AGREEMENT RENEWING AN ALLIANCE
BETWEEN
THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
AND
THE BOARD OF CERTIFIED SAFETY PROFESSIONALS
AND
BCSP FOUNDATION

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP) and the BCSP Foundation continue to recognize the value of maintaining a collaborative relationship to foster safety and health practices and programs, improving American workplaces. To that end, OSHA, BCSP, and the BCSP Foundation hereby renew the Alliance signed February 1, 2018, in part, with a continued emphasis on developing effective training, educational webinars, safety and health professional certifications, safety and health programs, and fall protection. Specifically, all organizations understand the rights of workers and the responsibilities of employers under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act) and are committed to providing BCSP and the BCSP Foundation members, safety and health practitioners, and the public with information, guidance, and access to training resources that will help them protect the health and safety of workers. Through the Alliance, the organizations will continue to work with the OSHA Training Institute (OTI) and OTI Education Centers to identify classes that contribute to various BCSP professional certification educational and eligibility criteria and incorporate those in BCSP materials on certification.

This agreement provides a framework and objectives for the Alliance’s activities. Alliance participants also agree to meet the requirements for program participation laid out in the “Fundamental Requirements for OSHA Alliance Program Participants” and the “Guidelines for OSHA’s Alliance Program Participants: Alliance Products and Other Alliance Projects.”

Through the Alliance, the organizations will use relevant injury, illness, and hazard exposure data, when appropriate, to identify areas of emphasis for Alliance awareness, outreach, and communication activities. The Alliance will also explore and implement selected options, including, but not limited to, member surveys, to evaluate the Alliance and measure the impact on improving workplace safety and health. In renewing this Alliance, OSHA, BCSP, and the BCSP Foundation recognize that OSHA’s State Plan and On-Site Consultation Program partners are an integral part of the OSHA national effort, and that information about the products and activities of the Alliance may be shared with these partners for the advancement of common goals.

Raising Awareness: Outreach and Communication

The Participants intend to work together to achieve the following objectives:

• Collaborate on, share, and disseminate information about OSHA’s priority goals, national initiatives (Emphasis Programs, Regulatory Agenda, Outreach), compliance assistance products, and opportunities to participate in initiatives and the rulemaking process.
• Collaborate on, share, and disseminate safety and health information such as occupational safety and health laws, standards, and the rights and responsibilities of workers and employers.
• Work together on guidance documents promoting the advancement of safety and health programs and the role of safety and health practitioners. BCSP will provide their expertise during the development of the guidance documents and will share them through BCSP and BCSP Foundation websites, print and electronic methods (newsletters, emails), social media (blogs, Facebook, Twitter, etc., utilizing OSHA campaign #hashtags and materials), electronic assistance tools, and scheduled calls/meetings. Speak, exhibit, or appear at OSHA or BCSP and BCSP Foundation conferences, local meetings, or other events.
• Encourage BCSP members and their downstream user networks to build relationships with OSHA’s Regional and Area Offices to address health and safety issues relevant to their respective industries.

Training and Education

The Participants intend to work together to achieve the following objectives:

• Identify OTI Education Centers’ classes that contribute to various BCSP professional certification educational and eligibility criteria and incorporate those into BCSP materials on certification.
• Develop effective training and educational webinars for safety and health practitioners and the general public, including employers and workers, on various safety and health topics (e.g., safety training programs, fall protection, etc.) as agreed upon with OSHA and communicate such information broadly.

OSHA’s Alliances provide organizations an opportunity to participate in a voluntary cooperative relationship with OSHA for purposes such as raising awareness of OSHA’s initiatives, outreach, communication, training, and education. These Alliances have proved to be valuable tools for both OSHA and Alliance participants. By entering into an Alliance with an organization, OSHA is not endorsing or promoting, nor does it intend to endorse or promote, any of that organization’s products or services.

An implementation team made up of representatives of each organization will meet one to two times per year to discuss the responsibilities of the participants, to share information on activities, and to track results in achieving the goals of the Alliance. OSHA team members will include representatives of the Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs, Directorate of Administrative Programs, Directorate of Standards and Guidance, Directorate of Technical Support and Emergency Management, Directorate of Construction, and any other appropriate offices. OSHA will encourage State Plans’ and OSHA On-Site Consultation programs’ participation on the team.

This agreement will remain in effect for five years. Any signatory may terminate it for any reason at any time, provided they give 30 days’ written notice. This agreement may be modified at any time with the written concurrence of all signatories.

Signed this 28^th day of June, 2021.