AGREEMENT RENEWING AN ALLIANCE
BETWEEN
ALLENTOWN AREA OFFICE
THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
AND
WAGE AND HOUR DIVISION
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
AND
LEHIGH CAREER AND TECHNICAL INSTITUTE

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Allentown Area Office, and Wage and Hour Division's (WHD) Wilkes-Barre and Philadelphia District Offices, and the Lehigh Career and Technical Institute (LCTI), continue to recognize the value of establishing a collaborative relationship to foster safety and health practices and programs to improve American workplaces. To that end, OSHA, WHD, and LCTI hereby renew the Alliance signed September 8, 2022, with a continued emphasis on warehousing and materials logistics safety. Specifically, all organizations are committed to providing members and others with information, guidance, and access to training resources that will help them protect workers and understand the rights of workers and the responsibilities of employers under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act). Through the Alliance, the organizations will continue to address safety and health hazards including overexertion, contact with objects, and fall hazards. Additionally, this Alliance will address issues related to WHD statutes and regulation related to the warehousing industry and temporary workforce and ensure that workers understand their rights and the responsibilities of employers under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act).

This agreement provides a framework and objectives for the Alliance's activities. Alliance participants also agree to meet the requirements for program participation laid out in the "Fundamental Requirements for OSHA Alliance Program Participants" and the "Guidelines for OSHA's Alliance Program Participants: Alliance Products and Other Alliance Projects."

Through the Alliance, the organizations will continue to meet monthly, as resources permit and will use injury, illness, and hazard exposure data, when appropriate, to help identify areas of emphasis for Alliance awareness, outreach, and communication activities. The Alliance will also explore and implement selected options, including but not limited to member surveys, to evaluate the Alliance and measure the impact on improving workplace safety and health. In renewing this Alliance, OSHA and its' members recognize that OSHA's State Plan and On-Site Consultation Program partners are an integral part of the OSHA national effort, and that information about the products and activities of the Alliance may be shared with these partners for the advancement of common goals.

Raising Awareness: Outreach and Communication

The Participants intend to work together to achieve the following objectives:

• Share information on OSHA's National/Regional/Local Initiatives (Emphasis Programs, Regulatory Agenda, Outreach), and opportunities to participate in initiatives and the rulemaking process.

• Share information on occupational safety and health laws and standards, including the rights and responsibilities of workers and employers.

• Share information on wage and hour laws and regulations, including workplace rights with overtime, use of the Family and Medical Leave Act, and assurances that workers are safe from workplace harassment and retaliation when they claim their rights.

• Share information on the recognition and prevention of workplace hazards, and communicate such information (e.g., print, and electronic media, electronic assistance tools, and OSHA, WHD, and LCTI websites) to employers and workers in the industry.

• Assist LCTI in curriculum development or review regarding the Materials Logistics Program, occupational safety and health regulations, guidelines, and best practices, and wage and hour requirements.

• Speak, exhibit, or appear at conferences, local meetings, or other events, as time and resources permit.

• Convene or participate in forums, roundtable discussions, or stakeholder meetings on warehouse and material logistics, workplace safety and health issues, and/or wage and hour issues to help forge innovative solutions in the workplace and/or to provide input on identified issues.

• Share information among OSHA and WHD personnel and industry safety and health professionals regarding participating members' good practices or effective approaches through training programs, workshops, seminars, and lectures (or any other applicable forum).

• Encourage worker participation in workplace safety and health by permitting active participation in any local meetings, conference, or other events, as time and resources permit.

• Collaborate with other Alliance participants on specific issues and projects on the primary focused hazards within the industry, including overexertion, contact with objects, and falls.

Training and Education

The Participants intend to work together to achieve the following objectives:

• Review and provide input into training and education programs for the warehouse and materials logistics industry regarding workplace safety and health hazards and wage and hour regulations and communicate such information to constituent employers and workers.

• Deliver or arrange for the delivery of OSHA #7005 - Public Warehousing and Storage course.

• Review and provide input on training and education programs for the warehouse and materials logistics industry to promote understanding of workers' rights, including the use of the OSHA complaint process, and the responsibilities of employers and to communicate such information to workers and employers.

OSHA's Alliances provide organizations an opportunity to participate in a voluntary cooperative relationship with OSHA for purposes such as raising awareness of OSHA's initiatives, outreach, communication, training, and education. These Alliances have proven to be valuable tools for both OSHA and Alliance participants. By entering an Alliance with an organization, OSHA is not endorsing or promoting, nor does it intend to endorse or promote, any of that organization's products or services.

An implementation team made up of representatives of each organization will meet one to two times per year to track and share information on activities and results in achieving the goals of the Alliance. OSHA team members will include representatives of the OSHA Allentown Area Office and the Wage and Hour District Offices (Philadelphia and Wilkes-Barre) as well as representatives from the Lehigh Career and Technical Institute.

This agreement will remain in effect for five years. Any signatory may terminate their organization's participation in the agreement for any reason at any time, provided they give 30 days' written notice. This agreement may be modified at any time with the written concurrence of all signatories.

Signed this 6th day of September, 2024.