AGREEMENT RENEWING AN ALLIANCE

BETWEEN

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

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

AND

THE PROFESSIONAL COLLEGE OF ENGINEERS AND LAND SURVEYORS OF PUERTO RICO

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Puerto Rico Area Office (PRAO), the P.R. Department of Labor and Human Resources’ Occupational Safety and Health Administration (PR OSHA), and the Professional College of Engineers and Land Surveyors, acting through its Department of Professional Development and Continued Education (CIAPR, in Spanish, hereinafter), continue to recognize the value of maintaining a collaborative relationship to foster safer and more healthful American workplaces. To that end, OSHA and CIAPR hereby renew the Alliance signed September 9, 2004, and renewed August 24, 2006, October 27, 2008, September 28, 2011, February 12, 2014, and March 9, 2017, with a continued emphasis on safety and health hazards in the construction and general industries. Specifically, each organization is committed to providing CIAPR members and others with information, guidance, and access to training resources that will help them protect workers and understand the rights of workers and the responsibilities of employers under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act). Through the Alliance, the organizations will continue to address construction and general industries related hazards, with an emphasis in preventing or reducing exposure to those hazards, and in particular, as they apply to engineering and land surveying professionals.

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 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 effectiveness of the Alliance and measure the impact of its overall effort on improving workplace safety and health. In renewing this Alliance, OSHA, PR OSHA, and CIAPR recognize that OSHA’s State Plan and Onsite Consultation Project 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:

• To share information on OSHA’s National/Regional/Local Initiatives (Emphasis Programs, Regulatory Agenda, Outreach), and opportunities to participate in initiatives and the rulemaking process.

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

• To 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’s, PR OSHA’s, and CIAPR’s Web sites) to employers and workers in the industry.

• To speak, exhibit, or appear at OSHA’s, PR OSHA’s, and CIAPR’s conferences, continuing education local meetings, or other events such as Expo Cumbre, Mega Viernes Civil and the like.

• To convene or participate in forums, roundtable discussions, or stakeholder meetings on focused hazards related to the construction industry and in particular, in those relevant to professionals in the practice of engineering and land surveying in Puerto Rico, to help forge innovative solutions in the workplace or to provide input on safety and health issues.

Training and Education

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

• To develop effective training and education programs for engineers and land surveyors and the public regarding construction industry related hazard(s) and to communicate such information to constituent employers and workers.

• To develop effective training and education programs for engineers and land surveyors 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.

• To arrange for the delivery of a minimum of ten (10) hours per annum in courses relating to workplace safety and health, with an emphasis in preventing or reducing exposure to related hazards.

OSHA’s Alliances provide parties an opportunity to participate in a voluntary cooperative relationship with OSHA for purposes such as raising awareness of OSHA’s initiatives, outreach, communication, training, and education. These Alliances have proven to be valuable tools for both OSHA and its Alliance participants. By entering into an Alliance with a party, OSHA is not endorsing or promoting, nor does it intend to endorse or promote, any of that party’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 Puerto Rico Area Office and any other appropriate offices. PR OSHA team members will include representatives from the Bureau of Technical Assistance.

This agreement will remain in effect a period not to exceed four 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 19 day of March, 2019.

Engr. Pablo Vázquez Ruiz
President
College of Engineers and Land Surveyors of Puerto Rico

Alfredo Nogueras
Puerto Rico Area Director
Occupational Safety and Health Administration

Luis E. Pardo Rosado
Assistant Secretary
PR Occupational Safety and Health Administration