LIA - Alliance Annual Report - August 29, 2012


ANNUAL ALLIANCE REPORT
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
and the
Laser Institute of America (LIA)
August 29, 2012

  1. Alliance Background

    Date Signed

    August 9, 2005

    Date Renewed

    August 22, 2007

    Overview

    The OSHA and LIA Alliance focuses on providing the organization's members and others, including small businesses, with information, guidance, and access to training resources that will help them protect employees' health and safety, particularly in reducing and preventing exposure to laser beam and non-beam hazards in industrial and medical workplaces. In addition, the organizations will share information on laser regulations and standards, bioeffects lasers have on the eyes and skin, laser control measures, and laser safety program administration.

    Implementation Team Members

    OSHA:

    Gary Johnson, Jr.
    Office of Outreach Services and Alliances, Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs

    LIA:

    Gus Anibarro
    Education Director, LIA
    Barbara Sams
    Director of Standards Development, LIA

    Evaluation Period

    August 9, 2011 - August 8, 2012

  2. Implementation Team Meetings

    • October 20, 2011
    • January 26, 2012
    • May 8, 2012
  3. Results

    1. Events and Products

      Outreach and Communication Goals

      • To develop information on the recognition and prevention of workplace hazards, and to develop ways of communicating such information (e.g., print and electronic media, electronic assistance tools, and OSHA's and the LIA's Web sites) to OSHA staff, employers and workers in the industry.

      Products

      LIA and OSHA Alliance-related Web page

      LIA continues to update the LIA and OSHA Alliance-related Web page on the LIA Web site with information on the Alliance including links to the Alliance agreements, news releases and to the Alliance developed products, including the, "LIA and OSHA Laser Safety Bulletin" and to the "LIA and OSHA Laser Safety pod cast". In addition, LIA included links to the 2011 North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week Web page on the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) Web site. ASSE, another Alliance Program participant, is the sponsor of NAOSH Week.

      OSHA and LIA Alliance Web page

      OSHA regularly updates the OSHA and LIA Alliance Web page that is posted on the Agency Web site. The OSHA and LIA Alliance Web page includes the OSHA and LIA Alliance agreements, news releases, activities and events, products and resources and milestones and successes. For more information on the number of site visitors, please see the "Alliance Program Reach" table.

      OSHA Safety and Health Topics Pages Editorial Boards

      Through the Alliance, LIA member, Gus Anibarro, Education Director, is serving on the editorial boards for the following OSHA Safety and Health Topics pages:

      • Laser Hazards
      • Laser/Electrosurgery Plume
      • Non-ionizing Radiation

      OSHA Hospital eTool

      LIA representative, Gus Anibarro, Education Director, and Barbara Sams, Director of Standards Development, served on the editorial board of the Agency's Hospital eTool, providing OSHA with their expertise and technical review on the tools laser hazards section until January 18, 2012.

      • To speak, exhibit, or appear at OSHA's or LIA's conferences, local meetings, or other laser safety training events such as LIA's International Laser Safety conference.

      Event

      Lasers for Manufacturing Event (2011 LME), September 27-28, 2011, Schaumburg, Illinois

      Representatives from LIA staffed an Alliance Program exhibit booth and distributed OSHA compliance assistance materials during the event. A reported 150 conference attendees visited the Alliance booth.

      • To share information among OSHA personnel and industry safety and health professionals regarding LIA's good practices or effective approaches through training programs, workshops, seminars, and lectures (or any other applicable forum) developed by the participants.

      Events

      Laser Safety Seminars

      Through the OSHA and LIA Alliance, LIA conducted the Laser Safety Seminar for the Boston, Massachusetts Area Office, Region I, on June 14, 2012. The Seminar provided Compliance Assistance Safety and Health Officers with information on what to look for and key questions to ask when entering a facility that is using laser technology. A total of 33 OSHA personnel, including On-site Consultation and State Plan personnel, attended the Seminar.

      North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week, May 6-12, 2012, Washington, D.C.

