TRADE NEWS RELEASE
April 15, 2002
Contact: Susan Hall Fleming
Phone: (202) 693-1999

WASHINGTON -- OSHA and the Risk and Insurance Management Society (RIMS) are working together encourage safe and healthful workplaces through a new alliance signed on April 14, 2002. The cooperative venture includes exchanging technical information and best practices, promoting OSHA outreach services and developing a tool to demonstrate the cost benefits and business value of safety and health.

"We know that safety and health add value, and RIMS is going to help us continue to make the business case for safety and health," OSHA Administrator John L. Henshaw said at the signing ceremony in New Orleans. "We want to drive injuries and illnesses down, and this alliance advances our cooperation with RIMS and will advance the promotion of safety and health."

As part of the alliance, OSHA will help with workshops at RIMS annual and regional conferences. Local and state RIMS chapters will work with OSHA compliance assistance specialists and consultation project staff on a variety of projects. The two organizations have agreed to collect and analyze cost benefit information to develop a tool to show employers and employees that effective safety and health systems add value.

A RIMS/OSHA team will meet quarterly to implement the alliance. Representatives of OSHA consultation projects and state OSHA programs will be included on the team. In addition, the implementation team will determine procedures; identify roles and responsibilities under the alliance; and track, analyze and share information on activities and results.

The OSHA/RIMS alliance will last one year. The agreement will be evaluated at least annually and may be automatically renewed.