AGREEMENT RENEWING AN ALLIANCE
BETWEEN
PUERTO RICO AREA OFFICE
THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR,

AND

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

AND

THE UNIVERSITY OF PUERTO RICO – RIO PIEDRAS CAMPUS

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Puerto Rico Area Office, the Puerto Rico Department of Labor and Human Resources’ Occupational Safety and Health Administration (PROSHA), and the Rio Piedras Campus of the University of Puerto Rico, through the Division of Continued Education and Professional Studies (DECEP, in Spanish), the Environmental Protection and Occupational Safety Office (OPASO, in Spanish) and the Institute of Labor Relationships (IRT, in Spanish) from the Faculty of Social Sciences, continue to recognize the value of maintaining a collaborative relationship to foster safety and health practices and programs to improve American workplaces. To that end, OSHA, PR OSHA and the Rio Piedras Campus of the University of Puerto Rico hereby renew the Alliance signed January 22, 2004 and renewed April 3, 2006, April 15, 2008, September 30, 2010, December 18, 2012, December 17, 2014 and February 28, 2017, with a continued emphasis on reducing and preventing exposure to occupational safety and health hazards. Specifically, each organization is committed to providing the Rio Piedras Campus of the University of Puerto Rico’ members and others with information, guidance, and access to training resources that will help them protect the health and safety of 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 struck by, caught by, fall, electrocution, exposure to chemicals, and psychosocial (including workplace violence) hazards as well as emergency management issues, and legal aspects focused on employees’ rights under the OSH Act.

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, PROSHA and the Rio Piedras Campus of the University of Puerto Rico 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 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 and the Rio Piedras Campus of the University of Puerto Rico’s Web sites) to employers and workers in the industry.

• To speak, exhibit, or appear at OSHA’s or the Rio Piedras Campus of the University of Puerto Rico’s conferences, local meetings, or other educational events.

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

• To encourage worker participation in workplace safety and health by providing outreach, seminars, and courses where rulemaking and employees’ right and responsibilities discussions are held.

• To collaborate with other Alliance participants on specific issues and projects on construction, general and maritime industries, that are addressed and developed through the Alliance Program.

Training and Education

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

• To develop effective training and education programs 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.

• To develop effective training and education programs 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.

• To arrange for the delivery of safety and health courses, seminars, and training sponsored by DECEP, IRT, and OPASO.

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, Region 2 Office of Technical Support, and any other appropriate offices. PR OSHA team members will include representatives from the Bureau of Technical Assistance.

This agreement will remain in effect for 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.