ANNUAL ALLIANCE REPORT
PITTSBURGH AREA OFFICE
THE IRONWORKER EMPLOYERS ASSOCIATION OF WESTERN PA INC.
March 29, 2013

The working relationship between the Alliance Signatories and the feedback on the Alliance continues to be extremely positive. As a result of the positive working relationship between the Alliance signatories, an Alliance Renewal Agreement was signed on March 22, 2013.

1. Alliance Background

   Date Signed:

   3-11-03

   Date Renewed:

   Last Renewal 3-22-13

   Alliance Overview:

   The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Pittsburgh Area Office and the Ironworker Employers Association of Western Pennsylvania, Inc. (IWEA) aligned to foster and maintain an open line of communication with each other for the meaningful exchange of information on promoting OSHA compliance and Industry best practices in the Construction Industry and to understand the rights of workers and the responsibilities of employers under the Occupational safety and Health Act.

   Implementation Team Members

   • Bill Ligetti - Executive Director, IWEA
   • Robert Szymanski - Area Director, OSHA Pittsburgh Area Office (Retired Jan 2013)
   • Christopher Robinson - Acting Area Director, OSHA Pittsburgh Area Office
   • Robert Carroll - CAS, OSHA Pittsburgh Area Office

2. Implementation Team Meetings

   • April 5, 2012 - In-person - Greentree, PA
   • June 20, 2012 - In-person - Greentree, PA
   • October 10, 2012 - Conference Call
   • November 7, 2012 - In-person - Greentree, PA
   • January 11, 2013 - In-person - Greentree, PA
   • February 23, 2013 - In-person - Greentree, PA
   • March 22, 2013 - In-person - Greentree, PA

    

3. Activities and Products

   Evaluation Period

   March 30, 2012 to March 29, 2013

   Alliance Activity

   April 5, 2012 - The Pittsburgh Area Office CAS met with the Executive Director to discuss and provide National Office information on Workers Memorial Day.

   April 13, 2012 - CAS attended the "Ironworkers Outstanding Apprentice Competition and Annual Contractors/Construction Professionals Open House". This event was held in conjunction with and at the Ironworkers Union Local #3 Apprenticeship School. The CAS received cross training in Ironworker construction activity. In addition, the CAS provided updated OSHA information and answered numerous questions relating to the construction standards from a variety of construction contractors/professionals throughout the day event.

   June 20, 2012 - CAS met with Executive Director and provided handout information on heat stress and fall protection. Also, the CAS reviewed the resources on OSHA website for heat stress, fall protection, and GHS. Updated handouts providing information on fatality statistics out of the Pittsburgh Area Office were provided for distribution.

   August 27, 2012 - CAS met with a member Corporate Safety Director to discuss/present information on the process of becoming a VPP participant as a contractor at a chemical site already in the program. In addition a pre-construction meeting was held discussing safety concerns at a local construction site.

   January 11, 2013 - The Executive Director and CAS participated in reviewing packets of a variety of construction jobs that had been submitted for upcoming safety awards. This effort assisted in the recognition of companies and employees that have maintained safety excellence at particular jobsites. In addition, this activity enables OSHA to obtain "Best Practice" information on steel erection construction jobsites.

   February 14, 2013 - Meeting discussing an alliance renewal agreement and annual report information.

   March 22, 2013 - An alliance renewal agreement was signed.

   Throughout this evaluation period, the CAS has e-mailed the four safety alerts on product defects relating to fiberglass extension ladders, Miller harness D-ring, Genie Lift, FallTech/Yoke snap hooks & rebar hooks, and Chinese made polyester slings.

   The Ironworkers Employers’ Association of Western Pennsylvania has periodic Safety and Risk Committee meetings throughout the year. These meetings not only work on planning future events, they act as a forum to exchange safety and health technical information and best practices. In addition, IWEA provides safety educational opportunities throughout the year for members on related industry practices.

   The Ironworkers Employers’ Association of Western Pennsylvania is represented on the union joint apprenticeship and journeymen upgrade committee of the Ironworkers Local #3. The Association accomplishes this by appointing contractor members and the Executive Director to the committee. This committee is responsible for providing skilled construction workers through apprenticeship and training programs. Safety and Health information is promoted, supported and conveyed through these programs. The committee also reviews funding, liability, disciplinary and other joint management/labor functions.

   Bill Ligetti, IWEA Executive Director, and member company representatives have called throughout the year for general discussions on OSHA standards/ policy/interpretations and requests for OSHA handouts/publications.

   Alliance Products

   The IWEA’s website posted information and links to the four safety alerts sent, the OSHA heat stress, fall protection, and GHS webpages. In addition, the website also posted the OSHA information on Workers Memorial Day. The website has a safety section, referencing the alliance. The website also posts and maintains various past safety and health information (i.e. OSHA news releases, safety bulletins, product recalls, etc.) for continual review. The website lists electronic links to various government, labor organizations, and contractor associations.

4. Results

   The activities and information provided were well received. The Bill Ligetti, Executive Director, and member representatives of the safety and health outreach activities/communications found the information valuable in assisting them in promoting and improving their safety and health efforts. In addition, OSHA representatives found the shared information valuable in expanding their knowledge base on the implementation of good safety practices on steel erection construction jobsites.

   Type of Activity (Conference, Training, Print and Electronic Distribution, etc.)	Number of Individuals Reached or Trained
   IWEA Website	1200
   Pre-Construction & Technical Information Meetings	100
   Ironworkers Outstanding Apprentice Competition and Annual Contractors/Construction Professionals Open House	250
   TOTAL:	1550

5. Upcoming Milestones

   The Alliance continues to look at future opportunities in providing information for affected parties. The Alliance Signatories will continue to work together to address the safety and health needs of the affected parties.

Report Prepared by: Bob Carroll, CAS Pittsburgh Area Office

For more information, contact the Office of Outreach Services and Alliances at 202-693-2340 or go to www.osha.gov.