Alliance -- An OSHA Cooperative Program<< Back to The American Biological Safety Association

  1. Alliance Background

    Date Signed

    September 23, 2002

    Overview

    The OSHA and ABSA Alliance focuses on promoting healthy and safe workplaces, especially in the area of biological safety. OSHA and ABSA are working together to share technical information and best practices in the control and mitigation of biological hazards in the workplace. In addition, the organizations are identifying emerging biological safety issues and potential methods to address those issues.

    Implementation Team Members
     
    OSHA:  
    Cathy Cronin
    Robert Curtis
    Sandi Khan
    Nilgun Tolek*
    Melody Sands
    Dionne Williams
    Jack Longmire    		 Office of Training and Education (OTE)
    Salt Lake Technical Center (SLTC)
    Office of Outreach Services and Alliances (OOSA)
    OOSA
    Directorate of Enforcement Programs (DEP)
    DEP
    Directorate of Science, Technology and Medicine
       
    ABSA:  
    Betsy Gilman-Duane
    Penny Holeman
    Rich Rebar    		 President, Wyeth Research, Associate Director, Biosafety
    Johnson & Johnson, Worldwide Manager, Biological Safety
    GlaxoSmithKline, Corporate EH&S

    *Nilgun Tolek was the OSHA-ABSA Alliance coordinator until January 2004.

    Evaluation Period

    September 23, 2003 – September 22, 2004

  2. Implementation Team Meetings
     
    September 30, 2003
    May 25, 2004
    July 14, 2004
    August 8, 2004
    September 22, 2004    		 Meeting, OSHA, Washington, DC
    Meeting, OSHA, Washington, DC
    Conference Call
    Conference Call
    Conference Call

    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 and to discuss the upcoming OSHA-ABSA Alliance renewal.

  3. Results

    1. Events and Products

      Training and Education Goals

      • Provide the OSHA Training Institute, upon request, with educational and training materials and resources on biological safety.
      The OSHA and ABSA Alliance Implementation Team have not started work on programs or projects to address this goal.

      • Provide peer review, upon request, of OSHA's training curricula on topics relevant to biological safety.
      Products

      Safety and Health Training Materials

      The OSHA and ABSA Alliance implementation team are discussing biological safety and health training material which can be developed into an OSHA training courses.

      Outreach and Communication Goals

      • ABSA and OSHA will share technical information and best practices regarding biological safety.
      Products

      ABSA Review of OSHA Documents

      ABSA representatives have reviewed and provided feedback on a number of OSHA products including Post-Mortem HIV blood-testing and have provided information on applicability of cell lines and plasma derivatives as "blood products" under OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogen Standard.

      • ABSA will provide OSHA with technical advice, information and recommendations related to biological safety.
      Products

      ABSA Review of OSHA Technical Documents

      ABSA representatives have provided technical review and provided feedback on OSHA's documents including, Cell Lines, Plasma Derivatives Monkey Pox, Anthrax and Legionnaires Disease, and Post-Mortem HIV blood-testing.

      • ABSA will provide peer review, upon request, of OSHA technical documents concerning biological safety issues.
      Products

      ABSA Review of OSHA Technical Documents

      ABSA representatives have provided technical review and provided feedback on OSHA's documents including, Cell Lines, Plasma Derivatives Monkey Pox, Anthrax and Legionnaires Disease, and Post-Mortem HIV blood-testing.

      • ABSA and OSHA will work together to identify emerging occupational biological safety issues and methods to address those issues.
      The OSHA and ABSA Alliance Implementation Team have not started work on programs or projects to address this 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.
      ABSA representatives have reviewed and provided feedback on specific biological safety issues including, cell lines and plasma derivatives as "blood products" under OSHA's Bloodborne Pathogen Standard.

      • ABSA will provide OSHA, upon request, with information about international regulations and guidelines relevant to biological safety.
      There have been no opportunities to address this Alliance goal.

      • ABSA will be available for consultation, upon request, to OSHA Compliance Assistance Specialists regarding biological safety issues.
      There have been no opportunities to address this Alliance goal.

      • ABSA will assist OSHA in identifying and developing technical links on biological safety for the OSHA web site.
      Products

      OSHA's Safety and Health Topics pages

      Representatives from the OSHA-ABSA Alliance serve on the editorial boards of the following OSHA Safety and Health Topics pages:

      • Biological Agents
          Penny Holeman, Worldwide Manager, Biological Safety, Johnson & Johnson; Somerville, NJ
          Richard Rebar, Biosafety, WW R&D Environment, Health and Safety, GlaxoSmithKline; King of Prussia, PA
      • Bloodborne Pathogens and Needlestick Prevention
          Mary Cipriano, MBA, RBP, CBSP, ABSA, Manager of Biological Safety, Abbott Laboratories; Abbott Park, IL
      • Hazardous Waste
          Stefan Wagener, ABSA; Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
      • Ionizing Radiation
          Stefan Wagener, ABSA; Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada
      • Indoor Air Quality
          Wayne Thomann, PhD, ABSA, Duke University Occupational and Environmental Safety Office; Durham, NC
      • Legionnaires' Disease
          Richard Gilpin, ABSA, Gilpin Testing Service; Gaithersburg, MD
          Jack Keene, ABSA, BioHazTec Associates; Midlothian, VA
      • Mold and Fungi
          Richard Gilpin, ABSA, Gilpin Testing Service; Gaithersburg, MD
          Wayne Thomann, PhD, ABSA, Duke University Occupational and Environmental Safety Office; Durham, NC
      OSHA and ABSA Alliance Web Site

      The OSHA and ABSA Alliance Web page on OSHA's Web site includes links to related documents, activities and events, products and resources, and milestones and successes. This Web site is kept up-to-date on a regular basis. For more information on the number of site visits please see the "Alliance Program Reach" table on page 7.

