Contact: Paula Weis
(202) 974-5282

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

SPI/OSHA RENEW STRATEGIC ALLIANCE
Partnership Will Continue to Foster Safer, More Healthful Workplaces

WASHINGTON, DC (November 3, 2005) - In a ceremony held today in Washington, The Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc. (SPI) formally signed an agreement renewing its alliance with the federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA). Under the partnership, OSHA will continue to assist in providing SPI members with information and guidance that will help them protect plastic industry employees, particularly in the identification and elimination of machinery hazards. In addition, the organizations will work together to raise awareness of hazard communication issues in the workplace.

SPI President William R. Carteaux signed the agreement, which aims to continue the development of outreach and communications tools for plastics manufacturing facilities. Among the objectives for the third year of the partnership are to create a train-the-trainer program for machine guarding and lockout/tagout for blow-molding operations. This will mirror similar products developed for injection, extrusion and thermoforming companies by the alliance since its inaugural year. Additionally, the alliance will develop a 10-hour course that is specific to plastics processes, such as injection, thermoforming and extrusion.

SPI business units supporting the alliance include the Thermoforming Institute's Safety Committee, and the Occupational Health and Environmental Issues Committee (OHEIC). Through the alliance, SPI and OSHA will present machine safety training workshops in conjunction with NPE 2006.

"Through this partnership, we can work on issues we're all interested in," Agency Deputy Assistant Secretary Steven Witt remarked, "Together we can make a tremendous impact."

"By renewing our relationship with OSHA, SPI can continue to provide our members from throughout the plastics industry with the tools they need to ensure a safe working environment for their employees," said Carteaux. "It is great to see SPI and OSHA working together to promote safer workplaces."

More information about the machine guarding and lockout/tagout train-the-trainer machine safety courses for injection molding, extrusion and thermoforming can be found at the following link: http://www.plasticsindustry.org/public/worksafe/alliance.htm.

Founded in 1937, The Society of the Plastics Industry, Inc., is the trade association representing one of the largest manufacturing industries in the United States. SPI's members represent the entire plastics industry supply chain, including processors, machinery and equipment manufacturers and raw materials suppliers. The U.S. plastics industry employs 1.3 million workers and provides nearly $345 billion in annual shipments. For more information, visit SPI on the Web at www.plasticsindustry.org.

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