Region 3 - Alliance Annual Report - November 2, 2011
ALLIANCE ANNUAL REPORT
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
HARRISBURG AREA OFFICE
AND
THE PENNSYLVANIA CHAMBER OF BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY
November 2, 2011
- Alliance Background
Date Signed:
March 29, 2004
Date Renewed:
August 10, 2005
August 20, 2007
August 18, 2009
Alliance Overview:
The statewide Pennsylvania Chamber of Business and Industry (PA Chamber) is the largest broad-based business association in Pennsylvania and the second largest state Chamber in the United States. The PA Chamber has over 10,000 customers; 82% being considered small employers with less than 100 employees and 1/3 of their members having less than 10 employees. By combining OSHA’s safety expertise with the broad base of employers who belong to the PA Chamber, OSHA’s resources can be leveraged more effectively. Our common goal is to help employers through outreach, training and educational safety programs that they can take back to and implement at their individual work places.
The Alliance between OSHA and the PA Chamber provides a platform to reach small employers and provide necessary information, guidance, access to training on a variety of safety regulations and best practices from the OSHA website. These are all resources that companies may not realize exist without these OSHA sessions which are organized and facilitated by the PA Chamber. Each year under the Harrisburg Area Office alliance, we conduct three (3) Roundtable sessions to help employers, their safety managers and employees with professional and business development in the Harrisburg area and although not part of the alliance, conduct an additional four (4) sessions in other parts of the state. This alliance is a true win-win for all parties, while meeting OSHA’s objective, to furnish employees a place of employment which is free from recognized hazards.
Implementation Team Members
OSHA Members: Kevin G. Kilp, Area Director Harrisburg;
Dale Glacken, Compliance Assistance Specialist (CAS).
PA Chamber Members: Susan Smith, Director, Educational Services;
Don Holt, VP of Finance and Operations. - Implementation Team Meetings
August 2010 through August 2011 – Numerous contacts (telephone conference calls and e-mail exchanges) were made to prepare for each of the three Roundtable sessions. The more notable contacts included:- Our initial planning session for 2011 was held on November 2, 2010. We set the agenda for the year and tentative dates for each of the events. The March roundtable is now scheduled to reach out to 5 areas of the state, four more than part of the original agreement.
- A follow up meeting was held on January 24, 2011. This meeting served as an opportunity for the Chamber to meet with our new Area Director, Kevin Kilp and continue planning for this years roundtable sessions. We also discussed the idea of having the CAS be part of the Workers Compensation conference; this will help the alliance reach out to more employees.
- A discussion was held on January 31, 2011 to develop content for our full day May and September sessions.
- Activities and Products
Evaluation Period
August 21, 2010 thru August 20, 2011.
Alliance Activity:
- Training and Education
1. September 16, 2010, Fall Half Day OSHA Roundtable: Kevin Kilp, new Area Director to the Harrisburg Area Office provided opening remarks and an OSHA Update for members of the PA Chamber of Business and Industry in Camp Hill, Pennsylvania. Steve High, President of High Safety Consulting Services presented Managing Your Competent Person Program. Joseph Boslet, Vice President of Safety Management Services, Inservo Insurance Services provided the audience with information about Complying with the Machine Guarding Standard. There were 60 attendees at the Roundtable.
2. March 25, 2011, Spring Half Day OSHA Roundtable: The PA Chamber expanded this outreach activity to add four (4) additional locations throughout the Commonwealth, in addition to the Harrisburg event: Scranton, Valley Forge, Harrisburg, Erie and Pittsburgh. Each session was opened and an OSHA Update given by the local OSHA Area Directors (AD). The CAS from Harrisburg provided a presentation to be used as a guide for the other area offices to ensure uniformity among presentations. In addition, Charles Baker from EHS Business Management presented, Complying with OSHA’s Injury/Illness Recordkeeping Requirements. Joseph Boslet from Inservco Insurance Services discussed Complying with OSHA’s Hazard Communication Standard to the crowd. Following the sessions the audiences ask the morning speakers a variety of safety questions. There were 67 participants at the Harrisburg event and a total of 166 at all 5 events.
3. June 1, 2011, Annual OSHA and Workplace Safety Conference. Opening comments were given by Sue Smith, PA Chamber followed by numerous presentations. The first session was presented by Dennis Morikawa, and Jonathan Snare of Morgan Lewis & Bockius LLP. They presented Surviving an OSHA Inspection and a Review of the Top OSHA Topics Facing Business. This session was followed by John Barrett, Interior Maintenance Co., Inc who presented The First Steps to Prevent Combustible Dust Explosions. Dale Glacken, CAS from the Harrisburg Area OSHA Office and Jeff Lee, Director of Safety at Brubacher Excavating presented Complying with Trenching and Excavating Standards. Steve High, President of High Safety Consulting Services presented a two part series, Complying with OSHA Training Requirements: Strategies to Bring Your Company’s Training Program to a New Level of Excellence. 81 people attended this session. - Outreach and Communication:
Each week the PA Chamber sends 5000 of its members a News Byte in their Sentinel, an email news letter. The Harrisburg CAS routinely provides the Chamber with articles and information to place in the Sentinel such as: the NIOSH Pocket Guide To Chemical Hazards, a Sample Safety and Health Program for Small Business to help employers with their safety programs, a CDC document, “Make It Your Business To Fight The Flu”, and provided a Toolkit for Businesses and Employers. - Promoting the National Dialogue on Workplace Safety and Health
Each week the PA Chamber sends 5000 of its members a News Byte in their Sentinel, an email news letter. The Harrisburg CAS provides the Chamber with OSHA articles and nationally relevant information on the revised fall protection rules for residential construction, OSHA’s Heat Stress Campaign among others.
- Training and Education
N/A - Outreach and Communication
N/A - Promoting the National Dialogue on Workplace Safety and Health
N/A
- Training and Education
- Results
The seventh year of the Alliance was devoted to presenting information to the Chamber’s members at three scheduled "Ask OSHA Roundtable" sessions. Similar activities are planned for the eighth year of the Alliance. During this last year, the Chamber expanded their efforts and offered additional Half Day Round Tables, to include 4 additional area offices in the following cities: Scranton, Valley Forge, Camp Hill, Erie and Pittsburgh.
Type of Activity (Conference, Training, Print and Electronic Distribution, etc.)
Number of Individuals Reached or Trained
Half day, "Ask OSHA roundtable", Sept 16, 2010
60
Half day, "Ask OSHA roundtables", March 2011
166
Full day, "Ask OSHA roundtable", June 1, 2011
81 TOTAL
307
- Upcoming Milestones
We have already conducted our September 15, 2011 conference and have planned a half day Roundtables for this coming year with a full day OSHA/Chamber Roundtable for 2012. The first 2012 Roundtable will be conducted on March 23, 2012 and will follow the format used over the last year. This session will be repeated statewide at 3 different locations throughout the commonwealth (Harrisburg, Pittsburgh and Valley Forge). A full day session will be held at the Sheraton Harrisburg-Hershey, PA on May 30, 2012. The result will be (5) sessions conducted throughout the Commonwealth. To increase employee involvement, the Harrisburg OSHA Area Office will participate in the Recertification Training for Workers’ Compensation Safety Committees event held in Camp Hill, PA. OSHA will also speak to the group, provide safety literature and answer their questions.