OSHA Forms Surface Finishing Alliance
Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Edwin G. Foulke Jr. and William D. Wiggins, chairman, government advisory committee, National Association for Surface Finishing (NASF), signed an alliance to provide NASF’s members and others, such as small businesses and non-English speaking employees, with information, guidance, and access to training resources that will help them protect employees' health and safety in the metal surface finishing industry.
"This agreement will provide NASF members and others in the metal surface finishing industry with information, guidance and access to training resources to protect employees from occupational hazards," Foulke said. "The alliance will particularly focus on reducing and preventing exposure to chemical hazards, including hexavalent chromium."
Founded in 2007, NASF is an amalgamation of three long-standing surface finishing trade associations, formally known as the American Electroplaters and Surface Finishers Society, the Metal Finishing Suppliers Association, and National Association of Metal Finishers. Its 900 member companies include job-shop metal finishers, chemical and equipment suppliers, manufacturers, surface coaters, and more than 2,000 individual academic, scientific, and technical professionals.
"We look forward to working closely with OSHA on some of the most important goals for surface finishing companies in the United States–pursuing continuous improvement toward a more healthy and productive workplace for our employees, and increasing awareness among non-native English speaking employees on how to maximize the use of good practices out on the job shop floor," said Ray Lucas, president of the NASF. "Through the alliance, we will take the industry’s commitment to health and safety to the next level."