I. Alliance Background
Date Signed
September 23, 2002
Date Renewed
October 26, 2004
Overview
The OSHA and ABSA Alliance promotes healthy and safe workplaces, especially in the area of
biological safety. The organizations are working together to share technical information and best
practices in the control and mitigation of biological hazards in the workplace. In addition, OSHA
and ABSA are identifying emerging biological safety issues and potential methods to address these
issues.
Implementation Team Members
| OSHA: |
|
Cathy Cronin
Karen Heckmann
Jack Longmire
Sandi Khan
Melody Sands
Dionne Williams |
Office of Training and Education (OTE)
OTE
Directorate of Science, Technology and Medicine
Office of Outreach Services and Alliances (OOSA)
Directorate of Enforcement Programs (DEP)
DEP |
| |
|
| ABSA: |
|
Betsy Gilman-Duane
Penny Holeman
Rich Rebar |
Wyeth Research
Johnson & Johnson
GlaxoSmithKline |
Evaluation Period
September 23, 2005 – September 22, 2006
II. Implementation Team Meetings
December 12, 2005
April 18, 2006
September 20, 2006 |
Implementation Team Meeting, OSHA, Washington, D.C.
Implementation Team Meeting, OSHA, Washington, D.C.
Implementation Team Meeting, OSHA, Washington, D.C. |
In addition to these formal meetings and conference calls, the Alliance
coordinators from both groups maintained regular contact throughout the reporting period to monitor
the Alliance's progress and results.
III. Results
- Events and Products
Training and Education Goals
- Provide the OSHA Training Institute, upon request, with educational and training materials
and resources on biological safety.
Products
Essentials of Biosafety: Assessment and Strategies
Through the OSHA and ABSA Alliance, ABSA members provided OSHA with information and best practices
during the Agency's development of Essentials of Biosafety: Assessment and Strategies for OSHA
Compliance Safety and Health Officers (CSHOs).
- Provide peer review, upon request, of OSHA's training curricula on topics relevant to
biological safety.
During the reporting period the OSHA and ABSA implementation team did not address this Alliance
goal.
Outreach and Communication Goals
- ABSA and OSHA will share technical information and best practices regarding biological
safety.
During the reporting period the OSHA and ABSA implementation team did not address this Alliance
goal.
- ABSA will provide OSHA with technical advice, information and recommendations related to
biological safety.
During the reporting period the OSHA and ABSA implementation team did not address this Alliance
goal.
- ABSA will provide peer review, upon request, of OSHA technical documents concerning
biological safety issues.
During the reporting period the OSHA and ABSA implementation team did not address this Alliance
goal.
- ABSA and OSHA will work together to identify emerging occupational biological safety issues
and methods to address those issues.
During the reporting period the OSHA and ABSA implementation team did not address this Alliance
goal.
- ABSA will identify individuals within the Association who have expertise on specific
biological safety issues, and who have agreed to serve as direct points of contact for OSHA
regarding those issues.
Products
ABSA Member List
ABSA provided OSHA with an updated list of its members who have expertise in several different
biosafety disciplines and are willing to provide technical expertise, review, and guidance to OSHA
staff. The ABSA member list is posted on the OSHA and ABSA Alliance page on the OSHA's Intranet.
- ABSA will provide OSHA, upon request, with information about international regulations and
guidelines relevant to biological safety.
During the reporting period the OSHA and ABSA implementation team did not address this Alliance
goal.
- ABSA will be available for consultation, upon request, to OSHA Compliance Assistance
Specialists regarding biological safety issues.
During the reporting period the OSHA and ABSA implementation team did not address this Alliance
goal.
- ABSA will assist OSHA in identifying and developing technical links on biological safety for
the OSHA web site.
Products
ABSA and OSHA Alliance Web Page
ABSA created an ABSA and OSHA Alliance Web page on the organizations Web site in 2004. ABSA
continually updates the page which includes links to OSHA Safety and Health Topic pages including
Avian Flu, Biological Agents, Indoor Air Quality and Small Pox.
OSHA and ABSA Alliance Web Page
OSHA is continuing to update the OSHA and ABSA Alliance Web site that is posted on the Agency's
Web site. The page includes links to the OSHA and ABSA agreement, news releases, events,
milestones and successes and a link to the ABSA and OSHA Alliance Web page on ABSA's Web site.
OSHA's Safety and Health Topics pages
ABSA members serve on the editorial boards of the following OSHA Safety and Health Topics pages:
- Anthrax
- Avian Flu
- Biological Agents
- Bloodborne Pathogens and Needlestick Prevention
- Botulism
- Foodborne Disease
- Hantavirus
- Hazardous Waste
- Indoor Air Quality
- Ionizing Radiation
- Legionnaires' Disease
- Mold and Fungi
- Plague
- Ricin
- Smallpox
- Tularemia
- Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers
Please see Appendix A for a list of the ABSA reviewers.
- OSHA will participate in ABSA conferences.
