ASHI and OSHA signed an alliance that provides a foundation for both organizations to work together on emergency preparedness and response, including first aid information such as cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and automated external defibrillator (AED) techniques.
"The American Safety and Health Institute, through its resource of professional safety and health educators, are the experts in life-saving training, and we're pleased that we'll be able to draw on that expertise to ensure that workers have the tools and training they need to respond to emergency situations," said OSHA Administrator John Henshaw.
"ASHI is pleased to enter into this alliance with OSHA," added Tim Eiman, ASHI vice chairman. "In light of domestic threats, it's more important than ever that employers and employees are prepared to respond to emergencies. ASHI will work collaboratively with OSHA to enhance workplace emergency preparedness and provide guidance for training employees."
The alliance will give OSHA and ASHI the opportunity to help prepare employees, including but not limited to youth and Spanish-speaking workers, to respond to emergency situations at the workplace. A key component of the alliance is to work with other alliance participants on specific issues and projects related to emergency preparedness and response, such as CPR and AED techniques, business continuity issues, and first aid information.
OSHA and ASHI representatives plan to speak, exhibit or appear at OSHA and/or ASHI conferences and local meetings, including ASHI's annual conference. ASHI will work with OSHA to provide expertise in developing information on the recognition and prevention of workplace hazards, and to also develop a means to communicate the information to employers and workers.
ASHI is a not-for-profit association of professional safety and health educators focusing on excellence in education in the areas of CPR, AED, first aid, workplace safety/disaster preparedness, rescue and wilderness survival skills, among others, while successfully targeting all areas of safety and health, helping to educate both the lay public and emergency service professionals.