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OSHA Strategic Partnerships Program > Region 7 > #512 Partnership Agreement
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A COOPERATIVE PARTNERSHIP
BETWEEN
THE CONTRACT CLEANING INDUSTRY
AND
THE OSHA OMAHA AREA OFFICE

A. Purpose:

Due to the extremely hazardous working conditions encountered by employees of the Contract Cleaning Industry, involved in the cleaning and sanitation of meat processing facilities, representatives of the "Industry" and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration have agreed to partner in an effort to reduce workplace fatalities, injuries and illnesses. While industry-wide injury and illness rates are masked by inclusion in a generic Standard Industrial Classification (SIC) 7349, Building Cleaning and Maintenance Services, Not Elsewhere Classified, cleaning company employees who work in meat packing and processing facilities are confronted with numerous hazardous conditions. Common injuries to Nebraska cleaning contractors include strains, lacerations, contusions, burns, fractures, amputations, dermatitis, and crushing injuries. It is the primary purpose of this partnership that the participants work cooperatively and collaboratively to reduce fatalities, injuries and illnesses such as those described herein.

It is also the purpose of this partnership to facilitate dialogue between contract cleaning companies and host facilities regarding the relationship between "creating" and "exposing" employers.

OSHA will survey facilities in the meat products industries throughout Nebraska in order to identify cleaning companies whose services are currently being contracted throughout the State. Subsequently, OSHA will send a letter and a copy of this partnership agreement to those cleaning companies notifying them of the partnership opportunity.

Cleaning companies that wish to partner will have thirty (30) days from the date of receipt to sign and return the partnership agreement.

B. Definitions:

"Cleaning companies" in this context refers to organizations specifically engaged in providing on-site cleaning services to meat packing/processing facilities.

C. Goals and Objectives:

By entering into this partnership, the cleaning company operators agree to adhere to requirements intended to ensure continuous awareness of the organization’s safety and health program with the intent to minimize fatalities, injuries, and illnesses. OSHA hereby agrees to verify that partnership requirements are met and program goals are being attained by reviewing evidence of regular and effective safety audits and inspections, accident investigations, and injury/illness data during programmed inspections. The project goals are:
  1. To annually reduce injuries and illnesses that result in days away from work by 4% in the State of Nebraska among participants through the development of an effective partnership.

  2. To provide information and materials to aid participating employers in developing or improving their facility-specific safety and health programs.

  3. To promote utilization of Nebraska Workforce Development’s – OSHA Consultation services.

  4. To promote a cooperative relationship between OSHA and representatives of the Contract Cleaning Industry.
D. Requirements for the Partnership:

The partnership is a collaboration under which the participating cleaning companies make a commitment that they will create and maintain a written safety and health program and that the program will outline elements of management commitment and leadership, employee involvement, hazard analysis, hazard evaluation and control, and safety and health training. In addition, participating cleaning companies hereby agree to the following:
  1. Employees will be trained in hazard recognition and avoidance specific to the industry, applicable OSHA safety and health standards, the host facility’s safety and health policies, and on rights and responsibilities as delineated in the OSH Act of 1970. The goal of this training is that employers and employees will understand safety and health regulations and safe work practices and will work together to reduce or eliminate workplace hazards.

  2. Each participating cleaning company operating in a Nebraska facility shall conduct regular inspections/audits of activities conducted in each facility. These inspections shall be documented to ensure that safety and health requirements are being followed at each site. Each audit will identify any hazardous conditions identified and the corrective action taken/planned. Participating cleaning companies will begin internal comprehensive audits within 6 months of signing the partnership agreement. The participant company agrees to make the inspection data available to OSHA upon request.

  3. Partners agree to promote effective employee involvement in day-to-day implementation of the facility’s safety and health program. To this end, the cleaning company operator agrees to ensure employees participation during safety and health meetings, site inspections, and other meaningful activities, which are not limited to hazard analysis and methods of abatement.

  4. Partners will provide OSHA 300 Log Annual Summary data for 2002 and 2003 along with the employee hours worked for each year to the Omaha Area Office (OSHA). Partners will submit OSHA 300 Log Annual Summary data for the years 2004 and 2005 along with the employee hours worked for those years to be used as a comparison against the 2002 and 2003 baseline data.

