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 Washington, D.C. On March 22, leaders from the American Foundry Society Inc. (AFS), Des Plaines, Ill., met with leaders from the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) in Washington, D.C. and signed a new alliance agreement to continue joint efforts to promote safer and more healthful workplaces in the U.S. metalcasting industry.
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Pictured: AFS President Arthur Edge (seated l), OSHA Administrator
John Henshaw (seated r) signing the alliance agreement between AFS & OSHA in front of members of the AFS Environmental, Health & Safety Committee.
The agreement states: “OSHA and AFS hereby form an alliance to provide AFS members and others, including small businesses in the metalcasting industry, with information, guidance and access to training resources that will help them protect employees’ health and safety, particularly focusing on workplace issues, including personal protective equipment, ventilation, and reducing and preventing exposure to silica.”
According to the agreement, AFS and OSHA will work together to achieve the following training and education goals:
- develop training and education programs to address hazards in the workplace and review and provide input into the AFS Safety in the Foundry seminar;
- assist OSHA’s Office of Training and Education in providing education and training regarding hazards in the foundry workplace.
- According to the agreement, OSHA and AFS will work together to achieve the following outreach and communication goals:
- develop and disseminate information through print and electronic media;
- speak, exhibit and/or appear at OSHA and AFS conferences, local meetings and other events;
- cross-train OSHA personnel and industry safety and health professionals in metalcasting best practices or effective approaches;
- promote and encourage AFS member worksites to participate in OSHA’s cooperative programs;
- work with other alliance participants on specific issues and projects regarding silica, personal protective equipment and ventilation;
- encourage AFS chapters and worksites to build relationships with OSHA’s regional and area offices.
In addition, AFS and OSHA agreed to work together to raise others’ awareness and demonstrate their own commitment to workplace safety and health whenever AFS leaders address groups.
This agreement is scheduled to remain in effect for two years and is a continuation of a cooperative AFS-OSHA relationship that has grown since the 1970s. Other notable cooperative efforts include: professionals from federal and state OSHA groups have been active with AFS safety and health committees since the 1970s and staff from the OSHA Training Institute instructing during AFS’s OSHA Compliance Seminars since 1990.
For more information contact Gary Mosher, AFS vice president-environmental, health and safety, at gem@afsinc.org or 800/537-2437. Headquartered in Des Plaines, Ill., AFS is a not-for-profit technical and management society that has existed since 1896 to provide and promote knowledge and services that strengthen the metalcasting industry for the ultimate benefit of its customers and society.
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