Cabinet manufacturers enter safety alliance with OSHA

Employers and employees involved in the manufacturing of kitchen cabinets will benefit from a new Alliance signed today between the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association (KCMA).

Through the Alliance agreement, OSHA and KCMA will work together to provide association members and others with materials, guidance and access to training resources that will help them protect employees' health and safety, especially in reducing and preventing exposure to amputation hazards.

"It is important to educate employees about safety and health hazards in the work environment," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Edwin G. Foulke, Jr. "We are pleased that our new Alliance with KCMA will help us identify and guard against workplace hazards that are likely to cause amputations."

Added Bill Weaver, KCMA president and president of Canyon Creek Cabinet Company: "The Kitchen Cabinet Manufacturers Association is very pleased to formally enter into an Alliance with the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration to utilize our collective knowledge, experience and expertise to achieve the goal of reducing amputations in the cabinet manufacturing industry. This is an area of mutual concern and through our efforts, we are confident that further progress will be made."

OSHA and KMCA will provide expertise in developing information on the recognition and prevention of amputation injuries and on ways of communicating such information (e.g., print and electronic media, electronic assistance tools, and OSHA's and KCMA's Web sites) to employers and employees in the industry.

Alliance members will promote the national dialogue on workplace safety and health by participating in forums, roundtable discussions, and stakeholder meetings on preventing amputations to help forge innovative solutions to hazards in the workplace.

KCMA is a national trade association that serves and represents kitchen, bath and other residential cabinet manufacturers and suppliers.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthy workplace for their employees. OSHA's role is to promote the safety and health of America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach, and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual process improvement in workplace safety and health. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.