ACC is excited to highlight our commitment to worker health and safety initiatives by promoting Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)’s Safe + Sound Week August 13-19, 2018. Safe + Sound Week is “a nationwide event 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.”
As you may know, late last year, ACC signed an agreement with OSHA to form a National Alliance. The whole idea behind this alliance is to continue to foster safe and healthful American workplaces operating with diisocyanate chemicals along the polyurethane value chain.
Three groups here at ACC will lead the work with OSHA: the Center for the Polyurethanes Industry (CPI), Diisocyanates (DII) and Aliphatic Diisocyanates (ADI) panels.
For Safe + Sound Week, OSHA is encouraging organizations of all sizes to participate and “show their commitment to safety to workers, customers, the public [and] supply chain partners.” We think our partnership with OSHA on the National Alliance fits exactly in the Safe + Sound Week mold.
ACC is pleased to take this opportunity to continue educating stakeholders in the polyurethanes value chain. While worker safety is always a priority for ACC members across the industry, the event provides opportunity to reinforce key messages and provide new information. We want safety guidelines, training procedures and all resources to reflect the most current understanding of diisocyanate science.
The first tool has already been developed and is available online. The ADI panel, through the Alliance, recently released an infographic to educate users on personal protective equipment in automotive refinish coating applications. It has already been featured in various trade magazines and newsletters. More tools will follow throughout the two-year course of the Alliance.
By collaborating with OSHA, we are able to reach new audiences, allowing us to expand our messaging. The more people who are made aware of and understand sound safety principles, the better off all workers are.
Working through this Alliance with OSHA, ACC is able to provide members, occupational physicians, stakeholders and others with information, guidance and access to training resources that will help them protect the health and safety of workers.
CPI, ADI and DII all have substantial resource libraries with sources of information about safety and product stewardship, including guidance materials on general polyurethane product safety, worker protection, waste disposal, transportation guidelines, industrial hygiene and regulatory compliance.
For more information on the Alliance, you can visit the ACC site or the OSHA Alliance site.
For more information on Safe + Sound Week, check out the OSHA website.
