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Jim Thornton, Director of Environmental, Health and Safety at Northrop Grumman Corporation and representing the ASA, an Alliance Program participant, describing the maritime industry's unique regulatory requirements during his presentation at OSHA's Small Business Forum: "Safety and Health Issues in the Maritime Industry" held September 14, 2007 in Washington, DC. Terry Preston, Director of Safety, Environmental & Quality at Atlantic Marine, LLC in Mobile, AL, representing the Shipbuilders Council of America, presented "Small to Medium Sized Shipyard Challenges and Opportunities" during the Forum.

(L to R) Edwin G. Foulke, Jr., former-Assistant Secretary, USDOL-OSHA, and Cynthia L. Brown, ASA's President, sign the national Alliance renewal agreement on August 22, 2007.

Through the Alliance, OSHA and ASA use their collective expertise to provide the association's members and others in the shipbuilding industry with information and guidance to help protect employees' health and safety, particularly in reducing and preventing exposure to shipyard safety and health hazards. The Alliance's goals include:

Outreach and communication:

• Work with OSHA to provide expertise in developing information on the recognition and prevention of workplace hazards, and to provide expertise in developing ways of communicating such information (e.g., print and electronic media, electronic assistance tools and OSHA's and ASA's Web sites) to employers and employees in the industry.
• Share information among OSHA personnel and industry safety and health professionals regarding ASA best practices or effective approaches and publicize results through outreach by ASA and through OSHA- or ASA-developed materials, training programs, workshops, seminars, and lectures (or any other applicable forum).
• Work with other Alliance participants on specific maritime industry issues and projects that are addressed and developed through the Alliance Program.

Promoting the national dialogue on workplace health and safety:

• Convene or participate in forums, roundtable discussions, or stakeholder meetings on shipyard safety and health hazards to help forge innovative solutions in the workplace.

Related Documents

Alliance Agreements

• Agreement signed July 15, 2003.
• Renewal Agreement signed January 13, 2006.
• Renewal Agreement signed August 22, 2007.

Alliance Annual Reports

• Alliance Annual Report 2003-2004. Office of Outreach Services and Alliances.
• Alliance Annual Report 2004-2005. Office of Outreach Services and Alliances.
• Alliance Annual Report 2005-2006. Office of Outreach Services and Alliances.
• Alliance Annual Report 2006-2007. Office of Outreach Services and Alliances.
• Alliance Annual Report 2007-2008. Office of Outreach Services and Alliances.
• Alliance Annual Report 2008-2009. Office of Outreach Services and Alliances.
• Close-out Report as of October 11, 2010.

Alliance News Releases

• Northrop Grumman Ship Systems Hosts Signing Of Alliance Agreement. Northrup Grumman Photo Release (2003, July).
• American Shipbuilding Association Aligns with OSHA. OSHA News Release (2003, July 15).
• Forklift Operations by Young Workers Subject of Safety Initiative -- OSHA, Wage and Hour Division, NIOSH Join Forces to Foster Youth Safety on the Job. OSHA News Release (2004, February 11).
• Updated eTool for Maritime Industry Helps Workers Avoid Injuries. OSHA News Release (2005, September 30).
• OSHA Renews Alliance with American Shipbuilding Association. OSHA News Release (2006, February 1).
• OSHA Adds Fire Protection Module to Shipyard Employment eTool. OSHA News Release (2006, September 14).
• OSHA renews Alliance with the American Shipbuilding Association. OSHA News Release (2007, August 22).

Activities and Events

• May 2-8, 2010: 2010 North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week. The American Shipbuilding Association and a number of other Alliance Program participants supported the 2010 NAOSH Week. Sponsored annually by the American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE) and the Canadian Society of Safety Engineering (CSSE), the Week focused on the importance of preventing injuries and illnesses in the workplace. The theme for 2010 NAOSH Week was "Mission NAOSH 2010: Safe Workplaces."
  • May 3, 2010: Jim Thornton, Director, Environmental, Health and Safety, Northrop Grumman, attended the NAOSH Week Kick-off event at the U.S. Department of Labor in Washington, DC. Assistant Secretary Jordan Barab, USDOL-OSHA; Christopher Patton, President, ASSE; and Andrew Cooper, Secretary, CSSE; provided brief remarks. The Kick-off also featured recognition of and a conversation with ASSE Kids' "Safety on the Job" poster winners and runner-ups.
• May 3-9, 2009: 2009 North American Occupational Safety and Health (NAOSH) Week. The American Shipbuilding Association 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