      • OSHA will participate in ABSA conferences.
      Events

      OSHA 2004 Compliance Assistance Training Sessions, June 14-18, 2004, Falls Church, VA

      Rich Rebar staffed an ABSA exhibit booth during the training sessions.

      46th Annual Biological Safety Conference, October 12-14, 2003, Philadelphia, PA

      October 13, 2003, Robert Curtis, SLTC and David Ippolito, Directorate of Science and Technology and Medicine, USDOL-OSHA gave a presentation entitled, "Improving Responses to Bioterrorism: Lessons Learned from the Anthrax Attacks."

      Print and Electronic Media

      An article in the Health Physics News, June 2004, mentions the OSHA-ABSA Alliance.

      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.
      The OSHA and ABSA Alliance Implementation Team have not started work on programs or projects to address this goal.

    2. Executive summary

      Through the Alliance Program, OSHA and ABSA are working together to address biological safety and health issues. During the reporting period the Alliance implementation team has developed a very successful and productive relationship.

      ABSA members have contributed their expertise and serve on seven editorial boards for OSHA's Safety and Health Topics pages.

      Speaking and exhibiting opportunities are invaluable to both organizations. OSHA representatives, Robert Curtis and David Ippolito, gave a presentation at the 46th Annual Biological Safety Conference held October 12-15, 2003, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. The presentation provided an excellent vehicle for speaking directly to biological safety and health professionals regarding anthrax and Legionella. In addition, the OSHA 2004 Compliance Assistance Training Sessions held June 14-18, 2004 provided an excellent opportunity for ABSA to exhibit and network with OSHA safety and health professionals.

    3. Alliance Program Reach

      Type of Activity (Conference, Training, Print and Electronic Distribution, etc.) Number of Individuals Reached or Trained
      OSHA-ABSA Alliance Web page on OSHA's Web site. 6,356
      Members of ABSA serve on 7 of OSHA's Safety and Health Topics pages:

      - Biological Agents
      - Bloodborne Pathogens and Needlestick Prevention
      - Hazardous Waste
      - Ionizing Radiation
      - Indoor Air Quality
      - Legionnaires' Disease
      - Mold and Fungi      		  
      June 2004, "Online Resource: OSHA Web Site on Legionnaires' Disease Bacteria," ABSA Alliance News Data not available
      June 14-18, 2004, OSHA 2004 Compliance Assistance Training Sessions, Falls Church, Virginia.

      ABSA exhibited      		 230
      October 13, 2003: 46th Annual Biological Safety Conference, Wyndham Franklin Plaza, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.

      Presentation: "Improving Responses to Bioterrorism: Lessons Learned from the Anthrax Attacks"

      Speakers: Robert Curtis, SLTC, USDOL-OSHA
      David Ippolito, Director of Science and Technology Assessment, USDOL-OSHA      		 700
      TOTAL XXX

  4. Upcoming Milestones

    During the Alliance's upcoming year, a number of activities are planned to continue promoting healthy and safe workplaces, particularly in the areas of biological safety. The Alliance implementation team will continue to identify projects, make presentations at OSHA and ABSA conferences, and begin to develop training and education materials for OSHA's Office of Training and Education.

    ABSA has invited OSHA to share an ABSA-OSHA Alliance exhibit booth during the 48th Annual Biological Safety Conference, October 23-26, 2005 in Vancouver, British Columbia.

    The OSHA-ABSA Alliance will continue its focus on the control and mitigation of biological hazards in the workplace and identifying emerging biological safety issues and potential methods to address those issues. The OSHA-ABSA implementation team will continue to update the OSHA-ABSA Alliance Web page on the OSHA's Web site. In addition, the team is discussing an ABSA-OSHA Web page on the ABSA Web site. ABSA members will also continue to review and provide expert input on OSHA's Safety and Health Topics pages and other biological safety and health documents developed by OSHA, as requested.

    The OSHA and ABSA Alliance implementation team members will look for opportunities to work with other Alliance Program participants on projects related to biological safety hazards.

    Both OSHA and ABSA's management support the renewal of the Alliance agreement. The renewal document is scheduled to be signed by OSHA's Assistant Secretary John Henshaw and ABSA's President, Elizabeth Gilman-Duane on October 13, 2004 in Washington, DC.


    Report prepared by: Sandra Khan, Alliance Coordinator, Office of Outreach Services and Alliances, December 12, 2004.