Region 2 - Alliance Annual Report - January 30, 2015

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)
January 30, 2015

  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

    Magal González, Director Department of Professional Development and Continued Education (DPD&CE), CIAPR
    Ilza S. Román, Director Voluntary Programs Division, PR OSHA.
    Madelline Medina, Compliance Assistance Specialist, Federal OSHA (PRAO)

    Contributors

    N/A

    Evaluation Period

    January 1, 2014 to December 31, 2014

  2. Implementation Team Meetings

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

  3. Events and Products

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

     

    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.

     

    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.

     

    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.

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

      • Events

         

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

        • Introduction to OSHA in 10hr construction industry courses
        • Introduction to OSHA in 30hrs construction industry courses
        • Construction Standards
        • Excavation cave-inn protection systems
        • Puerto Rico Local Electric Code
        • Residential Wiring methods
        • Arc Flash hazards
        • Electricity: Transmission and Distribution
        • Hazardous Waste Operation (40 hrs. and 8 hrs. courses)    59
        • Introduction to Process Safety Management
        • Hazard Communication and the GHS
        • Confined Spaces
        • Respiratory protection
        • Recordkeeping (OSHA 300)
      • Events

         

        • As an alliances’ participant, distributed information to membership about the 5th Annual Safety and Health Conference conducted in October 22-23, 2014.
        • Distributed information to membership on over 100 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

         

        • OSHA 10 hr Construction Industry Course
        • OSHA 20hr Construction Course
        • OSHA 30 hr Construction Industry Course
        • Behavior and Analysis of Structures during Earthquakes – What to do to remain safe
        • Introduction to Management and Safety Inspections of Construction Projects
        • What to do before, during, after an hurricane
        • Preparing for Natural Emergencies
        • The ABC of Safety
        • ABC in Accident Reconstruction: Highway safety Manual and Temporary Traffic Control in Work-zones
        • Legal Aspects of Traffic Safety
        • Traffic Safety – Panel
        • Root Cause Analysis
        • Failure Mode and Effect Analysis
        • Asbestos for Management Personnel
        • Welding Inspections for Supervisors
        • Use of Electrical Tools and Equipment
        • Safety and Health Management System for Managers
        • NFPA 70E
        • Lockout/Tagout
        • Excavation – Mechanics of Soil
        • Indoor Air Quality – Laws and Regulations

       

    3. Outreach and Communication

      • Events

         

        • Included several occupational safety and health articles in the CIAPR Dimensión e-newsletter. The e-newsletter is available through Internet to CIAPR members and the general public.
      • Events

         

        • CIAPR Annual Convention and Assembly, August 2014

     

  4. Results

    CIAPR’s Continued Education Division, through this Alliance, continues to qualify training sessions offered by PRAO’s CAS 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 against their licenses.

    In addition, CIAPR has continued to make the courses and seminars offered by PRAO available to professionals outside the CIAPR, expanding the Agency’s outreach efforts throughout the various industries. Over 9726 participants from the construction and general industries have attended safety and/or health topics since the initial signing of this Alliance in September 2004.

    Type of Activity (Conference, Training, Print and Electronic Distribution, etc.) *

    Number of Individuals Trained
    III.A.1

    707
    III.A.2

    15,000+
    III.B.1

    1,117
    III.C.1

    500+
    III.C.2

    522
    TOTAL

    17,846+

    *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 Federal OSHA that would 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 1st Q FY 16.