Friday, December 14, 2012

OSHA and the Airline Ground Safety Panel Renew Alliance

For those who think that worksite safety applies only to construction and other inherently dangerous industries need to think again. Safeguarding the health and physical welfare of workers in their workplaces cuts across all industries—whether they are hazardous by nature or not.

One outwardly safe work community, the ground support at airports, in fact, sought recently to strengthen its work safety partnership with the federal worksite-safety watchdog. The community, through the Airline Ground Safety Panel, renewed its alliance with OSHA to enable it to deal better with the dangers that can arise from the operation of aviation ground-support equipment such as aircraft tugs and tow tractors, and the injuries that might result from these hazards.

The Airline Ground Safety Panel, a labor-and-industry partnership, represents some 350,000 workers from 11 airline companies and three labor unions. The membership total makes up about 85 percent of the whole industry.

Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health David Michaels said the alliance with the Airline Ground Safety Panel will continue to concentrate on preventing mishaps such as slips, falls, and being struck by moving objects that can result in worker injuries. The alliance with OSHA will further the outreach training program for both employers and employees on preventing worksite injuries.

The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 mandates that employers are responsible for safeguarding the safety and health of their workers at the worksite. For its part, OSHA is tasked with ensuring that these conditions are met by developing and enforcing standards, and by providing education, training, and assistance to all stakeholders.

The alliance between OSHA and the panel is formally under OSHA’s Alliance Program, an initiative where OSHA partners with business and educational organizations, trade and professional groups, community- and faith-based entities to prevent workplace injuries, illnesses, and deaths. Each alliance, according to OSHA, develops tools to help the organization comply with OSHA safety protocols and resources to orient employers and employees on their responsibilities as well as their rights. OSHA emphasized that Alliance Program participants are neither exempted from OSHA inspections nor entitled to any enforcement considerations.

In particular, the alliance with the Airline Ground Safety Panel aims to produce fact sheets on ways to prevent mishaps associated with the operation of airport ground-safety equipment. In addition, the alliance will carry out studies on how to enhance ground-personnel safety, tackle hazard communications, and address issues related to the United Nations-sponsored Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals.

The renewal of the alliance, which will run for another two years, was welcomed by the three labor unions in the panel, the Transportation Trades Department (AFL-CIO), the Transport Workers Union of America (AFL-CIO), and the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. Besides the labor unions, Airlines for America, a panel participant representing the airline industry, also praised the alliance, saying that the airlines are enthusiastic about being a part of the voluntary program with OSHA and the labor unions to boost safety awareness among airline employees.

No comments:

Post a Comment