AFS - Alliance Annual Report - April 21, 2011

ANNUAL ALLIANCE REPORT
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the
American Foundry Society (AFS)
April 21, 2011

  1. Alliance Background

    Date Signed

    March 22, 2004

    Dates Renewed

    April 28, 2006; April 11, 2008

    Evaluation Period

    March 22, 2010 – March 21, 2011

    Overview

    Through the OSHA and AFS Alliance, OSHA and AFS are working together to encourage AFS members and others, including small businesses in the metalcasting industry, to increase employee access to safety and health information and training resources on workplace issues, to include personal protective equipment, heat stress, and reducing and preventing exposure to silica.

    Implementation Team Members
     
    OSHA:  
       
    Russell Jones, Office of Small Business Assistance (OSBA), Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs (DCSP)
    Bill Willson, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances (OOSA), DCSP
       
    AFS:  
       
    Jim Barry, On-site Jim Barry, On-site Consultation Program, Wisconsin/10-Q Committee
    Bob Forrester, 10-Q Committee
    Fred Kohloff, Director, Environmental, Safety, and Health
    Gary Mosher, 10-Q Committee
    Kay Rowntree, 10-Q Committee
    Stephanie Salmon, AFS Washington, DC representative
    Bob Scholz, 10-Q Committee
    Jack Schuldt, 10-Q Committee
    Tom Slavin, 10-Q Committee
    Jeff Willman, 10-Q Committee

  2. Implementation Team Meetings
     
    • May 21, 2010              Implementation Team Meeting
    • September 17, 2010    Implementation Team Meeting
    • January 14, 2011         Implementation Team Meeting
    In addition to these formal meetings, the Alliance coordinators from the organizations, Bill Willson and Fred Kohloff, spoke regularly to discuss and plan the activities and programs listed under events and products.
     
  3. Results
     
    1. Events and Products

      Training and Education Goal

      • Work with OSHA to provide expertise to develop workplace safety and health curricula on the foundry workplace issues including, PPE, heat stress, and silica.

      During this reporting period, OSHA and AFS did not complete projects that address this goal.

      Outreach and Education Goals

      • Work with OSHA to provide expertise in developing information on the recognition and prevention of workplace hazards, and to provide expertise in developing ways of communicating such information (e.g. print and electronic media, electronic assistance tools, and OSHA’s and AFS’s Web sites) to employers and employees in the industry. 

      Products

      Fact Sheet: Hearing Protection in Metalcasting Facilities

      AFS completed an AFS Fact Sheet: Hearing Protection in Metalcasting Facilities in April 2010.  The fact sheet provides metalcasting employers and workers with an overview of how to manage noise exposure in metalcasting facilities.  The document is posted on the AFS and OSHA Alliance Web page and linked to from the OSHA and AFS Alliance Web page on the agency’s Web site.  Information about the Fact Sheet appeared on the AFS Safety and Health Latest News Web page.

      OSHA and AFS Alliance Web page

      OSHA is continuing to update the OSHA and AFS Alliance Web page posted on the OSHA Web site.  It includes the OSHA and AFS Alliance agreement, renewal agreement, news releases, products and resources, activities and events and milestones and successes of the OSHA and AFS Alliance. 

      AFS and OSHA Alliance Web page

      AFS is continuing to update the sections on its Web site, which contains information on the OSHA and AFS Alliance. The sections include links to the OSHA and AFS Alliance Web page, Alliance-developed products, and available compliance assistance resources on the OSHA Web site. Additions to  the page during the reporting period include links to a hearing fact sheet, developed by AFS through the Alliance and two Agency Safety and Health Information Bulletins "Hazards Associated with the "Unintended (Double) Cycling" of Mechanical Power Presses" and " Certification of Workplace Products by Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories."

      Publications and Newsletters

      Information on the activities of the OSHA and AFS Alliance has appeared in a number of print and online publications.  For more information on the articles, see the "Alliance Program Reach" table.

      OSHA Safety and Health Topics Pages and eTools

      AFS representatives serve on the editorial boards of the following OSHA Safety and Health Topics pages on the OSHA Web site: Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout); Heat Stress; Lead; Powered Industrial Trucks; Respiratory Protection; Silica, Crystalline; and Ventilation. AFS representatives also serve on the editorial board of the eTool Powered Industrial Trucks.

      • Speak, exhibit, and/or appear at OSHA and AFS conferences, local meetings, and other events such as the annual Environmental Health and Safety (EHS) conference and the Washington Conference.

      Event

      2010 North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week, May 2-8, 2010

      On May 2, 2010, the American Foundry Society and a number of other Alliance Program participants supported 2010 NAOSH Week.  Sponsored annually by the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), an Alliance Program participant, and the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE), the Week focuses on the importance of preventing injuries and illnesses in the workplace.  The theme for 2011 was "Mission NAOSH 2010: Safe Workplaces."

      • Share information among OSHA personnel, including Compliance Safety and Health Officers, and industry safety and health professionals regarding AFS’s best practices or effective approaches and publicize results through outreach by AFS and through OSHA- or AFS-developed materials, training programs, workshops, seminars, and lectures.

      Events

      OSHA and AFS Alliance "Foundry Best Practices Seminar," May 12-14, 2010, Kansas City, Missouri

      Through the Alliance, AFS delivered the Foundry Best Practices seminar for 19 OSHA staff and On-site Consultation Program staff participated on May 12-14, 2010, in Kansas City, MO. The seminar provided attendees with an overview of the safety and health hazards that are present in foundries, and measures that can be taken to eliminate or reduce the severity of the hazard. The seminar also included a visit to AFS member company Superior Aluminum Casting’s Independence, MO, facility.

