AGREEMENT RENEWING AN ALLIANCE
BETWEEN
THE PITTSBURGH AREA OFFICE OF
THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
AND
THE IRONWORKER EMPLOYERS ASSOCIATION
OF WESTERN PENNSYLVANIA, INC.

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Pittsburgh Area Office and the Ironworker Employers Association of Western Pennsylvania, Inc. (IWEA-WP) continue to recognize the value of maintaining a collaborative relationship to foster safer and more healthful American workplaces. To that end, OSHA and IWEA-WP (hereinafter referred to collectively as “the Participants”) hereby renew the Alliance signed March 11, 2003 and last renewed March 17, 2017 with a continued emphasis on reducing and preventing exposure to hazards associated with the construction industry. Specifically, OSHA and IWEA-WP are committed to providing IWEA-WP 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 Participants will continue to address hazards associated with the construction industry.

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 relevant 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 to evaluate the effectiveness of the Alliance and measure the impact of its overall effort on improving workplace safety for employers and workers. In renewing this Alliance, OSHA and IWEA-WP recognize that OSHA’s State Plan and On-site 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 OSHA’s National/Regional/Local Emphasis Programs, Regulatory Agenda, and opportunities to participate in the rulemaking process.
• To share information on occupational safety and health laws and standards, including the rights and responsibilities of workers and employers.
• To convene or participate in forums, roundtable discussions, or stakeholder meetings on hazards associated with the construction industry to help forge innovative solutions in the workplace or to provide input on safety and health issues.
• To speak, exhibit, or appear at OSHA’s or IWEA-WP’s conferences, local meetings, or other applicable events.
• To encourage worker participation in workplace safety and health by working with member contractors, subcontractors, and the Ironworkers Union Local #3 Apprenticeship School to promote workplace safety through informational materials, discussions, meetings, organizational events, and training.
• To share information among OSHA personnel and industry safety and health professionals regarding IWEA-WP’s good practices or effective approaches through applicable forums developed by the Participants.

Training and Education

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

• To review or provide input on effective training and education programs for IWEA-WP member contractors and others regarding hazards associated with the construction industry and to communicate such information to member employers and workers.
• To review or provide input on effective training and education programs for construction employers and workers to promote an understanding of workers’ rights, including the use of the OSHA complaint process, the responsibilities of employers, and to communicate such information to workers and employers.
• To review or provide input on effective training and education programs to produce skilled and safety conscious workers in the ironworker industry by working with the Ironworkers Union Local #3 Apprenticeship School Coordinator and instructors to address apprentice and journeymen training and education needs.

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, communication, 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 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 Pittsburgh Area Office. OSHA will encourage State Plans’ and OSHA On-Site Consultation programs’ participation on the team.

This agreement will remain in effect for a period not to exceed five 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 28^th day of March 2022.