ANNUAL ALLIANCE REPORT

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
And the
Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Association (WVMA)

September 14, 2017

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1. Alliance Background

   1. Date Signed

      September 20, 2016

   2. Evaluation Period

      September 20, 2016 – September 14, 2017

   3. Overview

      The purpose of the alliance is to establish a collaborative relationship with WVMA members with the intention of fostering safer and more healthful veterinary clinic workplaces. This Alliance aims to provide WVMA members and others with information, guidance, and access to training resources that will help them protect the health and safety of workers, particularly by reducing and preventing exposure to hazards associated with chemicals (including pharmaceuticals, anesthetic gases, sterilization agents, etc.), x-ray radiation, and animal handling. The Alliance will also look at the ergonomics of veterinary operations and help to understand the rights of workers and the responsibilities of employers under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act).

   4. Implementation Team Members:

      OSHA

      Leslie Ptak, Compliance Assistance Specialist, Madison Wisconsin Area Office

      Alliance participant

      Kim Pokorny, Executive Director, WVMA
      Bailey Quam, Communications and Projects Specialist, WVMA

2. Implementation Team Meetings

   • September 20, 2016 – Alliance agreement was signed in the OSHA office
   • November 4, 2016 – Alliance committee met to discuss projects and activities at the WVMA office.
   • April 5, 2017 - Alliance committee met to discuss projects and activities at the WVMA office.

   In addition to these formal meetings, the Alliance coordinators from both groups maintained regular contact throughout the reporting period to monitor the Alliance's progress and results.

3. Results

   The following table summarizes the Alliance's activities in support of the goals in the Alliance agreement.

   Raising Awareness of OSHA’s Rulemaking and Enforcement Initiatives: WVMA 2016 conference attendees were polled to determine their interest with regards to workplace safety and health information. More than 300 attendees participated in the survey and articles were written for the monthly magazine sent to 8900 subscribers. This was an effective method of outreach because the magazine is often read by office staff as well as subscribers.
   Activity Type	Activity Name/Summary	OSHA Areas of Emphasis Supported	Number Reached
   WVMA Voice article	January - Animal Bites and Scratches	Small Business, Healthcare, Agriculture	8900
   WVMA Voice article	February - Anesthetic Gases in Veterinary Clinic	Small Business, Agriculture, Healthcare, Hazard Communication/ Chemicals	8900
   WVMA Voice article	March - Ionizing Radiation for Veterinary Medical Clinics Part 1	Small Business, Healthcare, Agriculture	8900
   WVMA Voice article	April - Ionizing Radiation for Veterinary Medical Clinics Part 2	Small Business, Healthcare, Agriculture	8900
   WVMA Voice article	May - Ask OSHA!	Small Business, Healthcare	8900
   WVMA Voice article	June - Chemical Exposures in the Veterinary Clinic	Small Business, Agriculture, Healthcare, Hazard Communication/ Chemicals	8900
   WVMA Voice article	July - Pregnancy in the Veterinary Clinic	Small Business, Agriculture, Healthcare, Hazard Communication/ Chemicals	8900
   WVMA Voice article	August - Preventing Slips, Trips and Falls in Veterinary Practice	Small Business, Agriculture, Healthcare, Fall Prevention	8900
   WVMA Voice article	September - OSHA Recording, Reporting and Posting Requirements	Small Business, Healthcare	8900
   WVMA Voice article	October - Lower Back Injuries in the Veterinary Clinic	Small Business, Healthcare, Ergonomics	8900
   Dissemination	All of the WVMA Voice Articles generated by the alliance are posted on the members only section of the WVMA website	Small Business, Healthcare, Hazard Communication/ Chemicals, Fall Prevention, Ergonomics, Agriculture	2300
   Dissemination	Suggested to WVMA that they distribute information about a NIOSH web site that addresses the workplace exposures of police canines to opioids.	Small Business, Healthcare, Hazard Communication/ Chemicals,	2300
   Event	Wisconsin Veterinary Medical Association 2016 annual conference, 1,365 persons attended and there was a vendor expo of 98 companies.	Small Business, Healthcare, Hazard Communication/ Chemicals, Fall Prevention, Ergonomics, Agriculture	1463
   Outreach and Communication: To develop a working relationship with the WVMA and their members so that they will feel comfortable seeking information from OSHA about safety and health issues.
   Activity Type	Activity Name/Summary	OSHA Areas of Emphasis Supported	Number Reached
   Emails	WVMA receives emails from members who have questions about OSHA compliance. These are forwarded to the OSHA compliance assistance specialist and answered.	Small Business, Health Care	1365 attendees and 98 vendors
   Survey	Compliance assistance specialist conducted a poll during the conference to determine the topics to be addressed by the alliance	Small Business, Health Care	1365 attendees and 98 vendors

4. Evaluations

   No evaluations were conducted.

5. Upcoming Milestones

   The one year anniversary of the alliance is in September and the annual conference is in October. The alliance committee hopes to use the conference to reach out to attendees and determine the goals for the next year of the alliance. The alliance has also been laying the groundwork for a workplace safety and health training program for Spanish speaking dairy workers and large animal veterinarians.

Report prepared by: Leslie Ptak, Compliance Assistance Specialist, Madison OSHA Office, September 12, 2017.