USF SafetyFlorida and OSHA, together with associations and businesses, form alliances and partnerships to offer safety training. The synergy of working together brings together the people, ideas, and resources that go a long way in lowering the cost of workplace injuries and illnesses.

The OSHA Alliance Program

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) works with the public to promote safety and health in the workplace by offering compliance assistance services and programs to businesses and organizations. These services and programs help organizations work collaboratively with the Agency and comply with the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970.

Through the Alliance Program, OSHA works with groups committed to safety health, including businesses, trade or professional organizations, unions and educational institutions, to leverage resources and expertise to develop compliance assistance tools and resources and share information with employers and employees to help prevent injuries, illnesses and fatalities in the workplace.

Benefits of an Alliance

There are many benefits to participating in an Alliance with OSHA. The agreements, which are signed for two years, help organizations to:

• Build trusting, cooperative relationships with the Agency.
• Network with others committed to workplace safety and health.
• Leverage resources to maximize worker safety and health protection.
• Gain recognition as proactive leaders in safety and health.

Organizations may be cooperating with OSHA for the first time, or they may be continuing existing relationships with the Agency established through other cooperative programs.

The Alliance Program supports OSHA's strategic areas of emphasis by addressing the plan's occupational trends, emerging issues and the Agency's priorities. There are few formal program requirements for Alliances and the agreements do not include an enforcement component. However, OSHA and the participating organizations must define, implement and meet a set of short and long-term goals that fall into three categories:

Training and Education, such as developing training and education programs and seminars aimed at reducing workplace hazards, providing the OSHA Training Institute with educational and training materials on specific safety issues upon request, and providing peer review of OSHA training curricula.

Outreach and Communication, such as sharing the most up-to-date ergonomic information for educational purposes, promoting participation in OSHA's cooperative programs, and providing information in Spanish and other languages.

Promoting the National Dialogue on Workplace Safety and Health, by sharing data on safety and health hazards, participating in various forums and groups to discuss ways of improving workplace safety and health programs, and demonstrating the effectiveness of safety and health programs.

Alliance Implementation

OSHA and the Alliance participants form implementation teams. The teams, consisting of representatives from OSHA and the organizations, are responsible for developing strategies and implementing programs or processes that meet the defined goals.

Products and Activities

Current Alliances have developed a number of products and undertaken many activities, including:

• Assisting OSHA in developing interactive, web-based training tools on occupational safety and health topics
• Helping develop Safety and Health Topics pages
• Appearing at trade shows and conferences

The OSHA Strategic Partnership Program (OSPP) provides opportunities for OSHA to partner with employers, employees, professional or trade associations, labor organizations, State On-site Consultation projects, and other interested stakeholders. These voluntary Partnerships are designed to encourage, assist, and recognize efforts to eliminate serious hazards and achieve model workplace safety and health practices. Each Partnership develops its own unique, formal agreement that establishes specific goals, strategies, and performance measures. Partnerships are available to all private sector industries and government agencies where OSHA has jurisdiction.