  5. Partners will report fatalities and amputations, occurring at Nebraska meat processing facilities, to the Omaha Area Office.

  6. Cleaning company operators who partner with OSHA may promote the agreement and status of the partnership.

  7. Each partner will ensure that at least one company representative attends the Meat Processing Program outreach training sessions provided as part of this partnership. Outreach training sessions will be offered on a bi-monthly basis within the jurisdictional geography of the Omaha Area Office, will focus on industry specific hazards, and will provide information for the partners to use to create comprehensive safety and health programs.

  8. Any participant with employees represented by a collective bargaining unit will afford the bargaining unit employees and their representative full and equal opportunity to participate in this cooperative agreement. The employee-authorized representative should be included early in the process and be kept appraised of conditions as they occur.
E. Inspection Scheduling/Targeting Strategy:
  1. The Omaha Area Office will conduct inspections of clean-up operations (contract and in-house) as part of all meat processing facility inspections. If involved in an inspection, partnering companies will receive a focused inspection, emphasizing hazards associated with lockout/tagout (LOTO), personal protective equipment (PPE), machine guarding, and hazard communication. Non-partnering companies will receive a comprehensive safety and health inspection. All inspections will be conducted based on guidelines delineated in the OSHA Field Inspection Reference Manual (FIRM), CPL 2.103.

  2. Unprogrammed inspections conducted in response to referrals, accidents, and fatalities shall be conducted without delay in accordance with established Agency procedures. Complaint inspections shall be conducted without delay in accordance with established Agency procedures.
F. Partnership Incentives:

In addition to focused inspection activities for partnering companies, the OSHA Omaha Area Office, in collaboration with the Meat Processing Program participants will offer various outreach activities to assist contract cleaning companies with the development and implementation of effective safety and health programs, including information on the hazards associated with the industry, corrective action alternatives, and other pertinent topics. In general, these activities will include bi-monthly meetings of meat processing facility representatives, contract cleaning company representatives, and representatives of other interested stakeholders such as the National Safety Council, the Nebraska Safety Council, Nebraska Workforce Development, and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration.

G. Disqualifications:

If a partner cleaning company is not operating in good faith and the program is deemed to be ineffective during its operational time period, a specific partnership may be discontinued. In the event of this determination, the affected cleaning company operator will be formally notified. This determination is based on the finding that the requirements of the partnership (Section D) are not being met and attempts by all parties to rectify the situation haven proven ineffective.

H. Evaluation of the Project:

One year from the effective date of the partnership an evaluation shall be conducted by the Omaha Area Office and submitted to the Director of Federal-State Operations (FSO), OSHA Region VII. The evaluation will address the following:
  1. Number of cleaning companies covered by the partnership.

  2. Number attending outreach activities.

  3. Incident/frequency rate of partners as compared to baseline (2002 and 2003) data collected.

  4. Evaluation of safety and health program implementation of partner facilities as determined during inspection activity.
I. Termination:

The partnership agreement between OSHA’s Omaha Area Office and Contract Cleaning Companies will remain in effect for two years. Individual partnership agreements will terminate two years from the effective date of the partnership, or may be terminated by either signatory at any time with a 30 day written notice. The Omaha Area Office may elect to renew the partnership for two additional years at which time individual signatories may choose to continue participation.
 
APPENDIX A

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY & HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
and
CONTRACT CLEANING COMPANY

Partnership Agreement

Notice of Employer Participation
 
Establishment Name:

Establishment Telephone:

Establishment Fax:

Establishment Address:		 _________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________

_________________________________________________________


We have reviewed and evaluated the information sent with the Contract Cleaning Company Partnership. We agree to participate in the program as a partner (as defined above) and are committed to the implementation of an effective workplace safety and health program that provides for management leadership and employee involvement, hazard analysis, hazard prevention and control, safety and health training, evaluation, and compliance with applicable Occupational Safety and Health Act requirements.


_____________________________________________________________
Printed Name of Signatory (Administrator or Senior Official)
 
_________________________________________________________
Signature 		____________
Date
 
 
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