Alliance -- An OSHA Cooperative Program << Back to National Alliances

(signed October 22, 2003; renewed December 5, 2005; renewed March 24, 2008; renewed March 1, 2012.)


Through the OSHA and SCHC Alliance, the organizations will provide SCHC members and others with information, guidance, and access to training resources that will help them protect the health and safety of workers. In particular, the Alliance will continue to address hazard communication hazards and issues related to increasing awareness of the Global Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals. The Alliance's goals include:

Raising awareness of OSHA's rulemaking and enforcement initiatives:

  • To share information on OSHA's National Emphasis Programs, Regulatory Agenda, and opportunities to participate in the rulemaking process.
  • To convene or participate in forums, roundtable discussions, or stakeholder meetings on hazard communication in order to help forge innovative solutions in the workplace or to provide input on safety and health issues.

Outreach and communication:

  • To develop information on the recognition and prevention of workplace hazards, and to develop ways of communicating such information (e.g., print and electronic media, electronic assistance tools, and OSHA's and the SCHC's Web sites) to employers and workers in the industry.
  • To speak, exhibit, or appear at OSHA's or SCHC's conferences, local meetings, or other events.
  • To share information among OSHA personnel and industry safety and health professionals regarding SCHC's good practices or effective approaches through training programs, workshops, seminars, and lectures (or any other applicable forum) developed by the participants.

Milestones and Successes


Related Documents


Alliance Agreements

Alliance Annual Reports

Alliance News Releases

Activities and Events (Archive)


  • May 6-12, 2012: 2012 North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week. The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) and a number of other Alliance Program participants support 2012 NAOSH Week, "Safety, What Every Business Needs." Sponsored annually by ASSE and the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering, the Week focuses on the importance of preventing injuries and illnesses in the workplace.
  • October 1-5, 2011: 2011 Fall Meeting, Arlington, Virginia.
    • October 4, 2011: OSHA staff at Alliance exhibit booth.
  • May 1-7, 2011: 2011 North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week. The Society for Chemical Hazard Communication and a number of other Alliance Program participants supported 2011 NAOSH Week. Sponsored annually by the American Society of Safety Engineers, an Alliance Program participant, and the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering, the Week focuses on the importance of preventing injuries and illnesses in the workplace. The theme for 2011 was "Celebrating a Century of Safety."
  • October 2-6, 2010: 2010 Fall Technical Meeting, Arlington, Virginia.
    • October 5, 2010: OSHA Personnel staffed an Alliance exhibition booth.
    • October 5, 2010: Maureen Ruskin, Director, Office of Chemical Hazards - Metals, Directorate of Standards and Guidance, USDOL-OSHA, presented "GHS Update" during the meeting.
  • May 2-8, 2010: 2010 North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week. The Society for Chemical Hazard Communication (SCHC) and a number of other Alliance Program participants supported 2010 NAOSH Week, "Mission NAOSH 2010: Safe Workplaces." Sponsored annually by the American Society of Safety Engineers, an Alliance Program participant, and the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering, the week focuses on the importance of preventing injuries and illnesses in the workplace.
  • October 3-7, 2009: SCHC Fall Meeting, Marriott Hotel Crystal Gateway, Arlington, Virginia.
    • October 6, 2009: Maureen Ruskin, Director, Office of Chemical Hazards - Metals, Directorate of Standards and Guidance, USDOL-OSHA, and Jennifer Silk, Consultant to OSHA, presented a keynote session entitled "Notice of Proposed Rule Making on GHS” during the meeting.
    • October 6, 2009: OSHA personnel staffed an Alliance Program exhibit booth.
    • October 7, 2009: Richard Fairfax, Director, Directorate of Enforcement Programs, USDOL-OSHA, presented "Communicating Hazards for Non-Industrial Products on MSDS for Consumer Products, FDA-Regulated Products (Medical, Dental, Pharmaceutical), Cosmetics and Articles" during the meeting.
    • October 7, 2009, Dr. Rosemary Sokas, Director, Office of Occupational Medicine, Directorate of Technical Support and Emergency Management, USDOL-OSHA, presented "Communicating Hazards of Exposure to Latex and Other Sensitizers" during the meeting.
  • May 3-9, 2009: May 3-9, 2009: 2009 North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week. The Society for Chemical Hazard Communication and more than 55 other Alliance Program participants supported 2009 NAOSH Week. Sponsored annually by the American Society of Safety Engineers, an Alliance Program participant, and the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering, the Week focuses on the importance of preventing injuries and illnesses in the workplace. The theme for 2009 NAOSH Week was "Safety Means Always Coming Home."

Products and Resources


Alliance Program Participant Developed Products

  • Info Sheet #1: Pictograms [English PDF* - 118 KB, Spanish PDF* - 891 KB]. Through the OSHA and Society for Chemical Hazard Communication (SCHC) Alliance, SCHC developed an information sheet which provides employees with pictograms, symbols of classification, labeling of chemicals, and corresponding chemical hazards as used in the Globally Harmonized System (GHS). (2010, January; Spanish translation 2012, January)
  • Info Sheet #2: Flammable and Combustible Liquids [English PDF* - 97 KB, Spanish PDF * - 326 KB]. Through the OSHA and Society for Chemical Hazard Communication (SCHC) Alliance, SCHC developed an information sheet which provides details on how U.S. regulations and consensus standards define flammable and combustible liquids, how the GHS classification and labeling of chemicals harmonizes its flammable liquid criteria, and GHS label elements for flammable and combustible liquids. (2010, January; Spanish translation 2012, January)
  • Info Sheet #3: What is the GHS? [English PDF* - 71 KB, Spanish PDF * - 224 KB]. Through the OSHA and Society for Chemical Hazard Communication (SCHC) Alliance, SCHC developed an information sheet which provides employees with the definition and benefits of GHS classification and labeling of chemicals and addresses how the GHS will affect compliance with the OSHA Hazard Communication Standard. (2010, March; Spanish translation 2012, January)
  • Info Sheet #4: Labeling-OSHA vs. GHS [English PDF* - 56 KB, Spanish PDF* - 275 KB]. Through the OSHA and Society for Chemical Hazard Communication (SCHC) Alliance, SCHC developed an information sheet which provides employees with the definition of a label for both GHS and OSHA. In addition, it also addresses the purpose, requirements and label verbiage differences between OSHA and GHS. (2010, March; Spanish translation 2012, January)
  • Info Sheet #5: Eye Damage/Eye Irritation [English PDF* - 97 KB, Spanish PDF* - 315 KB]. Through the OSHA and Society for Chemical Hazard Communication (SCHC) Alliance, SCHC developed an information sheet which provides employees with the GHS definition of each injury and labeling requirements and addresses GHS substance classification based on animal testing and physical characteristics of a compound. (2010, May; Spanish translation 2012, January)
  • Info Sheet #6: Germ Cell Mutagenicity [Englsih PDF* - 1 MB, Spanish PDF* - 387 KB]. Through the OSHA and Society for Chemical Hazard Communication (SCHC) Alliance, SCHC developed an information sheet which provides employees with the GHS definition and classification of germ cell mutagenicity and addresses classification under GHS and hazard communication labeling. (2010, May; Spanish translation 2012, January)
  • Info Sheet #7: Carcinogenicity [PDF* - 94 KB]. Through the OSHA and Society for Chemical Hazard Communication (SCHC) Alliance, SCHC developed an information sheet which provides employees with the GHS definition and classification of carcinogenicity and addresses classification of carcinogens under GHS and hazard communication labeling. (2011, August)

OSHA Safety and Health Topics Pages

Additional Resources

Areas of Emphasis



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