AGREEMENT RENEWING AN ALLIANCE
BETWEEN
THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
US DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
REGION VIII BISMARCK AREA OFFICE,
THE NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH,
STATE OF NORTH DAKOTA,
AND
BAKKEN BASIN SAFETY CONSORTIUM

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA - REGION VIII-BISMARCK), The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), and the State of North Dakota continue to recognize the value of maintaining a collaborative relationship to foster a safer and more healthful environment within the Oil and Gas industries throughout the Bakken Basin. To that end, the Consortium hereby renews the Alliance with OSHA, NIOSH, and State of North Dakota (collectively “Alliance Members”), to provide North Dakota’s employers and workers with information, guidance, and training resources on hazard recognition and prevention within the oil and gas industry upstream and midstream operations. The Consortium and its members agree to work collectively with OSHA, NIOSH, and ND State Agencies on implementing a robust safety systems approach to advance the health and safety of employees within the oil and gas industry. The overarching goal of this Alliance is to reduce the number of occupational exposures to physical and chemical hazards, which can result in injuries and fatalities.

This agreement provides a framework and objectives for the Alliance's activities. Alliance participants also agree to meet the requirements for program participation laid out in the "Fundamental Requirements for OSHA Alliance Program Participants" and the "Guidelines for OSHA's Alliance Program Participants: Alliance Products and Other Alliance Projects."

Through the Alliance, the organizations will use injury, illness, and hazard exposure data, when appropriate, to help identify areas of emphasis for Alliance awareness, outreach, and communication activities. The Alliance will also explore and implement selected options, including but not limited to member surveys, to evaluate the Alliance and measure the impact on improving workplace safety and health. In renewing this Alliance, OSHA, NIOSH, the State of North Dakota, and the Consortium recognize that OSHA’s State Plan and On-Site Consultation Program partners are an integral part of the OSHA national effort, and that information about the products and activities of the Alliance may be shared with these partners for the advancement of common goals.

Outreach and Communication

The alliance members will work together to achieve the following outreach and communication goals:

• Neutral Grounds Quarterly Meetings: These meetings are roundtable discussions between upstream and midstream companies in conjunction with OSHA, NIOSH, and other government entities. The Alliance Members agree to discuss means and methods to abate/mitigate hazards and the most effective means of communicating to the thousands of sub-contractors that support these upstream and midstream operators.
• Hazard Alerts: Published alerts are developed in conjunction with participating Alliance Members. The alliance membership vote to establish the priority of alert development and supports their distribution to the oil and gas industry.
• NIOSH Support: Alliance Members agree to support NIOSH studies on an individual and private level in order to use results and recommendations from those studies as a basis for developing effective engineering and administrative controls within the oil and gas industry. The Alliance Membership agrees that once a means or method is identified which increases employee safety it will share this development with the rest of the Alliance Members. This agreement does not create an obligation for Alliance Members to review or approve any NIOSH results, recommendations, or products that are based on research related to this Alliance.
• Midstream Pipeline Committee: Alliance Members agree to develop a subordinate committee for identifying hazards specific to oil and gas pipelines affecting commerce. This group will focus on identification and elimination of hazards associated with pipeline transportation. Covered areas will include construction, maintenance, spills, and emergency planning.
• Emergency Response Committee: Alliance Members agree to develop a subordinate committee for identifying hazards associated with crude oil and gas spill clean ups. This committee will focus on spill prevention, effective spill abatement, and specific training requirements for oil and gas spills in the industry.
• Servicing Rig Committee: Alliance Members agree to develop a subordinate committee for identifying specific hazards related to servicing rig operations. This group will focus on identification and elimination of hazards associated with maintenance and servicing operations using servicing rigs on well sites.

Training and Education

OSHA will support the Alliance efforts by providing the following as requested:

• Providing specific training and incident trend updates at quarterly Neutral Grounds meetings.
• Providing outreach activities and presentations to the alliance organizations relating to upstream and midstream oil and gas operations at their subcontractor meetings.
• Providing coordination for the development of industry hazard alerts.
• Coordinating with NIOSH on the release of safety and health issues of immediate concern to the industry through the Alliance Members.

This Alliance provides the participants an opportunity to participate in a voluntary cooperative relationship with OSHA Bismarck and Region VIII for the purposes of training and education, outreach and communication, and promoting a dialogue on workplace safety and health.

Alliances have proven to be a valuable tool for both OSHA and its participants. By entering into an Alliance, the Consortium does not endorse any of the participant’s products or services, nor does the Consortium enter into an Alliance with the purpose of promoting a particular participant’s products or services.

An implementation team made up of representatives of each organization will meet one to two times each year to track and share information on activities and results in achieving the goals of the Alliance. OSHA will encourage OSHA On-Site Consultation programs’ participation on the team.

This agreement will remain in effect for two years. Any signatory may terminate their participation for any reason at any time, provided they give a 30 day written notice. This agreement may be modified at any time with the concurrence of all signatories.

Signed on December 15, 2021.