ALLIANCE ANNUAL REPORT
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
and the
American Pipeline Contractors Association
April 15, 2011

1. Alliance Background

   Date Signed

   January 25, 2007

   Evaluation Period

   January 25, 2010 through January 24, 2011

   Overview

   Through the Alliance, OSHA and American Pipeline Contractors Association (APCA) are providing APCA members and others in the pipeline construction industry, including small businesses and non-English and limited English speaking employees, with information, guidance, and access to training resources that will help them protect employees' health and safety, particularly focusing on reducing and preventing exposure to equipment operation (e.g. bulldozer, excavator and sideboom), trenching and excavation and hydrostatic testing hazards.

   Implementation Team Members

   OSHA

   Francis Dougherty

   Office of Construction Services (OCS), Directorate of Construction (DOC)

   Gary Johnson, Jr.

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

   Sandra Kahn^*

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

   Mike Stracka†

   Office of Small business Assistance (OSBA), DCSP

   APCA:

   Dave Campbell^#

   Project Superintendent, Alcorn Construction

   Marilyn Cole

   APCA Consultant

   J.D. Lormand

   Executive Director, APCA

   Judd Lormand

   APCA Consultant

   ^*Sandra Khan, served as the OSHA Alliance coordinator until April 22, 2010.

   ^†Mike Stracka, served on the Implementation Team until October 22, 2010.

   ^#Dave Campbell, joined the Implementation Team on November 9, 2010.

2. Implementation Team Meetings

   • November 9, 2010 - Implementation Team Meeting
   • July 22, 2010 - Implementation Team Meeting
   • April 22, 2010 - Implementation Team Meeting

    

3. Results

1. Events and Products

   Training and Education Goal

   • Work with OSHA to provide expertise to develop training and education programs for the pipeline construction industry, including small businesses and non-English and limited English speaking employees regarding equipment operation (e.g. bulldozer, excavator and sideboom), trenching and excavation and hydrostatic testing hazards and to provide expertise in communicating such information in both English and Spanish to employers and employees in the industry.

     Products

     Toolbox Talks

     Through the OSHA and APCA Alliance, APCA completed three toolbox talks. The toolbox talks were created as part of APCA's goal to develop a safety and health program for seasonal and temporary workers. OSHA and APCA finalized the following Toolbox Talks during the reporting period:

     • The Spotter
     • Working Around Heavy Equipment
     • Working in Close Proximity to Overhead Power Line

     Additionally, APCA translated two previously created OSHA and APCA Alliance developed Toolbox Safety Talks into Spanish. These products are part of APCA's goal to develop a safety and health program for seasonal and temporary workers. OSHA and APCA finalized Spanish translations for the following Toolbox Safety Talks during the reporting period:

     • Bloodborne Pathogens
     • Confined Spaces

   Outreach and Communication Goal

   • Work with OSHA to provide the 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 APCA's Web sites) to employers and employees in the pipeline construction industry.

     Products

     OSHA and APCA Alliance Web page

     OSHA is continuing to update the OSHA and APCA Alliance Web page that is posted on the OSHA Web site. It includes the Alliance agreement, renewal agreement, news releases, links to APCA Alliance developed products, including Best Practice Fact Sheets and Toolbox Talks, and information on activities and events and milestones and successes of the OSHA and APCA Alliance. For information on the number of visits to the OSHA and APCA Alliance Web page, please see the "Alliance Program Reach Table."

     APCA and OSHA Alliance Web page

     APCA maintains an APCA and OSHA Alliance Web page on the APCA Web site. The Web page includes information about the OSHA and APCA Alliance and links to the OSHA Web site and other safety and health information. In addition, during the reporting period, APCA added three English language toolbox talks and two Spanish language translations that were developed through the OSHA and APCA Alliance to the page.

     Asbestos Safety and Health Topics page

     The following APCA representative serves on the OSHA Asbestos Safety and Health Topics page's editorial board and provides OSHA with her expertise and comments:

     • Marilyn Cole, Consultant, APCA

   • Speak, exhibit or appear at OSHA's or APCA's conferences, local meetings or other events such as the APCA Annual Meeting.

     Events

     National Action Summit for Latino Health & Safety, April 14-15, 2010, Houston, Texas

     Marilyn Cole, Consultant, APCA, along with individuals from 11-APCA member companies attended the OSHA sponsored conference that brought together workers and representatives from employer associations, labor unions, the faith community, community organizations, the medical community, safety and health professionals, educators, government officials, Consulates, the entertainment community and other non-traditional partners.

     Construction was the primary industry targeted. Latino immigrant workers comprise almost one quarter of the construction industry workforce and suffer the highest rate of construction-related deaths. The conference also targeted other high-risk industries that employ large numbers of Latino workers.

