required Learning for Today's Window Cleaners," The Professional Window Cleaner.	2,500
      September 2011: "IWCA Moving Forward to Publish New Version of the ANSI/IWCA 1-14 Standard," The Professional Window Cleaner.	2,500
      June 2011 Edition: "OSHA's Recordkeeping Advisor," The View.	920
      June 2011 Edition: "OSHA's Heat Illness Prevention Web Page," The View.	920
      June 2011: "New OSHA Website Eases Recordkeeping Process," The Professional Window Cleaner	2,500
      Total	117,578

4. Upcoming Milestones

   Over the next year, OSHA and IWCA will continue work together to provide IWCA's members and others with guidance and access to information and training resources that will focus on reducing and preventing exposure to slip, trip and fall, and falls from height hazards, and issues related to the use of high-reach access equipment including ladders and scaffolding equipment.

   The OSHA and IWCA Alliance Implementation Team members will renew the Alliance, translate the WFP Safety Training Program and the WFP Quick Card into Spanish, develop a toolbox talks on window cleaning safety, and will add the resources to the IWCA and OSHA Alliance-related Web page on the IWCA Web site. OSHA will link the resources to the OSHA and IWCA Web page, the Alliance Program Participants Developed Products Web page, and other appropriate locations on the Agency Web site.

   IWCA will continue to invite OSHA to exhibit and speak at the annual International Window Cleaning Conference. Finally, IWCA representatives will be joining with other Alliance Program participants to support the 2013 NAOSH Week, participate in the APCR, and attend the Alliance Program Hazard Communication Roundtable.

   Report prepared by: Morgan Seuberling, Safety and Occupational Health Specialist, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances, June 26, 2012.