AGREEMENT ESTABLISHING AN ALLIANCE 
BETWEEN 
THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION 
THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR 
REGION VII, KANSAS CITY, OMAHA, SAINT LOUIS, AND WICHITA 
AREA OFFICES 
AND 
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF HEALTH CARE ASSISTANTS

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Region VII, Kansas City, Omaha, Saint Louis, Wichita Area Offices, and the National Association of Health Care Assistants (NAHCA), 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 NAHCA hereby form an Alliance to provide employers and employees in the healthcare industry with information, guidance, and access to training resources that will help them protect workers by reducing and preventing exposure to safety and health hazards. Through this alliance, OSHA and NAHCA will work in a cooperative manner to disseminate information related to 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. NAHCA members, that consist of 30,000 certified nursing assistants (CNAs) working in 500 nursing homes in 50 states including the District of Columbia 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 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, and NAHCA 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, and 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.
• Develop information on the recognition and prevention of workplace hazards, and communicate such information (e.g., print and electronic media, electronic assistance tools, and OSHA and NAHCA websites) to employers, and workers in the healthcare industry. Ensure information developed encourages and reflects diversity of workplaces and is accessible in multiple languages and formats.
• Speak, exhibit, or appear at OSHA and NAHCA conferences, local meetings, and other events.
• Convene or participate in forums, roundtable discussions, or stakeholder meetings on safety and health hazards in the healthcare industry to help forge innovative solutions in the workplace or to provide input on safety and health issues.
• Share information among OSHA personnel and industry safety and health professionals regarding NAHCA's good industry practices and effective approaches through training programs, workshops, seminars, and lectures (or any other applicable forum).
• Share safety and health information with CNAs of all experience levels in a language they understand and encourage them to report any unsafe working conditions and behaviors to their workplace safety committee and supervisors.
• Encourage NAHCA staff members to build relationships with OSHA's Regional, and Area Offices to address health and safety issues in the healthcare industry.

Training and Education

OSHA will provide technical support and health and safety information to NAHCA members as they work to achieve the following objectives:

• Develop effective training and education programs for CNAs and their employers regarding identification, prevention, and control of potential safety and health hazards such as but not limited to slips, trips and falls, ergonomic hazards, workplace violence, mental health/ suicide prevention, and biological and chemical hazards. Ensure training materials/programs are made available in appropriate languages and formats to equitably meet the needs of the target audiences.
• Develop effective training and education programs to promote understanding of workers' rights, including the use of the OSHA complaint process, and the responsibilities of employers to communicate such information to workers. Ensure training materials/programs are made available in appropriate languages and formats to equitably meet the needs of the target audiences.
• Develop effective training and education programs for CNAs of all experience levels, including young workers, to prevent fatalities, injuries, and illnesses by encouraging the reporting of near-misses and unsafe working conditions and behaviors to workplace safety committees and supervisors. Ensure training materials/programs are made available in appropriate languages and formats to equitably meet the needs of the 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 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 Region VII, Kansas City, Omaha, Saint Louis, and Wichita Area Offices. OSHA will encourage State Plans' and OSHA On-Site Consultation program 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 they give 30 days' written notice. This agreement may be modified at any time with the written concurrence of all signatories.

Signed this 15th day of November 2023.