OSHA, U.S. Surgical/Tyco align to help manufacturers

Providing Greater New Haven, Conn., area manufacturers and their employees with safety and health training is the goal of a new alliance between the Bridgeport office of the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the United States Surgical Division of Tyco Healthcare (USS/Tyco) in North Haven.

The alliance, which was signed recently in Bridgeport by Robert Kowalski, OSHA's area director in Bridgeport, and Kenneth Niehoff, USS/Tyco site director in North Haven, will seek to reduce hazards among manufacturing employees in Greater New Haven through the development and delivery of training and education programs focusing on common manufacturing hazards.

Under the alliance, members of the Greater New Haven Manufacturers Association and other participants will be surveyed by USS/Tyco to determine training topics that are of greatest importance or relevance to them. The information will be used to develop targeted safety and health programs and curricula for employees.

"We want to focus training resources where they're most needed, most wanted and most effective," said Kowalski. "By tailoring the training in this way, the alliance can provide manufacturing employees in the greater New Haven area with the information and training they need to identify and prevent hazards before they cause injuries and illnesses."

Areas of training can include machine guarding, hazardous energy control (lockout/tagout), hazard communication, bloodborne pathogens, recordkeeping and other topics identified through the surveys. OSHA and USS/Tyco will also share information regarding best practices and effective approaches to workplace safety.

They will also promote and encourage participation in OSHA's cooperative programs. For information about this and other OSHA alliances and partnerships in Connecticut, call OSHA's area offices in Bridgeport at 203-579-5581 or in Hartford at 860-240-3152.

OSHA safety and health alliances are part of U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao's ongoing efforts to improve the health and safety of employees through cooperative partnerships with trade associations, labor organizations, employers and government agencies. OSHA currently has more than 450 alliances throughout the nation with organizations committed to fostering safety and health in the workplace.