OSHA joins Ohio BWC, trade associations to create Ohio Craft Brewery Alliance

October 17th, 2018 by Dakota Software Staff

Most workplaces with heavy machinery refuse to allow alcohol on the premises. That's not exactly feasible, though, in the ever-expanding craft brewing industry. The potential for drinking on the job makes a career in brewing seem like a dream to many, but could also quite possibly represent a major occupational hazard.

OSHA, the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Compensation and Ohio's craft brewery associations announced a new partnership intended to reduce such risks and enhance the safety of the nearly 300 craft breweries located in the Buckeye State. The newly formed Ohio Craft Brewery Alliance will seek to raise awareness and develop industry-specific safety education and training, according to Occupational Health & Safety magazine.

"As safety professionals, we must react quickly to meet the needs of employers in emerging industries that are still perfecting processes and learning important safety lessons as they grow," said Dr. Abe Al-Tarawneh, the chief of BWC's Division of Safety and Industrial Hygiene, in a press release from the Ohio BWC. "This alliance will help employers in Ohio's budding craft brewery industry assess their workplaces and correct hazardous conditions that have the potential to cause injury."

Public-private partnership involves three trade associations

Trade associations participating in the alliance include the Master Brewers Association of the Americas District Midwest, the Brewers Association and the Ohio Craft Brewers Association, which represents craft breweries in all corners of the state, from Cincinnati's Rhinegeist to Cleveland's Great Lakes. Alliance members pledged to work together to educate and support Ohio brewery owners and their workers, with an emphasis on industry-specific issues such as grain handling, keg filling, bottling, canning and delivery.

The Ohio Craft Brewery Alliance is a partnership between government agencies and craft brewery trade associations

"In addition to safety challenges common to all manufacturers, breweries face unique risks associated with material handling and difficult working surfaces, as well as exposure to scalding liquids and electrical systems in wet areas," said Brewers Association Safety Ambassador Matt Stinchfield, according to an Ohio BWC release. "The alliance will unify efforts to support safety in Ohio breweries, and we are optimistic it will also reduce injuries and increase business efficiencies."

Participating breweries will be connected to safety resources and programs provided by the Bureau of Workers Compensation's Division of Safety and Hygiene and the OSHA On-Site Consultation program. The OCBA and other participating associations will also reach out to their members to promote safe work practices and facilitate training and education, according to Stinchfield.

Despite ranking seventh in population, Ohio ranks fifth among all fifty states in craft beer production, according to the Ohio Craft Brewers Association. There are currently 278 craft breweries operating in the state, with 65 more known to be in the planning stages. Ohio's craft brewing industry supports over 15,000 jobs, and had a $2.675 billion impact on the state's economy in 2016.