AGREEMENT ESTABLISHING AN ALLIANCE
BETWEEN
THE WILKES-BARRE AREA OFFICE OF
THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
AND
NORTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA INDUSTRIAL RESOURCE CENTER (NEPIRC)

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) Wilkes-Barre Area Office and the Northeastern Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center (NEPIRC) recognize the value of establishing a collaborative relationship to foster safety and health practices and programs to improve American workplaces. To that end, OSHA and NEPIRC (hereafter known as the Participants) hereby form an Alliance to provide NEPIRC stakeholders and others with information, guidance, and access to training resources that will help them protect the health and safety of workers. In particular, the Alliance will focus on: reducing and preventing exposure to emerging general industry hazards; addressing safety programs including hazard recognition and control and injury and illness prevention; making safety training more effective; and, understanding the rights of workers and the responsibilities of employers under 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 participants may 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, OSHA and NEPIRC 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, and opportunities to participate in the rulemaking process.

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

• Speak, exhibit, or appear at OSHA and NEPIRC conferences, local meetings, and safety day events, and share information on OSHA special initiative outreach campaigns such as Safe + Sound.

• Convene or participate in forums, roundtable discussions, or stakeholder meetings on general industry hazards, work and life wellness programs, and emergency preparedness to help forge innovative solutions in the workplace or to provide input on safety and health issues.

• Develop pathways to communicate information regarding the recognition and prevention of workplace hazards to employers and workers in the industry.

• Encourage worker participation in workplace safety and health by training employers on how to involve employees in Job Hazard Analysis (JHAs) and hazard identification initiatives in the workplace to include the effectiveness of employee-based workplace safety committees.

Training and Education

The Participants intend to work together to achieve the following training and education objectives, as the opportunities or resources permit:

• Develop effective training and education programs for NEPIRC stakeholders and others regarding general industry hazards, emergency preparedness, and work and life wellness programs, and communicate such information to constituent employers and workers.

• Deliver or arrange for the delivery of such courses as: Two-Hour Workplace Safety Seminars, Forklift Safety, Hazard Identification/Job Hazard Analysis, Conducting Safety Audits, Personal Protective Equipment, and Safety Committee Operations.

• Develop and update safety audit checklist to distribute to stakeholders to assist them on internal safety audits.

• Deliver effective training and education programs for NEPIRC stakeholders and others 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 parties 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 proved to be valuable tools for both OSHA and Alliance participants. By entering into an Alliance with an organization, OSHA 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 stakeholders will include representatives of the Wilkes-Barre Area Office and any other appropriate offices. OSHA will encourage State Plans' and OSHA On-Site Consultation programs' participation on the team.

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 both signatories.

Signed this 14th day of July, 2023.