AGREEMENT ESTABLISHING AN ALLIANCE
BETWEEN
THE FORT LAUDERDALE AREA OFFICE
OF THE
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR,
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH FLORIDA (USF) SAFETYFLORIDA CONSULTATION PROGRAM,
AND
SOUTH FLORIDA MANUFACTURERS ASSOCIATION

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Fort Lauderdale Area Office, the University of South Florida (USF) SafetyFlorida Consultation Program and the South Florida Manufacturers Association (SFMA) recognize the value of establishing a collaborative relationship to foster safety and health practices and programs to improve American workplaces. To that end, OSHA, USF and the SFMA hereby form an Alliance to provide the SFMA members and the public with information, guidance, and access to training resources that will help them protect workers by reducing and preventing exposure to hazards in the manufacturing industry related to falls, electricity, warehousing, chemicals, heat illness, and emergency response issues, and understand the rights of 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 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 use available 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 developing this Alliance, OSHA, USF and the SFMA 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 Initiatives (Emphasis Programs, Regulatory Agenda, Outreach), and opportunities to participate in initiatives and the rulemaking process.
• Share¹ information on occupational safety and health laws and standards, including the rights and responsibilities of workers and employers.
• Develop information on the recognition and prevention of workplace hazards, and communicate such information (e.g., print, and electronic media, electronic assistance tools, OSHA and the SFMA websites) to employers and workers in the industry. Ensure information developed encourages and reflects the diversity of the workforce and is accessible in multiple languages and formats.
• Speak, exhibit, or appear at OSHA and SFMA conferences, local meetings, and other events such as SFMA's annual "Employee Excellence Recognition Events."
• Share information among OSHA personnel and industry safety and health professionals regarding SFMA's good practices or effective approaches through training programs, workshops, seminars, lectures (or any other applicable forum).
• Encourage SFMA members to build relationships with OSHA's Regional and Fort Lauderdale Area Offices to address health and safety issues, including OSHA's Safe + Sound Campaign.

Training and Education

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

• Develop effective training and education programs for SFMA members regarding manufacturing industry prevailing hazards², and communicate such information to constituent employers and workers. Ensure training materials/program are made available in appropriate languages and formats to equitably meet the needs of their target audiences.
• Deliver or arrange for the delivery of manufacturing industry safety and health courses.
• Develop effective training and education programs for SFMA members 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. Ensure training materials/program are made available in appropriate languages and formats to equitably meet the needs of their target audiences.

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 Fort Lauderdale Area Office and any other appropriate offices. OSHA will encourage State Plans' and OSHA On-Site Consultation program's participation on the team.

This agreement will remain in effect for two years. Either signatory may terminate it 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 both signatories.

Signed at Fort Lauderdale, Florida, this 16th day of April 2024.

¹This will primarily be accomplished by the following methods – The monthly SFMA newsletters and quarterly live Webinars (as well as in-person events). Information will be recorded and uploaded to SFMA Environmental Health Safety (EHS) Library. In many instances courses/ webinars are translated to Spanish and uploaded as well to serve our Spanish-speaking members.

²Manufacturing industry prevailing hazards include - fall protection, electrical safety, confined space safety, steel erection, struck-by, silica, noise, and other health hazards.