      The Laser Institute of America and a number of other Alliance Program participants supported 2012 NAOSH Week. Sponsored annually by the American Society of Safety Engineers and the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering, the Week focuses on the importance of preventing injuries and illnesses in the workplace. The theme for 2012 was "Safety, What Every Business Needs."

      OSHA On-site Consultation Conference, April 26, 2012, Nashville, Tennessee

      Through the OSHA and LIA Alliance, LIA gave a presentation entitled "Laser Safety Hazard Identification & Control: 13 Questions" during the agency's On-site Consultation Conference in Nashville, Tennessee. A total of 20 individuals attended the workshop.

    2. Executive Summary

      Through the Alliance Program, OSHA and LIA are working together to reduce injuries and prevent exposure to laser beam and non-beam hazards in industrial and medical workplaces. The positive relationship that LIA has developed over the past seven years has led to the renewal of their Alliance during the reporting period and the development of many projects that the team is currently working on or has produced. For example, members of the LIA Alliance Implementation Team presented the Laser Safety Seminar to 33 OSHA staff at the Boston, Massachusetts Area Office, Region I. In addition, a member of the LIA Implementation Team gave a presentation entitled "Laser Safety Hazard Identification & Control: 13 Questions" to 20 individuals attending OSHA's On-site Consultation Conference in Nashville, Tennessee, and representatives from LIA staffed an Alliance Program exhibit booth during the 2011 LME Conference and Exposition in Schaumburg, Illinois.

      LIA representatives also shared their expertise with OSHA through participation on the editorial boards for OSHA's Hospital eTool and on the editorial boards for Laser Hazards; Laser/ Electrosurgery Plume; and Non-ionizing Radiation Safety and Health Topics pages.

      As part of their outreach, LIA supported and promoted the 2012 NAOSH Week by distributing information about the event to its membership.

    3. Alliance Program Reach

      Type of Activity

      Number of Individuals Reached

      OSHA and LIA Alliance Web Page

      Data Not Available

      LIA and OSHA Alliance-related Web Page

      Data Not Available

      OSHA Hospital eTool

      Data Not Available

      OSHA Laser Hazards Safety and Health Topics page

      Data Not Available

      OSHA Laser/Electrosurgery Plume Safety and Health Topics page

      Data Not Available

      OSHA Non-Ionizing Safety and Health Topics page

      Data Not Available

      June 14, 2012: Laser Safety Seminar, Boston, Massachusetts,

      Speaker: Gus Anibarro, Education Director, LIA

      33

      April 26, 2012: OSHA On-site Consultation Conference, Nashville, Tennessee

      Speaker: Gus Anibarro, Education Director, LIA, gave a presentation entitled “Laser Safety Hazard Identification & Control: 13 Questions.”

      20

      September 27-28, 2011: Lasers for Manufacturing Event, Schaumburg, Illinois

      Alliance Exhibit

      150

      Total

      203

  4. Upcoming Milestones

    The OSHA and LIA Alliance Implementation Team discussed a number of activities that will be undertaken in the upcoming year. Through the Alliance, LIA will continue to conduct the Laser Safety Seminars developed specifically for OSHA staff in the Regional and Area Offices and State Plan States as requested by the OSHA Offices. LIA will also continue to develop the "13 Questions" fact sheets, as well as the Laser Safety Fact Sheet, as guidance for laser safety and will add the resources to the LIA and OSHA Alliance-related Web page on the LIA Web site. OSHA will link the resources to the OSHA and LIA Web page, the Alliance Program Participants Developed Products Web page, and other appropriate locations on the Agency Web site.

    LIA will continue to invite OSHA to exhibit and speak at the annual Laser Manufacturing Equipment Conference and Exposition. Finally, LIA representatives will be joining with other Alliance Program participants to support the 2013 NAOSH Week.

    Report prepared by: Morgan Seuberling, Safety and Occupational Health Specialist, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances, August 29, 2012