Free cookie consent management tool by TermsFeed SMRP OSHA Alliance

SMRP OSHA Alliance

On October 16, 2018, the Society for Maintenance & Reliability Professionals (SMRP) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced an official alliance to provide safety information, guidance and access to training for maintenance, reliability and physical asset management practitioners and professionals.

During the two-year partnership, SMRP will work with OSHA to engage members and their employers to provide resources aimed at protecting workers by reducing and preventing exposure to safety and health hazards in the profession. The alliance will also serve to create awareness about the rights of workers and the responsibilities of employers under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act).

The objective of this OSHA Alliance is to serve as a leader in preventative maintenance and the connection between reliability, workforce development, and workplace health and safety by focusing on training small businesses and young workers. Looking forward, the OSHA Alliance will promote workplace safety by sharing information and creating innovative solutions as we demonstrate that a reliable workforce is a safe workforce.

As a first step, the Government Relations and Communications teams secured a byline in Pumps & Systems' ‘State of the Industry’ issue. This article serves to inform readers of the benefits that will come from our partnership and highlighting the connection between proactive maintenance, reliability and safety.

SMRP will continue to share information and opportunities that come from the Alliance. SMRP also plans to collaborate with other Alliance participants on projects to reduce and prevent exposure to safety and health hazards in maintenance, reliability and physical asset management.

Workplace Safety 

Enhance workplace safety in the maintenance, reliability, and physical asset management profession
SMRP is committed to providing the maintenance, reliability, and physical asset management profession with information, guidance, and access to training resources that will help 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. SMRP supports the following OSHA Alliance Program safety and health initiatives:

  • Increase awareness of OSHA’s rulemaking and enforcement initiatives
  • Provides outreach and communication to SMRP members
  • Expands access to training and education resources
  • Promotes the national dialogue on workplace safety and health

To read SMRP's full workplace safety policy, click here

"SMRP, OSHA Form Alliance to Reduce Risks at Work" –  Pumps & Systems Magazine, March 8, 2019 
In October 2018, the Society for Maintenance & Reliability Professionals (SMRP) announced a new two-year alliance with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Click here for full story. 

SMRP and OSHA Form Alliance to Enhance Safety Practices in the Maintenance and Reliability Profession – October 16, 2018
The Society for Maintenance & Reliability Professionals (SMRP) and the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) today announced an official alliance to provide safety information, guidance and access to training for maintenance, reliability and physical asset management practitioners and professionals. Click here to learn more. 

SMRP Partners with OSHA for Safe + Sound Week – June 12, 2017
The Society for Maintenance & Reliability Professionals (SMRP) is proud to partner with the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) on Safe + Sound Week, June 12–18. This week is a nationwide effort to raise awareness and understanding of the value of safety and health programs that include management leadership, worker participation and a systematic approach to finding and fixing hazards in workplaces.

Safety + Health Magazine: Loren Sweatt appointed OSHA deputy assistant secretary – August 16, 2017
Loren Sweatt joined the Occupational Safety and Health Administration July 24, 2017. Ms. Sweatt joins the agency from the U.S. House of Representatives where she served as a Senior Policy Advisor at the Committee on Education and the Workforce for the last 15 years. In this role, Ms. Sweatt handled workplace safety issues before the Committee to include OSHA and the Mine Safety and Health Administration. Click here to learn more.

Employers continue to make worker safety a priority in extreme heat – August 15, 2017
Employers across the country are taking steps to protect their employees from the risk of heat exposure by gradually increasing shift lengths so they can adapt to hot environments, providing frequent water breaks, allowing ample time to rest, and providing shade. In the June 15 issue of QuickTakes, we shared specific measures employers are taking to keep their workers safe from extreme heat. Click here to learn more.

More than 2 million reached through Air Force Fall Prevention Stand-Down – August 15, 2017
Each year the U.S. Air Force promotes an extensive campaign to remind and educate all its personnel about fall prevention and the risks associated with working at heights. This year’s Air Force Fall Prevention Focus, held in conjunction with OSHA’s National Safety Stand-Down, reached more than two million people, including active duty, Air National Guard, Air Force Reserve, civilians, contractors, and family members. Since the Air Force began focusing on fall prevention in 2014, work-related fall injuries have decreased nearly 31 percent. Click here to learn more.

OSHA Top Citations and Hazards Toolkit – June 12, 2017
SMRP workplace health and safety expert members have worked with OSHA to create a one-page tool that identifies top citations and hazards in the maintenance, reliability and physical asset management profession. It includes data from OSHA and the U.S. Bureau of Labor, as well as educational resources that help members of SMRP find and fix workplace hazards and provide information for how to control these hazards. 

OSHA's free On-site Consultation Program helped more than 27,000 employers create safer workplaces in 2016 – February 1, 2017
Last year, 27,385 small and mid-sized U.S. businesses took advantage of OSHA's free and confidential On-site Consultation Program to remove workplace hazards and better protect workers. The program primarily benefits small and mid-sized businesses and priority is given to high-hazard industries, with more than half of all visits going to construction or manufacturing sites. In 2016, consultants identified and helped employers eliminate more than 140,000 total hazards, protecting an estimated 3.3 million workers from possible injury, illness, or death. Click here to learn more.