• Safety Alert: Control of Hazardous Energy - Lockout/Tagout (LO/TO) Procedures in Shipyard Employment [English PDF^* - 173 KB, Spanish PDF^* - 153 KB]. Through the OSHA and Shipbuilders Council of America, National Shipbuilding Research Program, and American Shipbuilding Association Alliances (now the Shipbuilding Group Alliance) and the American Industrial Hygiene Association and American Society of Safety Engineers Alliances, the participants developed a safety alert providing tips and reminders to control the release of hazardous energy through LO/TO procedures in shipyard building and repair. (2009, February; Spanish translation 2010, December)
  
• Safety Alert: Electrocution and Shock Hazards in Shipyard Employment [English PDF^* - 162 KB, Spanish PDF^* - 201 KB]. Through the OSHA and Shipbuilders Council of America, National Shipbuilding Research Program, and American Shipbuilding Association Alliances (now the Shipbuilding Group Alliance) and the American Industrial Hygiene Association and American Society of Safety Engineers Alliances, the participants developed a safety alert providing tips and reminders about electrical shock hazards that may be present in shipbuilding and repair and includes information on preventing and eliminating the hazards. (2008, February; Spanish translation 2010, December)
  
• Safety Alert: Shipyard Sewage and Hydrogen Sulfide [English PDF^* - 63 KB, Spanish PDF^* - 65 KB]. Through the OSHA and Shipbuilders Council of America, National Shipbuilding Research Program, and American Shipbuilding Association Alliances (now the Shipbuilding Group Alliance) and the American Industrial Hygiene Association and American Society of Safety Engineers Alliances, the participants developed a safety alert designed to make both shipyard employers and employees aware of the hazards of sewage systems on both ships and shipyard shore facilities and how to prevent accidents involving hydrogen sulfide gas. (2006, July; Spanish translation 2010, December)
  
• Safety Alert: Ventilation Procedures in Shipyard Employment [PDF^* - 134 KB]. Through the OSHA and Shipbuilders Council of America, National Shipbuilding Research Program, and American Shipbuilding Association Alliances (now the Shipbuilding Group Alliance) and the American Industrial Hygiene Association and American Society of Safety Engineers Alliances, the participants developed a safety alert addressing ventilation procedures in shipyard employment, including possible solutions to shipyard ventilation hazards. (2010, August)
  
• Safety Alert: Welding and Other Hot Work Procedures in Shipyard Employment [English PDF^* - 162 KB, Spanish PDF^* - 166 KB]. Through the OSHA and Shipbuilders Council of America, National Shipbuilding Research Program, and American Shipbuilding Association Alliances (now the Shipbuilding Group Alliance) and the American Industrial Hygiene Association and American Society of Safety Engineers Alliances, the participants developed a safety alert focusing on welding and hot work in shipyard employment, including tips and reminders to help maintain a safe work environment by identifying situations and hazards associated with hot work. (2009, February; Spanish translation 2010, December)
  
• Toolbox Talks: Hearing Conservation in the Shipbuilding Industry [PDF^* - 162 KB]. Through the OSHA and Shipbuilders Council of America, National Shipbuilding Research Program, American Shipbuilding Association, (now the Shipbuilding Group Alliance) and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health and National Hearing Conservation Association Alliances, the participants developed a series of toolbox talks focusing on hearing conservation issues, including shipbuilding noise levels and selecting hearing protection. (2009, April)

OSHA Safety and Health Topics Pages

• Maritime Industry+^**
• Shipbuilding and Ship Repair+^**

OSHA eTools

• Shipyard Employment+^**

Success Stories

• OSHA Region IV Mobile, Alabama Area Office Alliance Develops Courses in Occupational Safety and Health Standards for the Maritime Industry. OSHA. March 2008. OSHA's Region IV Mobile, Alabama Area Office, along with its OSHA and Gulf Coast Maritime Safety Alliance and the University of South Florida and representatives from national maritime-related Alliances, developed the OSHA Maritime Industry Outreach Training Program. Through the program, trainers are authorized to teach 10-hour or 30-hour safety and health hazard recognition and prevention classes in Shipyard Employment (including ship repairing, shipbuilding, and shipbreaking), Marine Terminals, and Longshoring.

^**Alliance Implementation Team members serve on the editorial board.
+Alliance Implementation Team members participated in the development of this resource.

Accessibility Assistance: Contact the OSHA Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs at 202-693-2200 for assistance accessing PDF materials.

^*These files are provided for downloading.