The Billings Area Safety/Health (BASH) Coalition is a
local safety and health organization established in 1995. It is made up of
companies of all sizes that have an interest in health and safety in the
workplace. The group, which has no formal membership requirements or fees, meets
to share information about ways to reduce workplace injuries and illnesses.
The Safety Bureau of the Montana Department of Labor and Industry arranged for
Mike Foreman, the Compliance Assistance Specialist (CAS) of the OSHA Area Office
in Billings, Montana, to give a presentation called “Safety in the
Workplace—What are the Benefits?” at a BASH meeting on January 8, 2004. The
two-hour presentation addressed various requirements of the Occupational Safety
and Health Act (OSH Act) of 1970. The provisions discussed included the
responsibilities of employers and employees established by the OSH Act. Foreman
also discussed the duty of employers to comply with the safety and health
standards issued by OSHA under the authority of the Act and the benefits of
implementing an effective safety and health program. He also described OSHA’s
free Consultation Service, which is designed to assist employers in identifying
and correcting hazards as well as in developing and improving safety and health
management systems.
There were 55 attendees at the meeting, including personnel from major companies
in the area and federal agency representatives. Most questions came from
employers and focused on the key features of a workplace safety program. The
biggest areas of concern were how to involve employees and ways to improve
attitudes to help build a positive safety culture.
Foreman later gave the same presentation to a group of administrative staff at a
local hospital at the request of the hospital’s Safety Director, who attended
the January BASH meeting.
For more information, please contact Mike Foreman, the Compliance Assistance
Specialist of the OSHA Billings Area Office at
Michael Foreman.
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