Events
48th Annual Biological Safety Conference, Vancouver, British Columbia, October 23-26, 2005
A number of OSHA representatives participated in the 48th Biological Safety Conference, October
23-26, 2005 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Melody Sands, Director, Office of Health Enforcement,
Directorate of Enforcement Programs, USDOL-OSHA, Dionne Williams, Team Leader, Office of Health
Enforcement, Directorate of Enforcement Programs, USDOL-OSHA, and Karen Heckmann, Office of
Training and Education, Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs (DCSP), USDOL-OSHA provided
OSHA's Professional Development Course, “Introduction to OSHA for Biosafety Professionals,” during
the pre-conference training session on October 22, 2005. In addition, OSHA and ABSA shared an
Alliance exhibit booth during the conference.
Promoting the National Dialogue on Workplace Safety and
Health Goals
- ABSA and OSHA will work together to encourage employers to incorporate biological safety
strategies into their overall safety and health programs.
Events
Center for Disease Control; International Symposium on Biosafety, Atlanta, Georgia
Melody Sands, Director, Office of Health Enforcement, Directorate of Enforcement Programs,
USDOL-OSHA gave a presentation, "OSHA Safety and Health Requirements for Biosafety and Animal
Research Facilities," to over 100 attendees at the Center for Disease Control; International
Symposium on Biosafety, January 23, 2006 in Atlanta, Georgia. The presentation included
information on the OSHA and ABSA Alliance.
Multi-Regional Delegation, Department of State, Department of Labor, Washington, D.C.
On January 26, 2006, Dionne Williams, Team Leader, Office of Health Enforcement, Directorate of
Enforcement Programs, USDOL-OSHA, gave a presentation, "OSHA Overview-Healthcare Safety," that
included information on the OSHA and ABSA Alliance to over 30 delegation attendees.
Association of periOperative Registered Nurses 53rd Congress, Washington, D.C.
On March 18, 2006, Dionne Williams, Team Leader, Office of Health Enforcement, Directorate of
Enforcement Programs, USDOL-OSHA, gave a presentation, "OSHA Bloodborne Pathogens in Healthcare
Safety," to over 25 attendees.
- Executive summary
During the reporting period, OSHA and ABSA worked together to provide the Agency with technical
expertise and guidance in the area of biological safety and address controlling and mitigating the
spread of biological hazards in the workplace.
For example, the OSHA and ABSA Alliance maintained several resources with information about the
Alliance, biological hazards and other safety and health materials. The OSHA and ABSA Alliance Web
page on the Agency's Web site features links to the Alliance agreement, the renewal agreement,
related documents, activities and events, and milestones and successes. The ABSA and OSHA Alliance
Web page on the organization's Web site features a biological hazards page that provides ABSA
members and other visitors to the site with resources for addressing biological hazards, including
links to the OSHA and ABSA Alliance Web page, OSHA's Safety and Health Topics pages and compliance
assistance materials. Additionally, through the Alliance, ABSA members helped to review and
provide information for many of OSHA's Safety and Health Topics pages and eTools covering such
issues as hazardous waste, Legionnaires disease, mold and fungi, tularemia and viral hemorrhagic
fevers through serving on the tool's editorial boards.
In addition, OSHA representatives, Melody Sands, Director, Office of Health Enforcement, DEP,
Dionne Williams, Team Leader, Office of Health Enforcement, DEP, and Karen Heckmann, Office of
Training and Education, DCSP, provided the OSHA Professional Development Course, “Introduction to
OSHA for Biosafety Professionals,” during a pre-conference training session, at the 48th Annual
Biological Safety Conference, on October 14, 2005 . The OSHA and ABSA Alliance also had an exhibit
booth during the conference. OSHA shared safety and health information and products on OSHA's
cooperative programs and compliance assistance resources, particularly the Alliance and
Consultation Programs, with conference attendees. In addition, Melody Sands and Dionne Williams
made presentations on the OSHA and ABSA Alliance and biological safety issues at the following
conferences; Center for Disease Control; International Symposium on Biosafety, January 23, 2006:
Association of periOperative Registered Nurses 53rd Congress, March 18, 2006; and to a
Multi-Regional Delegation of the Department of State, January 26, 2006.
ABSA representatives also provided OSHA with information and guidance during the Agency's
development of Essentials of Biosafety: Assessment and Strategies training course for OSHA CSHOs.
In addition, ABSA provided OSHA with an updated list of its members who are willing to provide
technical expertise and guidance to OSHA staff. The list of ABSA's members is located on the OSHA
and ABSA Alliance Limited Access Page on OSHA's Web site.
