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OSHA News Release: [03/17/2005]
Contact Name: Bill
Wright
Phone Number: (202) 693-1999
Release Number: 05-0440-NAT
OSHA Convenes First National
Strategic Partnership Conference
Gathering in Washington Provides Forum
to Build on Program's Successes
WASHINGTON-"Building Partnerships for a Safer Tomorrow" was the
theme of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's inaugural
conference here March 16 and 17 to spotlight successes and best practices of
the agency's National Strategic Partnership Program. The conference was held at
the U.S. Department of Labor's Frances Perkins Building.
The conference marked the first opportunity for OSHA and its national
partners to share ideas, strategies and successes of partnership programs
designed to strengthen worker protections throughout the nation.
"The partnerships represented during this conference serve as role
models in their industries and throughout their communities," said Jonathan L.
Snare, acting assistant secretary of labor for OSHA. "Each participant has
willingly moved beyond the bounds of individual interest to serve as a safety
and health leader. This commitment to workplace safety and health is evidence
of the partnership program's success."
OSHA staff and conference participants worked to identify common
issues, solutions, and ways to leverage resources for continued successful
programs. Key discussions centered on partnership management strategies, the
use of data collection and analysis to gauge progress, impact on partnerships
by both internal and external changes, and sharing of ergonomic best practices.
OSHA launched its Strategic Partnership Program (www.osha.gov/dcsp/partnerships/index.html)
in 1998 and, by the end of last year, had signed more than 350 national,
regional and local agreements impacting more than 13,000 employers and more
than 720,000 workers across the United States. Currently, 226 partnerships
remain open, including 11 national partnerships that impact over 225,000
employees across the United States.
OSHA's current national partners include: AMEC Construction; the
Department of the Army; Johnson & Johnson; Koch Industries; the National
Park Service; the National Ready-Mixed Concrete Association; Electrical
Transmission and Distribution Construction Contractors and Trade Associations;
Tyson Foods; United Auto, Aerospace, and Agricultural Implement Workers
(UAW)/Ford Motor Company; UAW/Visteon Corporation; and the United Postal
Service/American Postal Workers Union AFL-CIO/National Postal Mail Handlers
Union.
Employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthful workplace
for their employees. OSHA's role is to assure the safety and health of
America's workers by setting and enforcing standards; providing training,
outreach, and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual
improvement in workplace safety and health. For more information, visit
www.osha.gov.
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