Region 2 - Alliance Annual Report - March 8, 2018

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)
March 8, 2018

  1. Alliance Background

     

    Date Signed

    September 9, 2004

    Renewed

    August 24, 2006
    October 27, 2008
    September 20, 2011
    February 12, 2014
    March 9, 2017

    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

    Judith Cruz, Acting Director Voluntary Programs Division, PR OSHA.

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

    Contributors

    N/A

    Evaluation Period

    January 1, 2017 to December 31, 2017

  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 in 10hr General Industry course
        • Introduction to OSHA in 30hr General Industry Course
        • Soil mechanics and pile driving - basic concepts
        • Basic concepts of soil engineering and geotechnics
        • Grounding of electrical systems
        • Electricity in the industry
        • Entry to electrical substations by not-qualified personnel: PPE
        • Fire Suppression Systems and NFPA 2001
        • Welding Safety Inspections for Supervisors
        • Structural elements in Concrete and Steel Buildings
        • Elevators, Mechanical Stairs and Forklifts – Symptoms of problems, their root cause and abatement
        • Safety in the use of Cranes in Construction
        • Telecommunications Fundamentals: Concepts, Regulations, Codes and Standards
        • Confined Spaces Training
        • Hazard Communication and GHS
        • Hazwoper Refresher
        • Hazwoper 40hr
        • 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
        • Distributed information to membership on over 40 seminars or courses on safety and/or health topics (internal and external to the organization).
        • Disseminated information by e-mail on the Workers’ Memorial Day Commemoration to all CIAPR members.
        • Provided information to CIAPR members on Safe+Sound Campaign and Fall Safety Stand-Down Week.
    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
        • Slips, Trips and falls and its consequences – Accident reconstruction and Investigation
        • Safety, Mobility and Health in Transportation
        • Road safety – auditing
        • Accident reconstruction applied to safety
        • Legionella’s prevention and control in portable water
        • Indoor Air Quality
        • Evaluation and inspection of building structures
        • Earthquakes and Tsunamis: Search and rescue
        • The ABC of Rescue of people trapped in elevators
        • Build to excellence, efficiency and resistant to earthquakes 32
        • Hurricane Awareness
        • Inspections after a Hurricane: All you need to know
        • OSHA 10hr General Industry Course
        • OSHA 30hr General Industry Course
        • How to write a Job Hazard Analysis
    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.

        • “Traffic incident management in Puerto Rico: Impact of the Federal Highway Administration and the Everyday counts” program” - article in CIAPR’s “Dimensión” e-newsletter, Vol 1, 2017.

      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 2017.

  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 12,759 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

    654
    III.A.2

    14628
    III.B.1

    645
    III.C.1

    2697
    III.C.2

    618
    TOTAL

    19242

    *Please refer to Section III: Events and Products for details.

  5. Upcoming Milestones
    1. 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.