ANNUAL ALLIANCE REPORT
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
HARRISBURG AREA OFFICE, REGION III
AND
THE PENNSYLVANIA CHAMBER OF BUSINESS AND INDUSTRY
February 28, 2013

1. Alliance Background

   Date Signed:

   March 29, 2004

   Date Renewed:

   August 10, 2005; August 20, 2007; August 18, 2009; March 5, 2012

   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 two (2) 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 two (2) 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, USDOL/OSHA Harrisburg Area Office, Area Director.
     • Dale Glacken, USDOL/OSHA Harrisburg Area Office, Compliance Assistance Specialist.
   • PA Chamber of Business and Industry Members:
     • Susan Smith, Director, Educational Services.
     • Don Holt, VP of Finance and Operations.
     •  

2. Implementation Team Meetings

   From March 5, 2012 till the present – Numerous contacts (telephone conference calls and mail exchanges) were made to plan and prepare for each of the sessions. The actual planning for the 2012 events started in 2011, so these earlier dates have also been included. The more notable contacts included:

   1. A review of the alliance began on September 28, 2011. During this initial meeting, we began looking for ways to increase OSHA’s involvement with employees. As a result the PA Chamber has invited OSHA to participate at the PA Chambers annual "Recertification Training for Workers’ Compensation Safety Committees".
   2. A follow up was held on November 10, 2011. We reviewed last year’s participation at the various sessions and decided to conduct sessions in Harrisburg, Pittsburgh and Allentown in the coming year.
   3. Conducted three roundtables: March 16, 2012: Allentown, March 23, 2012: Harrisburg, and March 28, 2012: Pittsburgh.
   4. We conducted a full day session in Harrisburg on May 30, 2012.
   5. To plan for 2013, on October 25, 2012, we set the schedules for the March half day and May full day roundtables. We discussed what is topical within OSHA, the safety community and discussed possible presenters for each of the sessions.
   6. On January 14, 2013 we continued our discussion on the content for this 2013’s sessions.

3. Activities and Products

   Evaluation Period.

   August 20, 2011 through March 5, 2013

   Alliance Activity.

   • Training and Education
     1. Spring Half Day, Ask OSHA Roundtables were held throughout the Commonwealth starting with Allentown on March 16, 2012, followed by Harrisburg on March 23, 2012 and ending at Pittsburgh on March 28, 2012. Each session opened with information from the Pennsylvania Chamber followed by an OSHA updated from each of the OSHA Area Directors from each of their perspective areas. The CAS from the Harrisburg Area Office provided a boilerplate presentation to be used as a guide for the other area offices to ensure uniformity among presentations. Three presentations followed: Steve High from High Safety Consulting Services spoke about "Complying with OSHA’s Electrical Standard", followed by Joseph Boslet, Vice President of Safety management Services, Inservco Insurance Services who presented, "Standard Operating Procedures for Safe Lifting and Material Handling" and Joseph Boslet spoke again, this time about, "Standard Operating Procedures for Your Ground and Outdoor Maintenance Crews". There were 157 people in attendance at the three locations. 32 in Valley Forge, 94 in Harrisburg, 31 in Pittsburgh.
     2. 2On May 30, 2012 the PA Chamber held the Annual Workplace Safety Conference in Harrisburg, PA. OSHA provided an OSHA update including a review of the new National Emphasis Programs with an emphasis on Chemical Facilities. Four sessions followed: Chuck Baker, Director, Safety Management Services, Inservco Insurance Services presented, "Complying with the Permit-Required Confined Space Entry Standard", followed by John McFee, Region III OSHA who spoke about, "Complying with the Lockout/Tagout Standard" and ending with Jeff Lee, Director of Safety, Education & Training, Brubacher Excavating, Inc. who spoke about OSHA’s Fall Protection Standard part 1 and 2. Part 2 included an equipment demonstration. Overall 84 people attended the event.
   • Outreach and Communication

     Each week the PA Chamber sends 5000 of its members a generic newsletter referred to as a News Byte, frequently these include a safety item. In addition, the Chamber publishes an electronic Safety/OSHA Bulletin that goes out at least once a quarter to all of the Chambers Safety and Environmental Directors; this newsletter is devoted entirely to safety issues. Information for the News Bytes and Safety/OSHA Bulletin come from information received from the local OSHA office directly or from "OSHA QuickTakes", OSHA's Newsletter. Things sent this last year include: Injury and Illness Prevention Program (I2P2), changes to the Hazard Communication Standard in 2012, changes to OSHA requirements for residential construction, Department of Homeland Security "Active Shooter", time to post OSHA forms 300A. The Commonwealth also provides materials to the Chamber, such as Pennsylvania Training for Health & Safety (PATHS) and opportunities to apply for the Governor’s Award for Safety and Health. This information is shared with the Chamber members.

     The PA Chamber publishes two books, the "OSHA Handbook" and the "Workplace Safety Manual". OSHA has been involved with the "OSHA Handbook" throughout the years by authoring chapters in the book to review important provisions of OSHA General Industry standards. The book has detailed chapters describing compliance requirements for a variety of safety hazards/ programs and provides businesses with best practices for each standard. Another excellent resource is the "Workplace Safety Manual". The manual incorporates how to comply with both Workers Compensation (WC) and OSHA, what to do at the scene of an accident, plus includes everything you need to do to administer successful in-house safety committees and manage your in-house injury and illness safety programs. OSHA provided the self-inspection checklists provided in this book.

   • Promoting the National Dialogue on Safety and Health

     N/A

     Alliance Products

     The products produced during the reporting period were, increased safety awareness for business through the multiple safety roundtables orchestrated by the PA Chamber and conducted throughout the Commonwealth, written books, Safety/OSHA Bulletins, News Bytes and an open communication between attendees and OSHA.

4. Results

   A. The eighth year of the Alliance was devoted to presenting information to the Chambers at two scheduled "Ask OSHA Roundtable" sessions. Similar activities are planned for the coming year. During the last year the Chamber offered two additional sessions one in the Philadelphia area and the other in the Pittsburgh area.

   B. The table below lists each of the outreach activities and the number of individuals reached during the reporting period. NOTE: the table below does not include the various meetings held over the last year or the numerous participants that benefited from the varied safety and health discussions at each of these meetings.

   Type of Activity (Conference, Training, Print and Electronic Distribution, etc.)	Number of Individuals Reached or Trained
   Half day, "Ask OSHA Roundtable" (Valley Forge)	32
   Half day, "Ask OSHA Roundtable" (Harrisburg)	94
   Half day, "Ask OSHA Roundtable" (Pittsburgh)	31
   Full day, "Workplace Safety Conference" (Harrisburg)	84
   TOTAL	241

5. Upcoming Milestones

   We have planned similar events for this year. The PA Chamber will begin the half day Ask OSHA Roundtables in Harrisburg on March 7, 2013, followed by Pittsburgh on March 15, 2013 and ending in Philadelphia on March 27, 2013. The full day Workplace Safety Conference will be held in Harrisburg on May 16, 2013. OSHA will have a part in all the events and answer safety related questions from the audience at each. To increase OSHA employee involvement, OSHA will participate at the PA Chambers, Recertification Training for Workers’ Compensation Safety Committees on September 26, 2013 in Harrisburg.

Report Prepared by: Dale Glacken, Compliance Assistance Specialist, Harrisburg Area Office.