Workplace health and safety is a year-round priority for the American Chemistry Council. And, every August, we promote the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Safe + Sound Week — a nationwide event underscoring the significance for employers and employees to design, implement and recognize successful workplace health and safety programs. We hope by bringing special attention to this celebratory week, employers throughout the U.S. will continue to help America’s workers stay safe and sound on the job every day.
Successful safety and health programs can identify and manage workplace hazards before they cause injury or illness. OSHA’s official Safe + Sound Week website offers employers and employees guidance and resources for helping start a program or energizing one already in place.
Here, you will find a variety of resources including webinars, course offerings, brochures and one-pagers — all offering tips and simple steps to help build a solid workplace health and safety program. OSHA encourages employers and employees to focus on health and safety programs in three areas: management leadership, worker participation, and finding and fixing hazards.
ACC’s Year-Round Commitment to Fostering Safer and More Healthful American Workplaces
ACC works tirelessly throughout the year to promote safe workplaces through the ACC-OSHA Alliance and beyond.
In September 2020, ACC’s Center for the Polyurethanes Industry (CPI) and the Diisocyanates (DII) and Aliphatic Diisocyanates (ADI) panels renewed their 2017 Alliance with OSHA for an additional five years. The primary objective of this ACC-OSHA Alliance is to provide members, occupational physicians, stakeholders, and others within the polyurethanes value chain with information, guidance, and access to training resources to help protect the health and safety of workers handling diisocyanates on the jobsite.
Through the ACC-OSHA Alliance, we have developed important guidance documents focused on personal protective equipment (PPE) recommendations for automotive coating applications, and medical screening and surveillance guidance for workers and employers.
ACC, outside of the OSHA Alliance, has also developed a number of health and safety training resources for the polyurethane value chain. These include:
- Resources and Documents Libraries: CPI, DII, and ADI all have substantial resource libraries with information about safety and product stewardship, including guidance materials on polyurethane safety, worker protection, waste disposal, transportation, industrial hygiene and regulatory compliance. Those handling diisocyanates chemicals or working within the polyurethanes value chain are encouraged to use these resources.
- SprayPolyurethane.org: For professional contractors and weatherization professionals, spraypolyurethane.org has important safety guidelines for the application of spray polyurethane foam (SPF).
- SPF Health and Safety Training Program: CPI’s free, online SPF Chemical Health and Safety Training program covers hazard information on SPF ingredients, safety practices, handling and disposal, and work site safety controls. There are two versions of the program: U.S. and Canadian. SPF applicators, supervisors, contractors, and business owners working directly or indirectly with SPF insulation and roofing are encouraged to take this training program. The U.S. version is available in English and Spanish, and the Canadian version is available in English and French.
- Automotive Refinishing Safety Video: Working with Diisocyanates: In 2019, the Coordinating Committee for Automotive Repair (CCAR) partnered with the ADI Panel to produce this easy to understand, three-minute instructional video for workers in the automotive refinishing industry to learn about working safely with these important products.
In addition, ACC members participate in Responsible Care®, the chemical industry’s world-class environmental, health, safety and security performance initiative. Through Responsible Care®, ACC member companies annually report their progress on a variety of process safety-related performance measures, which ACC makes publicly available on its website. ACC member companies are proud to have an employee safety record nearly five times better than the U.S. manufacturing sector, and almost three times better than the U.S. business of chemistry overall.
Safe + Sound Week is an excellent opportunity for organizations all over the country to come together and work toward a common goal of protecting the health and safety of employees while at work. Implementing these programs helps to save lives and prevent injury and illness, and at the same time helps to enhance a positive work experience. Join us this week and throughout the year, so that together, we can do our best to keep America’s employees safe and sound at work!
Follow Along on Twitter!
Join us on Twitter (@AmChemistry) for Safe + Sound Week, August 15-21, where we will be highlighting workplace health and safety programs designed by @OSHA_DOL and sharing information and ideas on how to help keep America’s workers safe. Make sure to follow #SafeandSoundatWork.
