THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
PUERTO RICO AREA OFFICE,

THE PUERTO RICO OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
PUERTO RICO DEPARTMENT OF LABOR AND HUMAN RESOURCES

AND

THE UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO - RIO PIEDRAS CAMPUS

1. Alliance Background

   Original signing: January 22, 2004
   1st Renewal: April 3, 2006
   2nd Renewal: April 15, 2008
   3rd Renewal: September 30, 2010
   4th Renewal: December 18, 2012
   5th Renewal: December 17, 2014
   6th Renewal: February 28, 2017

   Overview
   To provide the Rio Piedras Campus of the UPR, through Division of Continuing Education and Professional Studies (DECEP for its Spanish acronym), the Environmental Protection and Occupational Safety Office (OPASO for its Spanish acronym) and the Institute of Labor Relations from the Faculty of Social Sciences (IRT for its Spanish acronym) with information, guidance and access to training resources that will help them protect employees’ health and safety, particularly in reducing and preventing exposure to occupational health and safety hazards. This to be achieved through training and educational, outreach and communication, and promoting the national dialogue on workplace safety and health goals.

   Implementation Team Members
   From UPR-Rio Piedras Campus:
      Lymari Orellana - OPASO/ (Liaison)
      Jorge Ramos – OPASO, Director
      Josué Hernández/Carlos Rosado – DECEP, Director
      Tania García – IRT, Acting Director
      Julie Martínez – IRT, Program Officer
      Sandra Torres – IRT, Program Officer

   From Federal OSHA
      Madelline Medina – Safety Engineer, Region 2, Technical Support
   
   From PR – OSHA
      Maria del C. Rodriguez – Compliance Assistance Specialist

   Evaluation Period
   From January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2018

2. Implementation Team Meetings
   While some meetings were held in person, most communications occurred periodically through e-mails and phone calls:

   • February 5, 2018 – in person meeting (UPR-RP/IRT)
   • Mayo 17, 2018 – in person meeting (UPR-RP/IRT)
   • October 5, 2018 - in person meeting (UPR-RP/IRT)

    

3. Events and Products

   Raising Awareness of OSHA’S Rulemaking and Enforcement Initiatives

   • Events

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

     • The University of Puerto Rico - Rio Piedras Campus provided health and safety topics courses/lectures at the Institute of Labor Relations:

       • Institute of Labor Relations –During the year 2018, two courses were offered as part of ongoing Course # RELA3131: Occupational Health and Safety. A total of 19 undergraduate students attended the class.

       • On April 14, 2018, an All About OSHA presentation was offered to members of the Unión General de Trabajadores, attended by 10 participants.

     Goal 2: To convene or participate in forums, roundtable discussions, or stakeholder meetings on construction, general and maritime industry hazards, including the psychosocial hazards such workplace violence, as well as emergency managements issues, and legal aspect focused on employees’ right under the OSH Act, to help forge innovative solutions in the workplace or to provide input on safety and health issues.

     • On April 13, 2018, participated in the Puerto Rico Manufacturing Association (PRMA) Safety and Occupational Health Summit. Over 200 participants attended this activity.

   Training and Education

   • Events

     Goal 1: To develop effective training and education program for employees, students and the general community regarding construction, general and maritime industry related hazards, and to communicate such information to constituent employers and workers.

     • A 2-hour seminar on “The Hazard Communication Standard: Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals”, was offered to employees of University of Puerto Rico Medical Science Campus on March 9, 2018. A total of 18 participants attended the seminar.

     Goal 2: To develop effective training and education program for construction, general, and maritime employees and employers 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.

     • A 30-hour OSHA General Industry course was offered to University of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras Campus employees (HEEND) and Public employees (911, Puerto Rico Department of the Treasure and Puerto Rico Controller Department) on August 7, 9, 14, 16, and 23, 2018. A total of 15 participants attended the course.

     • A 10-hour OSHA Construction Industry was offered to University of Puerto Rico, Mayaguez Campus and private employees on September 20 and 21, 2018. A total of 20 participants attended the course.

     • A 10-hour OSHA General Industry course was offered to “Union General de Trabajadores” on June 15 and August 10, 2018. A total of 14 participants attended the course.

