OSHA and the
Building Services Contractors Association International Alliance (BSCAI)
Close-Out Report

On December 2, 2004, OSHA and the Building Services Contractors Association International (BSCAI) formed an Alliance to provide BSCAI members and others, including those with limited English proficiency and small businesses, with information, guidance, and access to training resources to help them protect employees' health and safety. The Alliance particularly focused on reducing and preventing ergonomic injuries and exposure to hazardous materials in multiple work environments encountered by building service contractors and their employees.

Based on discussions regarding the future of the Alliance, OSHA and BSCAI agreed to conclude the Alliance, as of December 2, 2006. A number of successes resulted from OSHA and BSCAI working together to meet the Alliance's goals, including:

• Through the Alliance, BSCAI developed a training course, "OSHA Compliance Safety Programs," which discussed implementing safety and health management systems in the workplace. The course was presented on March 25 and 26, 2006, at BSCAI's 2006 Annual Convention and Trade Show in Nashville, Tennessee.
   
• During BSCAI's 2006 Annual Conference and Trade Show, March 24-28, 2006 in Nashville, Tennessee, OSHA staff participated in the following activities:
   
  • March 26, 2006, Earl Hicks, Program Analyst, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances, Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs, USDOL-OSHA and BSCAI staff members Michael Zolandz and Michael McNamara, Sonnenschein, Nath and Rosenthal, LLP participated in a panel discussion, "OSHA and Building Service Contractors Association International Alliance."
     
  • March 27, 2006, Garret Rea, Industrial Hygiene Supervisor, Tennessee Department of Labor Workforce Development presented "The Consultation Program."
     
  • March 27, 2006, Earl Hicks, Program Analyst, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances, Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs, USDOL-OSHA and representatives from Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development staffed an OSHA and BSCAI exhibit booth, distributed safety and health information and answered questions from BSCAI members.
     
  • September 8, 2005, BSCAI representatives participated in the Alliance Program's Small Business Roundtable, in Washington, DC. During the meeting, Alliance Program participants provided a number of recommendations for OSHA on how to enhance its small business compliance assistance activities and resources.
• BSCAI executive leadership presented information about the OSHA and BSCAI Alliance during Chief Executive Officer Seminars on June 25, 2005, in Toronto, Canada; September 30, 2005 - October 1, 2005, in Hershey, Pennsylvania; October 29, 2005, in Columbus, Ohio; and November 12, 2005, in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
   
• In the February 2005 edition of BSCAI's magazine, Services, the association published an article, "BSCAI Inks Industry-Leading Alliance Agreement with OSHA," which promoted the OSHA and BSCAI Alliance agreement.
   
• February 15, 2005, Mike Zolandz, BSCAI Legal Counsel, participated on behalf of the association in the OSHA Alliance Program Hazard Communication Roundtable, in Washington, DC.

Report prepared by: Rick Harris, Alliance Coordinator, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances, November 30, 2006.