   • Promote and encourage APCA's members' 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.

     During the reporting period, no milestones were achieved that address this goal.

   • Work with other Alliance participants on specific issues and projects, including trenching and excavation, which are developed through the Alliance Program

     OSHA Alliance Program Construction Roundtable, Fall Protection and Design for Safety Workgroups

     APCA is continuing to participate in the Design for Safety (DFS) and Fall Protection Workgroup Alliance Program Construction Roundtable. The following is a summary of the meeting that was held during the reporting reflecting APCA participation:

     • On July 29, 2010, Marilyn Cole joined representatives from sixteen other construction-related Alliances and participated in a joint meeting of the Fall Protection and Design for Safety Workgroups in Washington, DC. During the meeting, Dr. David Michaels, Assistant Secretary, USDOL-OSHA, thanked the Alliance Program participants for their support of the Program and provided information on numerous OSHA safety and health initiatives, including rulemaking efforts and enhanced enforcement activities. The OSHA Directorate of Construction staff provided an update on a number of topics, including information on the Agency's Cranes and Derricks in Construction Final Rule and outreach products, such as QuickCards and guidance documents, currently in development. The OSHA Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs staff provided additional updates, including information on the revised Alliance Program participant criteria, State Plans, OSHA's Latino outreach efforts, and small business assistance-related resources, such as the Agency's On-site Consultation Program and enhanced Web pages. CPWR - The Center for Construction Research and Training delivered a presentation focusing on green jobs in the construction industry and their available research resources. The group agreed to invite a representative from CPWR to deliver an overview of their Electronic Library of Construction Occupational Safety and Health (eLCOSH). Finally, the group discussed the Roundtable-developed Construction Workplace Design Solutions which focus on the prevention of falls in the construction industry and a slide presentation addressing material handling. The Roundtable participants agreed to develop a template to be used in the development of additional Design Solutions that will be drafted prior to the next Roundtable meeting in early 2011.

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

     APCA and a number of other Alliance Program participants supported 2010 NAOSH Week. Sponsored annually by the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) and the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE), the Week focused on the importance of preventing injuries and illnesses in the workplace. The theme for 2010 NAOSH Week was "Mission NAOSH 2010: Safe Workplaces." Marilyn Cole, Consultant, represented APCA at the Kick-off event.

2. Executive Summary

   During the reporting period, APCA worked through the OSHA and APCA Alliance to provide the pipeline construction industry with information, guidance, and access to training resources that will help them to protect employees' health and safety by reducing and preventing exposure to equipment operation, trenching and excavation, and hydrostatic testing hazards.

   For example, through the OSHA and APCA Alliance, APCA developed the following three toolbox talks:

   • The Spotter
   • Working Around Heavy Equipment
   • Working in Close Proximity to Overhead Power Lines

   Additionally, through the OSHA and APCA Alliance, APCA has translated the following two toolbox talks into Spanish:

   • Bloodborne Pathogens
   • Confined Spaces
   • Marilyn Cole, along with individuals from 11 APCA–member companies, participated in the 2010 National Action Summit for Latino Health & Safety held on April 14-15, 2010, in Houston, Texas.
   • Marilyn Cole attended the Construction Roundtable held at DOL on July 29,
   • An APCA representative is serving on the editorial board for the OSHA Asbestos Safety and Health Topics page
   • APCA supported 2010 NAOSH Week, May 2-8, 2010

3. Alliance Program Reach

   Type of Activity (Conference, Training, Print and Electronic Distribution, etc.)	Number of Individuals Reached or Trained
   OSHA and APCA Alliance Web page on the OSHA Web site	Data Not Available
   OSHA Asbestos Safety and Heath Topics Page Note: Due to technical difficulties, only statistics from January 25, 2010 to September 30, 2010 are available.	62,533
   APCA and OSHA Alliance Web page on the APCA Web site	Data Not Available
   TOTAL	62,533

4. Upcoming Milestones

   During the upcoming year, the OSHA and APCA Alliance Implementation Team will translate the seven remaining toolbox talks into Spanish. When completed, the Spanish versions of the toolbox talks will be posted on the APCA and OSHA Alliance Web page on the APCA Web site and linked to from the OSHA and APCA Alliance Web page and the Alliance Program Participants Developed Products Web page on the OSHA Web site.

   Further, APCA intends to work with OSHA through the Alliance Program to:

   • Develop toolbox talks towards a larger goal of creating a safety and health program for seasonal and temporary employees,
   • Support the 2011 North American Occupational Safety and Health Week,
   • Participate in the OSHA Alliance Program Construction Roundtable, and
   • Continue to serve on the OSHA Asbestos Safety and Health Topic Page editorial board.

Gary Johnson, Jr., Safety and Occupational Health Specialist, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances, April 15, 2011.