ISSA and OSHA Cooperate On New Cleaning Industry Web Page
By Dan Wagner

 A new U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) web page, developed with the direct support and assistance of ISSA, will help employers in the cleaning industry protect the safety and health of their most valuable asset – their employees.

The new Safety and Health Topics page, “OSHA Assistance for the Cleaning Industry,” provides general information on potential workplace hazards – such as slips, trips and falls – and bloodborne pathogens, as well as information on OSHA standards and links to free resources available from both OSHA and ISSA. The web page is a direct product of the recently renewed formal alliance between OSHA and ISSA.


“Through the alliance with OSHA, ISSA has positioned itself as the leading resource on safety and health issues for employers and employees in the cleaning industry,” said ISSA Director of Legislative Affairs Bill Balek. “This new safety and health topics page is another example of ISSA’s commitment to assist, and employers and their workers in identifying and preventing workplace hazards in the cleaning industry.”

ISSA and OSHA established a formal alliance in 2005 to enhance the safety and health of workers throughout the cleaning industry. Under the auspices of the alliance, ISSA and OSHA have worked together to communicate to the cleaning industry ways they can improve the safety and health of their employees and otherwise protect them from workplace hazards.

Officially renewed in August 2007, the alliance is credited with providing more than 77,000 ISSA members and others with valuable information and training resources. Among the projects undertaken in conjunction with the alliance are the development of fact sheets and checklists on slips, trips and falls; the establishment of the “Safety and Health Corner” feature in ISSA’s (itsals)Legislative & Regulatory Update(enditals); cross-participation at various industry events to disseminate crucial safety and health information; and the development of the “ISSA Safety and Health Portal” (SHP), one of a kind Web network.

The new OSHA web page complements the SHP, which is dedicated exclusively to the protection of the health and safety of workers in the cleaning industry. Structured to provide essential information in an easy-to-use format, the SHP (www.issa.com/osha) offers five topic-specific pages, focusing on Exposure to Bloodborne Pathogens; Cleaning chemicals in the Workplace (Hazard Communication); Injury and Illness Recordkeeping; Personal Protective Equipment (PPE); and Slips, Trips and Falls in the Workplace.

For more information on the ISSA/OSHA alliance of the SHP, please contact myself at (800) 225-4772.

 - Dan Wagner is the director of the Cleaning Industry Management Standard (CIMS) and the director of facility service legislative affairs for ISSA. He can be reached at , phone (800) 225-4772 (North America) or (847) 982-0800.