Steel Groups, OSHA Join On Improved Safety

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the three major trade associations representing nearly all of the basic and specialty steel producers in the United States have joined forces in an effort to enhance worker safety and health in the nation's steel mills. The American Iron and Steel Institute (AISI), the Steel Manufacturers Association and the Specialty Steel Industry of North America signed a one-year alliance with OSHA that calls for creating a steel industry safety and health management process reference tool; disseminating related information through OSHA and steel industry print and electronic media; promoting prevention of workplace injuries and illnesses through association and member company participation in conferences and meetings; cross-training of OSHA and steel industry safety professionals; and promoting the benefits of OSHA's cooperative programs. AISI Chairman David S. Sutherland, president and CEO of Lisle, Ill.-based IPSCO Inc., said when the alliance was announced: "We are pleased that OSHA is committed to expanding its cooperative approach to improve workplace safety. OSHA working with steel producers to help employees understand the value of safety can only serve to enhance benefits for both employees and their employers."