Employers are reminded to post injury and illness summaries now through April – February 1, 2017
OSHA reminds employers of their obligation to post a copy of OSHA's Form 300A, which summarizes job-related injuries and illnesses logged during 2016. The summary must be displayed in a common area where notices to employees are usually posted each year between Feb. 1 and April 30. Businesses with 10 or fewer employees and those in certain low-hazard industries are exempt from OSHA recordkeeping and posting requirements. Click here to learn more.

​Previous OSHA News Reports

 

OSHA Releases List of COVID-19 Resources 
OSHA has released a new list of helpful resources designed to make it easy to navigate the various guidance documents and resource pages put together on the issue of the novel coronavirus pandemic over the last few months. Click here to view the resources. 

OSHA Safe + Sound Week
The Society for Maintenance & Reliability Professionals (SMRP) is proud to partner with the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) on  Safe + Sound Week, August 10-16, 2020. The week is part of a nationwide effort to raise awareness and understanding of the value of safety and health programs including management leadership, worker participation and a systematic approach to finding and fixing hazards in workplaces. Click here to find out more. 

SMRP + OSHA Webinar: Recommended Practices for Health & Safety Programs - Download here
This webinarprovides an overview of OSHA’s new Recommended Practices for Safety and Health Programs, as well as OSHA’s ongoing campaign for safety and health programs. 

Why Safety is a Win-Win for SMRP - by Carl Schultz, CMRP, Advanced Technology Solutions, and SMRP Outreach Director  -  Download here
Partnering in Safe + Sound Week can help us learn more and connect with others to improve health and safety programs while reducing injuries and illnesses in our industries. If you want to find out more about SMRP’s commitment to health and safety read Carl's #SafeandSound recomendation. 

OSHA Toolkit - Download here 
SMRP workplace health and safety expert members have worked with OSHA to create a one-page tool that identifies top citations and hazards in the maintenance, reliability and physical asset management profession. It includes data from OSHA and the U.S. Bureau of Labor, as well as educational resources that help members of SMRP find and fix workplace hazards and provide information for how to control these hazards. 

OSHA Alliance Presentation - Download here
To strengthen our relationship with OSHA and to demonstrate our commitment to workplace safety, SMRP has entered into a pre-OSHA Alliance Program partnership. This means that SMRP has agreed to assist in raising awareness of OSHA’s rulemaking and enforcement initiatives, provide outreach and communications to our members on health and safety best practices, and conduct training and educational sessions to ensure both our members and OSHA have the skills needed to execute a comprehensive health and safety management program. To view an overview of the program, please click here. 

OSHA Safety & Health Management Program Recommended Practices - Download it here
In October 2016, OSHA published their updated recommended practices for safety and health programs, taking SMRP's guidence by stressing the importance of preventive maintenance activities within any safety and health management program. OSHA has created a dedicated webpage for additional information on the recommended practices for safety and health programs. One of the educational and training programs highlighted within the additional resources section is the Certified Maintenance & Reliability Professional (CMRP) certification program. This is a great achievement for SMRP’s certification program to be one of the resources featured within on the OSHA webpage. 

OSHA’s Silica Rule
In March 2016, OSHA announced a final rule to protect workers by reducing their exposure to respirable silica dust. The rule will curb lung cancer, silicosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and kidney disease in America's workers.

The final rule contains two standards, one for construction and one for general industry and maritime. Both standards reduce the permissible exposure limit for crystalline silica and include employer requirements to protect workers, such as by limiting worker exposure through work practices and engineering controls; training workers; limiting their access to high exposure areas and providing medical exams to highly exposed workers.

About 2.3 million men and women face exposure to respirable crystalline silica in their workplaces, including two million construction workers who drill and cut materials such as concrete and stone, and 300,000 workers in operations such as brick manufacturing, foundries and hydraulic fracturing. OSHA estimates that when the final rule becomes fully effective, it will save more than 600 lives annually and prevent more than 900 new cases of silicosis – an incurable and progressive disease – each year. The agency also estimates the final rule will provide net benefits of about $7.7 billion per year.

For questions on OSHA’s silica rule and updates, please visit OSHA's silica rule webpage for factsheets on the rule.

OSHA Accident Prevention Standard for Eye and Face Protection
OSHA issued proposed revisions to its 2009 eye and face protection standards to reflect the most recent edition of the ANSI/ISEA eye and face protection standard. The preventative revisions allow employers to continue to follow the existing ANSI standards referenced or allow employers to follow the latest version of the same ANSI/ISEA standard. Employers are encouraged to use this standard for guidance to update or replace protection devices, and practices for eye and face protection. The final rule becomes effective as of April 25, 2016.

To review the OSHA’s Federal Register Notice for Eye and Face Protection Standards, click here