OSHA, ISSA Form Safety Alliance

Fostering safer and more healthful working environments for workers in the cleaning industry is the goal of a new Alliance signed recently between the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and ISSA. ISSA was formerly known as the International Sanitary Supply Association.

Through the OSHA and ISSA Alliance, the organizations will develop training and education programs for ISSA members and others, including small businesses, on slips, trips and falls, and address hazard communication issues.

“This is a great opportunity to further a culture of injury and illness prevention among workers in the cleaning and maintenance industry,” said Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Jonathan Snare. “Our Alliance is the beginning of what we hope will be a continuing relationship in which we can utilize our joint resources and expertise to help make this industry as safe and healthy as possible.”

Added ISSA Vice President/President Elect Bobby Cohen, “ISSA has been working toward the Alliance for some time and the association is extremely excited to have the opportunity to work more closely with OSHA to help protect the safety and health of the cleaning industry’s most valuable asset – its workforce. Ultimately, working side-by-side with OSHA will help ISSA provide crucial information to employers in the most efficient and cost-effective manner.”

OSHA and ISSA will provide expertise in developing information on the recognition and prevention of workplace hazards and on ways of communicating such information (e.g., print and electronic media, electronic assistance tools, and OSHA’s and ISSA’s Web sites) to employers and employees in the industry.

The Alliance also calls for ISSA to share information with OSHA personnel as well as industry safety and health professionals about ISSA’s best practices and to publicize results through outreach by ISSA and through OSHA, or ISSA-developed materials, training programs, workshops, seminars and lectures. In addition, Alliance members will promote the national dialogue on workplace safety and health by participating in forums, roundtable discussions and stakeholder meetings to forge innovative solutions to hazards in the cleaning and maintenance industry.

ISSA represents more than 5,000 companies worldwide that distribute cleaning and maintenance products, equipment and related services to hospitals and other health care facilities, schools, factories, food service establishments, corporate complexes and commercial businesses.