OSHA has extended its alliance with the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) for two additional years, claiming the collaborative relationship and the continued progress being made is too important to bring to an end.

"It's been more than a year-and-a-half since we first formalized the alliance with AIHA,” said OSHA Administrator John Henshaw, “and we're just now beginning to realize the fruits of many efforts.”

Since the alliance's inception in October 2002, OSHA and AIHA have worked closely together on many fronts to reach goals set in the agreement.

Three OSHA staffers are participating as ad hoc members on AIHA's Ergonomics Committee to facilitate communication between the two organizations and to address and jointly resolve any ergonomic-related issues. OSHA's Educational Centers now have contacts with AIHA regional chapters so the Centers may obtain training information and/or safety instructors.

AIHA has added links from its Web site to OSHA's Alliance and Ergonomics Web pages and is participating on various editorial boards for OSHA's Safety and Health Topics pages.

A major priority for the renewal is to find ways to help OSHA educate its staff about safety and health professional certifications and to work with other alliance participants to develop the business case for safety and health.