      OSHA and AFS Alliance "Foundry Best Practices Seminar," October 26-28, 2010, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
       
      Through the Alliance, AFS delivered the Foundry Best Practices seminar for 17 OSHA staff and On-site Consultation Program staff participated on October 26-28, 2010, in Pittsburgh, PA. The seminar provided attendees with an overview of the safety and health hazards that are present in foundries, and measures that can be taken to eliminate or reduce the severity of the hazard. The seminar also included a visit to AFS member company McConway & Torley foundry, a VPP site.

      • Promote and encourage AFS chapters 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. 

      Success Story

      Through the OSHA and American Foundry Society Alliance, OSHA collaborated with the Clow Valve Company, a metal casting facility, to develop a success story "Metal Casting Facility's Work with OSHA On-site Consultation and Participation in Iowa VPP Lead to Improved Workplace Safety and Health." The story highlights how the company's commitment to safety, work with On-site Consultation, and participation in Iowa VPP resulted in improved workplace safety and health performance.

      • Work with other Alliance participants on specific issues and projects regarding PPE, ventilation, and silica issues that are addressed and developed through the Alliance Program. 

        During this reporting period, OSHA and AFS did not complete projects that address this goal.

      • Encourage AFS chapters’ or worksites’ to build relationships with OSHA’s Regional and Area Offices to address health and safety issues, including PPE, heat stress, and silica. 

        During this reporting period, OSHA and AFS did not complete projects that address this goal.

      National Dialogue on Workplace Safety and Health Goal

       

      • Develop and disseminate case studies illustrating the business value of safety and health and publicize their results. 

        During this reporting period, OSHA and AFS did not complete projects that address this goal.

    2. Executive Summary

      OSHA and AFS will  continue to work together to increase employer and employee access to safety and health information and training resources on workplace issues, including personal protective equipment, heat stress, and exposure to silica.  The positive and collaborative relationship has led to the development of the many programs and projects that the OSHA and AFS Alliance Implementation team are currently working on or has produced.

      For example, through the OSHA and AFS Alliance, AFS delivered the "Foundry Best Practices Seminar" to OSHA staff in Kansas City, Missouri and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

      In addition, AFS completed a Fact Sheet "Hearing Protection in Metalcasting Facilities" that provides metalcasting employers and workers with an overview of how to manage noise exposure in metalcasting facilities.

      AFS worked with OSHA to develop a success story entitled, "Metal Casting Facility's Work with OSHA On-site Consultation and Participation in Iowa VPP Lead to Improved Workplace Safety and Health" that highlights how the company's commitment to safety, work with On-site Consultation, and participation in Iowa VPP resulted in improved workplace safety and health performance.

      As part of their outreach efforts, AFS joined with other Alliance Program participants to support 2010 NAOSH Week, May 2-8, 2010.  In addition, AFS representatives are sharing their expertise and technical review by serving on the editorial boards of numerous OSHA Safety and Health Topics pages, including: Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout); Heat Stress; Lead; Powered Industrial Trucks; Respiratory Protection; Silica, Crystalline; and Ventilation. AFS representatives also serve on the editorial board of the eTool Powered Industrial Trucks.

    3. Alliance Program Reach
       
      Type of Activity (Conference, Training, Print and
      Electronic Distribution, etc.)      		 Number of Individuals
      Reached or Trained

      OSHA and AFS Alliance Web page on the OSHA Web site

      3,652

      AFS and OSHA Alliance Web page on the AFS Web site

      Data Not Available

      OSHA Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout/Tagout) Safety and Health Topics Page

      99,087

      OSHA Heat Stress Safety and Health Topics Page

      61,714

      OSHA Lead Safety and Health Topics Page

      46,136

      OSHA Powered Industrial Trucks Safety and Health Topics Page

      80,757

      OSHA Respiratory Protection Safety and Health Topics Page

      74,337

      OSHA Silica, Crystalline Safety and Health Topics Page

      33,073

      OSHA Ventilation Safety and Health Topics Page

      18,477

      OSHA Powered Industrial Trucks eTool

      34,248

      May 12, 2010 - AFS "Foundry Best Practices Seminar,"  Kansas City, Missouri

      19

      October 26-28, 2010 - AFS "Foundry Best Practices Seminar," Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

      17

      TOTAL

      541,517

  4. Upcoming Milestones

    In the upcoming year, the OSHA and AFS Alliance Implementation Team will continue to work together to develop safety and health information and training resources for AFS members and small businesses in the metalcasting industry.  For example, during the next reporting period, the Implementation Team will complete development and finalize Case Studies on Hexavalent Chromium and heat relief and improved air quality in foundries. AFS is also working with the agency to present the "Foundry Best Practices Seminar" in Salt Lake City, Utah, in the fall of 2011.

    In addition, AFS representatives will be joining with other Alliance Program participants to support 2011 North American Occupational Safety and Health Week, May 2-8, 2011. The agency is committed to exhibiting at the 2011 Metal Casting Congress, April 5-8, 2011, in Schaumburg, Illinois, supporting, and promoting OSHA's Distracted Driving Initiative.
     
    Lastly, OSHA and AFS hope to renew the Alliance in 2011.

    Report prepared by: Bill Willson, Program Analyst, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances, April 21, 2011