OSHA and SMRP Team Up for Safety

For the next two years, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Society for Maintenance and Reliability Professionals (SMRP) agree to work together to increase safety awareness among SMRP members and their employers. SMRP says collaboration is ideal and that members will benefit from using OSHA's resources and expertise.

Working Together

In 2016, there were 5,190 fatal occupational industries, according to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics. About 20 percent of those who died were working in installation, maintenance, and repair occupations; about two percentage points up from 2015's records.

"SMRP recognizes the value of establishing a collaborative relationship to foster safety and health practices and programs to improve American workplaces and keep maintenance and reliability professionals safe," said SMRP Executive Director Erin Erickson, before the 2018 SMRP conference in Orlando, Florida.

SMRP is a nonprofit that has a global membership of more than 6,500 professionals. The agency promotes excellence in maintenance and reliability through professional educational opportunities as well as by working to set industry standards and best practices for equipment, facilities, and more. 

Through the alliance, SMRP will provide more information and training on preventing worker exposure to safety and health hazards in the maintenance, reliability, and physical asset management profession. Some of the hazard prevention focuses include slips, trips, and falls, and electrical work hazards, which each year are among OSHA's Top 10 Violations. The alliance is also a way for the organization to get members more active in participating in OSHA programs such as the Safe + Sound campaign and the National Safety Stand-down for Construction. The pair will also work together to inform workers about their rights and employers about their responsibilities.

"This alliance demonstrates our joint commitment to develop and provide valuable safety and health information to help employers and employees identify job-related hazards and prevent workplace injuries, illnesses, and fatalities," said Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Loren Sweatt.

Through OSHA's Alliance Program, the federal agency aims to increase collaborative relationships with various agencies and groups to create an even bigger commitment to worker safety and health. The groups will then work together to hash out ways to prevent workplace fatalities, injuries, and illnesses for a target audience by helping them reduce hazards. The goal is to also help businesses comply with OSHA requirements.

Encourage Participation

Employers can do their part to contribute to the safety conversation by staying up to date on industry topics and safety best practices. Minimize accidents by meeting OSHA requirements. There are a variety of ways for workplaces to assess risk in their facility. It begins with a hazard analysis to ensure compliance with health and safety laws. This enables a business to identify hazards and establish ways to eliminate them. Be proactive in minimizing machine failure and improving productivity/improving quality of time.