AGREEMENT RENEWING AN ALLIANCE
BETWEEN
THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
AND
THE SOCIETY FOR CHEMICAL HAZARD COMMUNICATION

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The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Society for Chemical Hazard Communication (SCHC) continue to recognize the value of maintaining a collaborative relationship to foster safer and more healthful American workplaces. To that end, OSHA and SCHC hereby renew in part the Alliance signed October 22, 2003, and renewed December 5, 2005, and March 24, 2008, with a continued emphasis on reducing and preventing exposures to health and physical hazards of chemicals. Specifically, both organizations are committed to providing SCHC members and others with information, guidance, and access to training resources that will help them protect the health and safety of workers and understand the rights of workers and the responsibilities of employers under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act). Through the Alliance, the organizations will continue to address hazard communication hazards and issues related to increasing awareness of the Global Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals. In renewing this Alliance, OSHA and SCHC recognize that OSHA’s State Plan and On-site Consultation Project partners are an integral part of the OSHA national effort.

Raising Awareness of OSHA’s Rulemaking and Enforcement Initiatives

The Participants intend to work together to achieve the following goals related to 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

The Participants intend to work together to achieve the following outreach and communication goals:

• 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.

OSHA’s Alliances provide parties an opportunity to participate in a voluntary cooperative relationship with OSHA for purposes such as raising awareness of OSHA’s rulemaking and enforcement initiatives, training and education, and outreach and communication. These Alliances have proved to be valuable tools for both OSHA and its Alliance participants. By entering into an Alliance with a party, OSHA is not endorsing or promoting, nor does it intend to endorse or promote, any of that party’s products or services.

An implementation team made up of representatives of each organization will meet to develop a plan of action, determine working procedures, and identify the roles and responsibilities of the participants. In addition, they will meet at least three times per year to track and shareinformation on activities and results in achieving the goals of the Alliance. OSHA team members will include representatives of the Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs, the Directorate of Standards and Guidance, the Directorate of Enforcement Programs, and any other appropriate offices. OSHA will encourage State Plan States’ and OSHA On-site Consultation Projects’ participation on the team.

This agreement will remain in effect for two years. Either signatory may terminate it for any reason at any time, provided they give 30 days written notice. This agreement may be modified at any time with the written concurrence of both signatories.

Signed this 1st day of March, 2012.