AGREEMENT ESTABLISHING AN ALLIANCE BETWEEN
BOSTON AREA OFFICE SOUTH
PROVIDENCE AREA OFFICE
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
U.S DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
AND
CENTRO COMUNITARIO DE TRABAJADORES

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Boston Area South Area Office, Providence Area Office, and the Centro Comunitario de Trabajadores (CCT) recognize the value of establishing a collaborative relationship to foster safety and health practices and programs to improve American workplaces. To that end, OSHA and CCT hereby establish an Alliance with an emphasis on addressing workplace safety and health hazards faced by CCT’s constituency of immigrant and low-wage workers in southern New England, as well as understanding the rights of these workers 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 “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 participants will use relevant 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 to evaluate the effectiveness of the Alliance and measure the impact of its overall effort on improving workplace safety and health. In developing this Alliance, OSHA and CCT recognize that OSHA's State Plan and On-site Consultation Project 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 related to raising awareness of OSHA's rulemaking and enforcement initiatives:

• 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 regarding the rights as an employee under the whistleblower protection laws enforced by OSHA and the importance of filing complaints right away if someone believes they have been retaliated against for exercising those rights.

• Speak, exhibit, or appear at OSHA and CCT’s conferences, local meetings, or other events.

• Convene or participate in forums, roundtable discussions, or stakeholder meetings on low- wage and immigrant workers to help forge innovative solutions in the workplace or to provide input on safety and health issues.

• Encourage worker participation in workplace safety and health regardless of immigration status and build relationships with OSHA’s Regional and Area Offices to address health and safety issues faced by low-wage and immigrant workers.

• Share information among OSHA personnel and industry safety and health professionals regarding the Centro Comunitario de Trabajadores’ best practices or effective approaches through training programs, workshops, seminars, and lectures or other forums developed by the participants.

• Collaborate with other Alliance participants on specific issues and projects on preventing workplace hazards for immigrant workers that are addressed and developed through the Alliance Program.

• To develop and disseminate case studies on the specific difficulties and strategies found effective in preventing hazards faced by immigrants and publicize their results.

Training and Education

The Participants intend to work together to achieve the following training and education objectives:

• Develop effective training and education programs regarding the workplace safety and health hazards experienced by CCT members and communicate such information to constituent employers and workers in a culturally and linguistically appropriate manner.

• Develop effective training and education programs for CCT members which are culturally and linguistically appropriate to promote an understanding of workers' rights, including the use of the OSHA's complaint process, and the responsibilities of 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, communications, training, and education. These Alliances have proven to be valuable tools for both OSHA and Alliance participants. By entering into 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 Boston Area South Area Office and Providence Area Office, along with any other appropriate offices. OSHA will encourage State Plan States' and OSHA On-site Consultation Projects' participation on the team.

This agreement will remain in effect for two years. Any signatory may terminate it for any reason at any time, provided the terminating signatory give 30 days’ written notice to the other. This agreement may be modified at any time with the written concurrence of all signatories

Signed this 29th day of June, 2023.