BETWEEN
ALLENTOWN AREA OFFICE
THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
AND
WAGE AND HOUR DIVISION
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
AND
LEHIGH CAREER AND TECHNICAL INSTITUTE
AND
PENNSYLVANIA OSHA CONSULTATION PROGRAM
INDIANA UNIVERSITY OF PENNSYLVANIA

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Allentown Area Office, and Wage and Hour Division’s (WHD) Wilkes-Barre and Philadelphia District Offices, Lehigh Career and Technical Institute (LCTI), and the Pennsylvania OSHA Consultation Program at Indiana University of Pennsylvania (PA OSHA Consultation) recognize the value of establishing a collaborative relationship to foster safety and health practices and programs to improve American workplaces. To that end, OSHA, WHD, LCTI and PA OSHA Consultation hereby form an Alliance to provide warehouse and material logistics industry employers and workers, including temporary workers, with information, guidance, and access to training resources that will help them reduce and prevent exposure to workplace safety and health hazards (e.g., overexertion, contact with objects and fall hazards); and promote understanding of workers' rights and employer responsibilities under WHD statutes and the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act).

This agreement provides a framework and objectives for the Alliance’s activities. Alliance participants also agree to meet 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 available 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 Alliance and measure the impact on improving workplace safety and health. In developing this Alliance, the Alliance participants recognize that OSHA’s State Plan and On-Site Consultation Program 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:

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

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

• Share information on wage and hour laws and regulations, including workplace rights with overtime, use of the Family and Medical Leave Act and assurances that workers are safe from workplace harassment and retaliation when they claim their rights.

• 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, WHD, LCTI, and PA OSHA Consultation websites) to employers and workers in the warehouse and materials logistics industry.

• Assist LCTI in curriculum development or review of the Materials Logistics Program including occupational safety and health regulations, guidelines, and best practices and wage and hour requirements.

• Speak, exhibit, or appear at conferences, local meetings, or other events, as time and resources permit.

• Convene or participate in forums, roundtable discussions, or stakeholder meetings on warehouse and material logistics workplace safety and health issues and/or wage and hour issues to help forge innovative solutions in the workplace and/or to provide input on identified issues.

• Share information among OSHA and WHD personnel and industry safety and health professionals regarding participating members good practices or effective approaches through training programs, workshops, seminars, and lectures (or any other applicable forum).

• Encourage worker participation in workplace safety and health by inviting workers to actively participate in any local meetings, conference, or other events, as time and resources permit.

• Collaborate with other Alliance participants on specific issues and projects on the primary focused hazards within the warehouse and materials logistics industry, including overexertion, contact with objects and falls.

Training and Education

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

• Develop effective training and education programs for the warehouse and materials logistics industry regarding workplace safety and health hazards and wage and hour regulations and communicate such information to warehouse and materials logistics industry employers and workers.

• Deliver or arrange for the delivery of the OSHA #7005 – Public Warehousing and Storage course.

• Develop effective training and education programs for the warehouse and materials logistics industry 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.

OSHA’s Alliances provide organizations an opportunity to participate in a voluntary cooperative relationship with OSHA for purposes such as raising awareness of OSHA’s initiatives, outreach, communications, training, and education. These Alliances have proven to be valuable tools for both OSHA and Alliance participants. By entering into an Alliance with an organization, OSHA and WHD is not endorsing or promoting, nor does it intend to endorse or promote, any of that organization’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 OSHA Allentown Area Office and the Wage and Hour District Offices (Philadelphia and Wilkes-Barre) as well as representatives from the Lehigh Career and Technical Institute and the PA OSHA Consultation Program.

This agreement will remain in effect for two 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 10th day of August 2022.

Alliance Agreement Signature Page