     • A 10-hour OSHA General Industry course was offered to University of Puerto Rico Rio Piedras Campus employees (HEEND) and Public employees (Puerto Rico Department of the Treasure and Puerto Rico Department of State) on September 25 and 27, 2018. A total of 26 participants attended the course.

     Goal 3: To deliver or arrange for the delivery of the safety and health courses through the Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety of DECEP.

     • Prepared the academic offerings for the Certificate in Occupational Health and Safety of DECEP courses to be offered during 2017-2018.

   Outreach and Communication

   • Events

     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, PR OSHA’s and the Río Piedras Campus of the University of Puerto Rico Web sites) to employers and employees in the industry.

     • Prior to the Workers’ Memorial Day commemoration, a communication is prepared and sent to approximately 5,000 e-mail recipients throughout the Island to provide information on the importance and significance of this commemoration. Recipients are people from the academic community, stakeholders, and workers/employees from the general, construction, and maritime industries.

     • On April 27, 2018, a seminar on All About OSHA and Memorial Day Commemoration was offered at Rio Piedras Campus of the University of Puerto Rico. A total of 66 participants attended this activity.

     Goal 2: To speak, exhibit, or appear at OSHA’s, PR OSHA’s or the Río Piedras Campus of the University of Puerto Rico conferences, local meetings, or other educational events.

     • On April 19, 2018 participated in the PRMA Safety and Occupational Health Summit “Continuity Business Plan after Hurricane Maria”; 250 participants attended this activity.

     Goal 3: To share information among OSHA and PR OSHA personnel and industry safety and health professional regarding the Río Piedras Campus of the University of Puerto Rico’s good practices or effective approaches through training programs, workshop, seminars, and lectures developed by the participants.

     • No products or resources have been developed to meet this Alliance goal.

     Goal 4: To work with other Alliance participants on specific issues and projects on construction, general and maritime industries, that are addressed and developed through the Alliance Program.

     • The 8th Annual Annual Conference on Safety, Occupational Health and Environment of Puerto Rico offered two days conferences: “Road to recovery”. The Conference took place October 24 and 25, 2018, at Rio Piedras Campus of the University of Puerto Rico. A total of 752 participants attended this activity.

4. Results

   The UPR-Río Piedras Campus continues to be instrumental in promoting awareness and prevention of hazards associated with the construction, general and maritime industries. Through OPASO, it has also been actively involved in reaching out to safety and health professionals in an effort to advance their knowledge and academic preparation in occupational safety and health issues. The integration of the Institute of Labor Relations has been of great help to reach union and hard-to-reach workers.

   Type of Activity (Conference, Training, Print and Electronic Distribution, etc.)	Date	Number of Individuals Trained	Aprox. Number of Individuals Reached
   Hazard Communication Standard: Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals	March 9, 2018	18	52
   All About OSHA	April 14, 2018	10	30
   PRMA Safety and Occupational Health Summit “Continuity Business Plan after Hurricane Maria”	April 19,2018	250	250
   Workers’ Memorial Day e-mails	April 26-27, 2018	5000	10000
   All About OSHA and Memorial Day Commemoration	April 27, 2018	66	198
   Traffic Incident Management (TIM) 4HRS	June 8, 2018	17	51
   	September 21, 2018	46	138
   10 Hrs. General Industries	June 15 & August 10, 2018	14	43
   30 Hrs. General Industries (UPR-Rio Piedras Campus)	August 7 to 23, 2018	15	45
   10 Hrs. Construction Industries (UPR- Mayaguez Campus)	September 20 -21, 2018	20	60
   10 Hrs. General Industries (Public employee)	September 25 -27, 2018	26	78
   Course # RELA3131: Occupational Health and Safety.	2nd  semester 2017-2018	9	27
   	1st  semester 2018-2019	10	30
   8th Annual Conference on Safety, Occupational Health and Environment of Puerto Rico	October 24, 2018	370	1,110
   	October 25, 2018	382	1,146
   Total		6,253	13,258

    

5. Upcoming Milestones

   • To renew Alliance in 2019.
   • To hold the 9th Annual Safety, Occupational Health and Environmental Conference of Puerto Rico (2-day event) in 2019.