RIMS and OSHA create partnership. (Property/Casualty).

In a move hailed as an important step forward, the Risk and Insurance Management Society Inc. and the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration have forged an alliance to help reduce illnesses and injuries in the workplace.

Under the agreement, RIMS and OSHA will establish lines of communication in an effort to improve risk managers' perception of the government agency as well as foster understanding in Washington about the safety and health needs of RIMS members. The two have pledged to exchange technical and best-practices information and to help promote OSHA's outreach services, such as consultation, training, technical assistance and voluntary program participation. They also hope to develop a way of demonstrating the cost benefits and business value of safety and health-management systems.

RIMS and OSHA signed a charter nearly four years ago, said John L. Henshaw, assistant secretary of labor for OSHA.

"We want to drive injuries and illnesses down," Henshaw said. "Under our alliance, we've agreed to use mutual tools to make that the case."

On April 5, OSHA announced that voluntary guidelines, rather than regulations, would be developed to reduce and prevent ergonomic injuries.

At RIMS' opening session April 15, RIMS President David Mair said five principles that RIMS had encouraged OSHA to consider had been included in the agency's guidelines.