AGREEMENT RENEWING AN ALLIANCE
BETWEEN
THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
PHILADELPHIA AREA OFFICE
AND
THE AMERICAN MUSHROOM INSTITUTE

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Philadelphia Area Office and The American Mushroom Institute continue to recognize the value of maintaining a collaborative relationship to foster safer and more healthful American workplaces. To that end, OSHA and The American Mushroom Institute (referred to as ‘Participants’) hereby renew the Alliance signed September 28, 2007 and renewed October 28, 2009, with a continued emphasis on the development and maintenance of Safety and Health Programs geared towards the Mushroom Growing Industry. Specifically, both organizations are committed to providing the American Mushroom Institute members and others with information, guidance, and access to training resources that will help them protect the health and safety of workers and to develop and implement effective safety and health programs and understand the rights of workers and the responsibilities of employers under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act). Through the Alliance, the organizations will continue to address falls, amputations, and electrical hazards as well as chemical and other physical hazards. In renewing this Alliance, OSHA and The American Mushroom Institute recognize that OSHA’s State Plan and On-site Consultation Project partners are an integral part of the OSHA national effort.

Raising Awareness of OSHA’s Rulemaking and Enforcement Initiatives

The Participants intend to work together to achieve the following goals related to raising awareness of OSHA’s rulemaking and enforcement initiatives:

• To share information on OSHA’s National/Regional/Local Emphasis Programs, Regulatory Agenda, and opportunities to participate in the rulemaking process.
• To share information on occupational safety and health laws and standards, including the rights and responsibilities of workers and employers.
• To convene or participate in forums, roundtable discussions, or stakeholder meetings on reducing and preventing exposure to falls, amputations, and electrical hazards as well as chemical and other physical hazards, and to develop and implement effective safety and health programs associated with hazards effecting this industry to help forge innovative solutions in the workplace or to provide input on safety and health issues.
• To encourage worker participation in workplace safety and health in the Mushroom Growing Industry by promoting the development of management-labor safety committees and encouraging members to translate site specific Safety and Health Programs into Spanish to assist in the training of the Industry’s predominately Hispanic workforce.

Training and Education

The Participants intend to work together to achieve the following training and education goals:

• To develop effective training and education programs for the Mushroom Growing Industry focused on reducing and preventing exposure to falls, amputations, and electrical hazards as well as chemical and other physical hazards, and to develop and implement effective safety and health programs, and to communicate such information to constituent employers and workers.
• To develop effective training and education programs for the Mushroom Growing Industry to promote understanding of workers’ rights, including the use of the OSHA complaint process, and the responsibilities of employers and to communicate such information to workers and employers.

Outreach and Communication

The Participants intend to work together to achieve the following 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 American Mushroom Institute’s websites) to employers and workers in the industry.
• To speak, exhibit, or appear at OSHA’s conferences, local meetings, or other American Mushroom Institute sponsored events, as resources permit.
• To share information among OSHA personnel and industry safety and health professionals regarding good practices or effective approaches through training programs, workshops, seminars, and lectures (or any other applicable forum) developed by the participants.
• To develop and disseminate case studies on injury and illness rates in the mushroom growing industry and publicize their results.

OSHA’s Alliances provide parties an opportunity to participate in a voluntary cooperative relationship with OSHA for purposes such as raising awareness of OSHA’s rulemaking and enforcement initiatives, training and education, and outreach and communication. These Alliances have proved to be valuable tools for both OSHA and its Alliance participants. By entering into an Alliance with a party, OSHA is not endorsing or promoting, nor does it intend to endorse or promote, any of that party’s products or services.

An implementation team made up of representatives of each organization will meet to develop a plan of action, determine working procedures, and identify the roles and responsibilities of the participants. In addition, they will meet at least three times per year to track and share information on activities and results in achieving the goals of the Alliance. OSHA team members will include representatives of the Philadelphia Area Office and any other appropriate offices. OSHA will encourage State Plan States’ and OSHA On-site Consultation Projects’ participation on the team.

This agreement will remain in effect for two years. Either signatory may terminate it for any reason at any time, provided they give 30 days written notice. This agreement may be modified at any time with the written concurrence of both signatories.

Signed this date day of month, year.