APCA - Alliance Annual Report - February 22, 2012

ALLIANCE ANNUAL REPORT
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
and the
American Pipeline Contractors Association
February 22, 2012

  1. Alliance Background

    Date Signed

    January 25, 2007

    Evaluation Period

    January 25, 2011 through January 24, 2012

    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

    Fran 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)

    APCA:

    Dave Campbell

    Project Superintendent, Alcorn Construction

    Marilyn Cole

    APCA Consultant

    J.D. Lormand

    Executive Director, APCA

    Judd Lormand

    APCA Consultant

  2. Implementation Team Meetings

    • October 28, 2011 - Implementation Team Meeting

  3. Results

    1. Events and Products

      Training and Education Goal

      Products

      Toolbox Talks

      Through the OSHA and APCA Alliance 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:

      • 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.
        • Personal Protective Equipment
        • Respiratory Protection

      Outreach and Communication Goal

      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 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:

      Print and Electronic Media

      • 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.

        • 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

      ASSE Professional Development Conference (PDC), Safety 2011, – "Safety and Health Resources for Diverse Workforces" - June 15, 2011, Chicago, Illinois

      Marilyn Cole, Consultant, APCA; Elizabeth Way, Director, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances, Directorate of Cooperative and State Plans, USDOL-OSHA; Diana M. Cortez, Area Director, Region II, Tarrytown, New York Area Office, USDOL-OSHA; and Elisonia Valle, Assistant Manager to Human Resources, Wenner Breads, Inc., presented.

      • 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 February 11, 2011, 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 OSHA's 40th anniversary celebration and numerous safety and health initiatives, including rulemaking efforts and enhanced enforcement activities. The OSHA Directorate of Construction staff provided an update on topics including the Agency's proposed rulemaking focusing on underground construction and demolition and the Cranes and Derricks in Construction Final Rule and related outreach products. Staff from the OSHA Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs (DCSP) provided information on the Alliance Program, State Plans, OSHA's follow-up activities to the 2010 National Action Summit for Latino Worker Safety and Health, Voluntary Protection Programs, 2011 North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week, and the Electrical Transmission and Distribution Strategic Partnership that was renewed on January 25, 2011. DCSP staff also provided an update on small business assistance-related resources such as the Agency's On-site Consultation Program, enhanced small business-related Web pages, and updated and new success stories. In addition, participants received information on the Agency's initiatives focusing on distracted driving and the prevention of heat stress, proposed rulemaking on crystalline silica and Injury and Illness Prevention Programs (I2P2), and the new Severe Violator Enforcement Program (SVEP). CPWR - The Center for Construction Research and Training delivered a presentation focusing on their Electronic Library of Construction Occupational Safety and Health (eLCOSH) and other construction-related resources available in English and Spanish. Finally, the group discussed the draft Construction Workplace Design Solutions (CWDS) focused on the prevention of falls in the construction industry and approved a new CWDS template. The participants agreed to update the six existing CWDSs on the OSHA Web site to conform with the new format and to draft additional products prior to the next Roundtable meeting at the Department of Labor in September/October 2011.

    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 has translated the following two toolbox talks into Spanish:

      • Personal Protective Equipment
      • Respiratory Protection

      Further, OSHA and APCA representatives are sharing their expertise through participation on OSHA’s electronic assistance tools’ editorial boards, events, and speaking and exhibiting opportunities. For example:

      • Marilyn Cole attended the Construction Roundtable held at DOL on February 11, 2011.
      • Marilyn Cole, participated in a group presentation titled "Safety and Health Resources for Diverse Workforces," at the ASSE PDC, Safety 2011, on June 15, 2011.
      • An APCA representative is serving on the editorial board for the OSHA Asbestos Safety and Health Topics page.
      • APCA supported 2011 NAOSH Week, May 1-7, 2011.

    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 59,833
      APCA and OSHA Alliance Web page on the APCA Web site Data Not Available
      TOTAL 59,833

  4. Upcoming Milestones

    During the upcoming year, the OSHA and APCA Alliance Implementation Team will translate the five 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 additional toolbox talks focusing on:
      • Distracted Driving
      • Operator to Ground Personnel Communications
      • Employee Rights
      • Employer Responsibilities
      • Locating Underground Utilities
    • Translate into Spanish products developed through the Alliance, including the following previously developed Toolbox talks:
      • Evacuation and Trenching
      • Abrasive Sand Blasting
      • Hazard Communication
      • Electrical Safety
      • Heavy Equipment Spotter Safety
    • Participate in OSHA activities such as the following:
      • Alliance Program Construction Roundtable
      • NAOSH Week

Report prepared by: Gary Johnson, Jr., Safety and Occupational Health Specialist, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances, February 22, 2012.