1. Alliance Background
   
   March 5, 2004
   
   Alliance Overview

   The Northwest Ohio Carpenters Alliance provides the union’s leaders and others in the construction industry with information and guidance that will help protect the health and safety of their members. Goals of the Alliance include:

   Training and Education
   • Develop training and education programs based on best practices for working safely in the construction industry and give recognition to the members for taking said training. Share information on best practices, as jointly determined by OSHA and Northwest Ohio Carpenters and their employers through jointly developed training programs and materials.
     
   • Deliver or arrange for the delivery of educational courses specific to the construction industry.
   Outreach and Communication
   
   • Provide OSHA with access to Northwest Ohio Carpenters newsletters, meetings, and other resources as the means to disseminate information and guidance on workplace safety and health issues.
     
   • Speak, exhibit, or appear at conferences, local meetings, or other events.
     
   • Share information on current violations and statistics including interpretations of proposed standards and similar information.
     
   • Appoint a compliance officer to act as a liaison between Northwest Ohio Carpenters and OSHA to answer compliance questions, discuss current jobsite findings, and current violation trends.
     
   • Cross-train OSHA personnel and industry safety and health professionals on the Northwest Ohio Carpenters best practices or effective approaches.
   Promoting the National Dialogue on Workplace Safety and Health
   • Increase other’s awareness of and demonstrate their own commitment to workplace safety and health whenever Northwest Ohio Carpenters leaders address groups.
     
   • On a quarterly basis, convene or participate in forums, round table discussions, or stakeholder meetings to discuss safety and health issues and topics of importance to both OSHA and the Northwest Ohio Carpenters
   
   Implementation Team Members

   Carpenters
   Dwight Smith, Executive Regional Director
   Tim Moran, Business Representative
   Ron Rothenbuhler, Business Representative
   
   OSHA
   Jule Jones, Area Director
   Laura Ulczynski, Compliance Assistance Specialist
   Walt Visage, Compliance Safety and Health Officer

2. Implementation Team Meetings
   • April 28, 2003 First quarterly meeting, Carpenters Union Hall, Rossford, OH
   • July 18, 2003 Quarterly meeting, Carpenters Union Hall, Rossford, OH
   • October 15, 2003 Meeting with AGC attending, the Carpenters at Union Hall
   • January 28, 2004 Quarterly meeting, Carpenters Union Hall, Rossford, OH
     
3. Activities and Products
   
   Evaluation Period.

   March 5, 2003 – March 5, 2004

   Alliance Activity
   • Training and Education
     • Tim Moran, Carpenter Business Representative, assisted OSHA by participating on the training and outreach committee for an OSHA Residential Construction LEP in Northern Ohio.
     • An OSHA compliance officer put on a trenching awareness session and the discrimination investigator spoke to Carpenters about employee rights at one their staff meetings in June of 2003.
   • Outreach and Communication
     • OSHA shared noise and hearing loss information specific to the Carpenter’s trade to supplement the Carpenters safety and health training program.
     • OSHA presented fatality statistics for the Construction Industry within the State of Ohio from 1991-2003 at the fall quarterly meeting. Members of AGC were invited to attend this meeting.
     • Tim Moran, Business Representative, attended an Area Office staff meeting in May of 2003 to discuss residential construction and new scaffold equipment.
   • Promoting the National Dialogue on Safety and Health
     • This alliance has caught the attention of Carpenter Locals in other parts of the U.S.
   
   Alliance Products

   None to Report

4. Results
   1. A. The OSHA/Northwest Ohio Carpenter Alliance provided an opportunity to increase the safety and health knowledge of union construction workers in Northwest Ohio. OSHA personnel have made presentations to union representatives at local meetings to improve hazard recognition skills and understand employee safety and health rights.
      
      
   2.  

Type of Activity (Conference, Training, Print and Electronic Distribution, etc.)	Number of Individuals Reached and Trained
Trenching awareness and Discrimination training	50
AGC, Carpenter, OSHA meeting	20
TOTAL	70

3. Communication between the Northwest Ohio Carpenters and the Toledo OSHA Area Office has improved significantly. Both groups feel comfortable contacting each other for assistance.

5. Upcoming Milestones

   The OSHA/Northwest Ohio Carpenters Alliance implementation team has discussed a number of activities that may be undertaken in the upcoming year. For example, the Toledo Area Office and the Carpenters plan to coordinate OSHA education classes for their union apprentices and stewards. This class will inform union members of OSHA’s inspection process, including employer and employee rights.
   
   Additionally, the Carpenters have recently re-established a quarterly newsletter that will begin in May of 2004 and plans to include an OSHA column where their members can learn about current, new or upcoming OSHA issues.
   
   Report Prepared by: Laura A. Ulczynski, Compliance Assistance Specialist
   
   For more information, contact the Office of Outreach Services and Alliances at 202-693-2340 or go to www.osha.gov.