OSHA and IDFA Alliance

Safe, nutritious, and delicious dairy products come from the cow, but they are made by people. Dairy food companies therefore have two shared priorities – worker safety and food safety.

In 2021, IDFA and the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA) formed an Alliance to provide the dairy processing industry and the public with information, guidance, and access to training resources that will help protect the people making dairy products and improve their well-being.

IDFA invites its members to get involved by joining the IDFA Environment, Health and Safety Committee and by accessing important information on this page related to key standards, information on whistleblower protections, and a feedback form.

OSHA News

“Find and Fix” Tips for Proactive Worker Safety

IDFA members can view the full 45-minute webinar. We have also split the “Find and Fix” tips provided in the webinar into seven individual videos for members to download and use as part of your safety training, including front-line workers. 

Resources for Processors

Key Standards

OSHA Worker Rights and Protections

Federal law entitles employees to a safe workplace. Employers must keep workplaces free of known health and safety hazards, and employees have the right to speak up about hazards without fear of retaliation.

IDFA-OSHA Alliance Feedback Form

  • Please give us your feedback in the box below.

Additional Resources

Key Professional and Technical Association Resource Pages

IDFA Training Institute Education Center

Non-OSHA Regulations


Resources for Processors

Heat Illness Prevention

COVID-19

OSHA Enforcement

A key part of OSHA’s enforcement plan are its National Emphasis Programs. Individual OSHA Regions may also have Local and Regional Emphasis Programs that are important for dairy processors.

Each OSHA region and each state plan office has Compliance Assistance Specialists that can help your company come into compliance.

State OSHA Plans

Your state may have an OSHA-approved state plan that may have additional state health and safety regulations that are more stringent or supplemental to federal OSHA requirements. Check OSHA’s state plan map and then go to each State Plan’s Safety & Health Standards and Regulations for more information on specific requirements for your facilities.

OSHA Safe + Sound Program

OSHA runs Safe + Sound, a year-round campaign to encourage every workplace to have a safety and health program. The campaign has resources to help employers develop safety and health programs that include management leadership, worker participation, and a systematic approach to finding and fixing hazards. Learn more here.

“Find and Fix” Tips for Proactive Worker Safety

IDFA is pleased to present “Find and Fix” Tips for Proactive Worker Safety – a series of workplace safety videos for IDFA member company EHS leadership and professionals, safety teams and front-line workers. IDFA members can view the full 45-minute webinar. We have also split the “Find and Fix” tips provided in the webinar into seven individual videos for members to download and use as part of your safety training, including front-line workers. 


Key Standards

Forklift / Powered Industrial Truck Standards

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Risk Management Plan

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Process Safety Management

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