- Alliance Program Reach
| Type of Activity (Conference,
Training, Print and Electronic Distribution, etc.) |
Number of Individuals Reached or
Trained |
| OSHA and ABSA Alliance Web page on OSHA's Web site |
5,150 |
| OSHA and ABSA Alliance Web page on OSHA's Web site |
Data not available |
Members of ABSA serve on 17 of OSHA's Safety and Health Topics pages:
- Anthrax
- Avian Flu
- Biological Agents
- Bloodborne Pathogens and Needlestick Prevention
- Botulism
- Foodborne Disease
- Hantavirus
- Hazardous Waste
- Indoor Air Quality
- Ionizing Radiation
- Legionnaires' Disease
- Mold and Fungi
- Plague
- Ricin
- Smallpox
- Tularemia
- Viral Hemorrhagic Fevers
|
125,259 |
October 22, 2005
48th Annual Biological Safety Conference
Vancouver, British Columbia
OSHA Training |
50 |
October 23-26, 2005
48th Annual Biological Safety Conference
Vancouver, British Columbia
OSHA Exhibited |
1,600 |
January 23, 2006
Center for Disease Control; International Symposium on Biosafety
Atlanta, Georgia
OSHA presentation: Melody Sands |
100 |
January 27, 2006
Multi-Regional Delegation
Washington, D.C.
OSHA presentation: Dionne Williams |
30 |
March 18, 2006
Association of periOperative Registered Nurses 53rd Congress
Washington, D.C.
OSHA presentation: Dionne Williams |
20 |
| TOTAL |
132,210 |
IV. Upcoming Milestones
In the upcoming year, OSHA and ABSA will renew the Alliance agreement and continue to promote
awareness of the Program and work together toward the control and mitigation of biological hazards
in the workplace. The organizations will also work to identify emerging biological safety issues and
potential methods to address these areas.
The OSHA and ABSA Alliance implementation team members also are committed to maintaining and
updating the OSHA and ABSA Alliance Web page on the Agency's Web site and ABSA's Alliance-related
Web page on the organization's Web site.
In addition, ABSA representatives will continue to contribute their expertise and serve on editorial
boards for 17 OSHA Safety and Health Topics pages. ABSA members will also review other biological
safety and health documents developed by OSHA, as requested.
OSHA representatives, Melody Sands, Karen Heckmann, and Dionne Williams, have also committed to
delivering OSHA's Professional Development Course, “Introduction to OSHA for Biosafety
Professionals,” at the 49th Annual Biological Safety Conference in Boston, Massachusetts, October 16
-21, 2006. In addition, ABSA is providing exhibit space for an OSHA and ABSA Alliance booth.
ABSA is also planning to support and promote the 2007 NAOSH Week, May 6-12, 2007. The American
Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), another Alliance Program participant, is the Week's sponsor and
numerous other Alliance Program participants are also supporting the event. Further, ABSA
representatives have agreed to work with other Alliance Program participants including, the American
Association of Occupational Health Nurses, the Laser Institute of America and the Association of
Occupational Health Professionals in Healthcare to update OSHA's Hospital eTool.
Finally, OSHA and ABSA representatives, John Keene, Diane Fleming and Barbara Johnson will teach
OSHA's, Essentials of Biosafety: Assessment and Strategies, training course to OSHA CSHOs, October
2-6, 2006 in Bethesda, Maryland.
Report prepared by: Sandra Khan, Alliance Coordinator, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances,
December 5, 2006.
Appendix A
Editorial Review Board
Matthew J. Bankowski, ViroMed (LabCorp), Minnetonka, MN
Franklin R. Champlin, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS
Mary L. Cipriano, Abbott, Abbott Park, IL
Robert P. Ellis, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO
Glenn A. Funk, ABSA President
Raymond W. Hackney, Jr., University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC
Philip Hagan, Georgetown University, Washington, DC
Robert J. Hawley, Midwest Research Institute, Frederick, MD
Richard Henkel, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA
Debra L. Hunt, Duke University, Durham, NC
Peter C. Iwen, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE
John H. Keene, Biohaztec Associates, Inc., Midlothian, VA
Paul Michael Kivistik, University of Nevada, Reno, NV
Joseph P. Kozlovac, USDA-ARS, Beltsville, MD
Jens H. Kuhn, Harvard Medical School, Southborough, MA
Margy S. Lambert, University of Wisconsin, Madison, WI
R. Thomas Leonard, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA
Paul J. Meechan, Merck Research Laboratories, West Point, PA
Mark Nicas, University of California, Berkeley, CA
Beryl J. Packer, Iowa State University, Ames, IA
Tim Ravita, Constella Health Sciences, Atlanta, GA
Richard Rebar, GlaxoSmithKline R&D, King of Prussia, PA
Jonathan Y. Richmond, Jonathan Richmond & Associates, Inc., Southport, NC
Deanna S. Robbins, Department of Veterans Affairs, Baltimore, MD
Richard J. Shaughnessy, University of Tulsa, Tulsa, OK
Allan Showler, USDA-ARS, Weslaco, TX
Cecil R. Smith, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH
Gerard J. Spahn, The Salk Institute, La Jolla, CA
Donald Vesley, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN
Catherine L. Wilhelmsen, United States Army Medical Research Institute of Infectious Diseases (USAMRIID),
Fort Detrick, MD
Linda B. Wolfe, Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Cambridge, MA
Jeffrey D. Wolt, Iowa State University, Ames, IA
Alan G. Woodard, International Environmental Health Alliance, Gansevoort, NY
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