Region 3 - Alliance Agreement - April 15, 2011


ARRANGEMENT ESTABLISHING AN ALLIANCE
BETWEEN
THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR’S
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
PHILADELPHIA AREA OFFICE
AND
THE CONSULATE OF MEXICO
IN PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA

The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Philadelphia Area Office and The Consulate of Mexico in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (the Consulate), hereinafter referred to collectively as “the Participants”;

Recognizing the joint commitment to protecting workers’ rights for Mexican workers acknowledged in the U.S.-Mexico Joint Declaration between the Department of Labor of the United States of America and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the United Mexican States, signed at Washington, D.C., on May 4, 2010; and

Recognizing that OSHA’s Alliance Program provides for the establishment of cooperative relationships for purposes such as training and education, outreach and communication, and promoting a national dialogue on workplace health and safety;

Intend to form an Alliance to achieve the following:

Overall Objective

The Participants intend to establish a collaborative relationship to provide Mexican Nationals and other Hispanic workers in the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area information, guidance, and access to education and training resources to promote workers’ rights in protecting their occupational health and safety, particularly with regards to hazards associated with the Construction, Restaurant and Migrant Farming Industries such as fall hazards, struck-by hazards, amputations, and electrical hazards, and to help them understand the rights of workers and the responsibilities of employers under the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

Training and Education

The Participants intend to work together to achieve the following training and education goals:

 

  • To develop training and education programs for Mexican Nationals and other Hispanic workers in the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area regarding the reduction and prevention of exposure to hazards associated with the Construction, Restaurant and Migrant Farming Industries, and to communicate such information to constituent employers and workers.
  • To develop training and education programs for Mexican Nationals and other Hispanic workers in the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area to promote understanding of workers’ rights and responsibilities of employers, including the use of the OSHA complaint process, and to communicate such information to employers and workers.

Training and Education

The Participants intend to work together to achieve the following outreach and communication goals:

  • 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 links to OSHA’s Web site from the Consulate’s Web site) to Mexican Nationals and other Hispanic workers in the Philadelphia Metropolitan Area and their employers.
  • To speak, exhibit, or appear at OSHA’s or the Consulate’s conferences, local meetings, or other community support events.
  • To participate in “Mobile Consulate” activities and events.
  • To share information among DOL personnel and safety and health professionals regarding the Consulate’s good practices or effective approaches and publicize results through outreach by the Consulate and through materials, training programs, workshops, seminars, and lectures (or any other applicable forum) developed by the participants.

Promotion of a National Dialogue

The Participants intend to work together to achieve the following goals related to promoting a national dialogue on workplace health and safety:

  • To raise awareness of and demonstrate commitment to workplace safety and health and workers’ rights whenever leaders from the Participants address groups.
  • To convene or participate in forums, roundtable discussions, or stakeholder meetings on the Construction, Restaurant and Migrant Farming Industries to help forge innovative solutions on issues concerning workplace health and safety, and understanding of workers’ rights and responsibilities of employers.
  • To share information on DOL laws and standards, including those relating to workers’ rights and responsibilities of employers.

An implementation team made up of representatives of each Participant intends to meet to develop a plan of action, determine working procedures, and identify the roles and responsibilities of the Participants. In addition, the Participants intend to meet at least three times per year to track and share information on activities and results in achieving the goals of the Alliance.

This Arrangement is intended to cease two years from the date of signing. A Participant should endeavor to provide 30 days advance written notice of its intent to discontinue its participation in this Arrangement. This Arrangement may be modified in writing at any time by mutual consent of the Participants.

Signed at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in duplicate, this 15th day of April, 2011, in the English and Spanish languages.

For the U.S. Department of Labor’s
Occupational Safety and Health
Administration,
Philadelphia Area Office:
  For the Consulate of Mexico
in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania:


 
Albert D’Imperio
Area Director
Occupational Safety and
Health Administration
 

 
Carlos Giralt-Cabrales
Consul of Mexico
Philadelphia, Pa