ANNUAL ALLIANCE REPORT
Department of Professional Development and Continued Education of the
Professional College of Engineers and Land Surveyors of Puerto Rico (CIAPR)
US Department of Labor – OSHA, Puerto Rico Area Office (PRAO),
and
PR Department of Labor - Puerto Rico Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (PR-OSHA)
February 25, 2016

1. Alliance Background

    

   Date Signed

   September 9, 2004

   Renewed

   August 24, 2006
   October 27, 2008
   September 20, 2011
   February 12, 2014

   Overview

   The purposes of this alliance are to improve workplace safety and health for workers in Puerto Rico and provide members of the CIAPR and others with information, guidance and access to training resources that will help them protect employees' health and safety, particularly in reducing and preventing exposure to hazards in the construction industry.

   Implementation Team Members

   Gloria Torres, González, Director Department of Professional Development and Continued Education (DPD&CE), CIAPR

   Magal González, Past Director Department of Professional Development and Continued Education (DPD&CE), CIAPR

   Ilza S. Román, Director Voluntary Programs Division, PR OSHA.

   Madelline Medina, Safety Engineer, Federal OSHA (Region 2/Technical Support)

   Contributors

   N/A

   Evaluation Period

   January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2016

2. Implementation Team Meetings

    

   Periodic communication was held through e-mails and telephone calls with the CIAPR, PR OSHA, and Federal OSHA implementation team members.

3. Events and Products

    

   1. Raising Awareness of OSHA’s Rulemaking and Enforcement Initiatives

      Goal 1: To share information on occupational safety and health laws and standards, including the rights and responsibilities of workers and employers.

      • Events

        Seminars were offered through CIAPR or through other approved institutions/organizations on the following topics:

        • Introduction to OSHA
        • Introduction to OSHA in 30hr construction industry courses
        • Introduction to OSHA in 10hr construction industry course
        • Introduction to Construction Projects Inspections
        • Guides to Strengthen Concrete Structures
        • Construction Worker Safety
        • Introduction to Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices (MUTCD) 2010
        • Inspection of Elevators and Related Equipment
        • Confined Spaces
        • Protective Systems against cave-ins
        • Soil engineering basic concepts
        • Soil Mechanics and Pile diving
        • Safe Installation ad Dismantling of Scaffolding Systems
        • Stairways and Ladders: A Guide to OSHA rules
        • Fall Prevention and Protection
        • Residential Wiring (during Construction): Theory and Practice
        • Electricity and Industry Automation
        • Electrical Hazards in Mechanical Equipment
        • Electrical Safety Fundamentals for Civil Engineers
        • Control of Hazardous Energy: Lockout/Tagout
        • Generation, Distribution, and Transmission (29CFR 1910.269)
        • Arc Flash (Flashover)
        • Welding Safety Inspections for Supervisors
        • Combustible Dust Explosions: Causes and Prevention
        • Sanitation 101
        • Hazwoper Refresher
        • Hazwoper 40hr
        • Hazard Communication and GHS
        • Emergency Action Plans
        • Asbestos awareness
       

      Goal 2: To encourage worker participation in workplace safety and health issues by disseminating information on the various meetings and seminars being conducted by the organizations participating in this Alliance.

      • Events
        • As an alliances' participant, distributed information to membership about the 7^th Annual Safety, Occupational Health and Environmental Conference conducted in October 20 - 21, 2016.
        • Distributed information to membership on 65+ seminars or courses on safety and/or health topics (internal and external to the organization).
   2. Training and Education

      Goal 1: To deliver or arrange for the delivery of general and construction industries' focused hazards courses, to deliver seminars on workers' rights and the responsibilities of employers, and to communicate such information to workers and employers.

      • Events
        • Changes in the NEC 2014
        • Electrical Hazards Mitigation
        • Electric substation: The Power Transformer General Concepts and Maintenance
        • Electric Substations: The Electric Equipment
        • Basic Concepts in Forensic Engineering Focusing in Electrical Investigations
        • Forensic Engineering applied to Motor Vehicles Accident Investigation
        • Lessons Learned: Rio Piedras Sewage System Construction
        • Safety Reliability Risk Assessment - Failure Mode and Effect Analysis
        • Law 267: Excavations and Demolitions in Puerto Rico
        • Reinforced soil systems
        • Practical Guidelines for Implementation of Safety Audits in Road Work
        • Integrating Safety in Planning, Design, and Operations
        • Community Emergency Response Team (CERT)
        • Incident Command Systems
        • Management of Natural Disasters for Land surveyors and Engineers
        • OSHA 30hr Construction Industry Course
        • OSHA 10hr Construction Industry Course
        • Mechanized stabilization of earth walls and slopes' reinforcement
        • Introduction to Reconstruction of Workplace Accidents
   3. Outreach and Communication

      Goal 1: To develop information on the recognition and prevention of workplace hazards, and to develop ways of communicating such information {e.g., print and electronic media, electronic assistance tools, and OSHA's and the CIAPR Web sites) to employers and workers in the industry.

      • Events

        Note: The e-newsletter is available through Internet to CIAPR members and the general public.

        • "Feasibility of Nano-silica Particles as a Mineral Admixture for High-Performance Concrete Mixture Designs" - article in CIAPR's "Dimensión" e-newsletter, Vol 1, 2016.
        • "Changes in the Electrical Industry and its regulatory role" – article in CIAPR's "Dimensión" e-newsletter, Vol 3, 2016.

      Goal 2: Speak, exhibit, or appear at OSHA's, PR-OSHA's or the CIAPR's local conferences and meetings, or other outreach or educational events.

      • Events
        • CIAPR EXPO Summit, May 2016.
4. Results

    

   CIAPR's Continued Education Division, through this Alliance, continues to qualify training sessions offered by Regional Office Technical Support Safety Engineer as continued education. This allows the courses on safety and health topics to be taught to professional engineers (PE) and engineers-in-training (EIT), enhancing their awareness and knowledge of occupational hazards. CIAPR is also allowing EITs and PEs who attend safety and/or health seminars and courses outside the institutions to obtain CEUs, which can be credited towards their licenses' CEUs.

   In addition, CIAPR has continued to make the courses and seminars offered by OSHA available to professionals outside the CIAPR, expanding the Agency's outreach efforts throughout the various industries. Over 11,460 participants from the construction and general industries have attended safety and/or health courses, seminars, conferences, or speeches since the initial signing of this Alliance in September 2004.

   Type of Activity (Conference, Training, Print and Electronic Distribution, etc.) *	Number of Individuals Trained/Reached
   III.A.1	919
   III.A.2	10229
   III.B.1	541
   III.C.1	6164
   III.C.2	827
   TOTAL	18680

   *Please refer to Section III: Events and Products for details.
5. Upcoming Milestones
   1. a. To continue offering seminar/training sessions on construction and general industry safety and health related topics through this Alliance. This will allow licensed engineers to enhance their occupational safety and health hazards awareness, at the same time they comply with the CIAPR license renewal law requirements concerning continued education contact-hours.
   2. To renew the alliance during 2^nd Q FY 17.