AGREEMENT ESTABLISHING AN ALLIANCE
BETWEEN
ATLANTA WEST AREA OFFICE
THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR,
GEORGIA DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC HEALTH
AND
MENTAL HEALTH AMERICA OF GEORGIA

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Atlanta West Area Office, Georgia Department of Public Health (DPH) and Mental Health America of Georgia (MHA-GA) and (hereafter all parties shall be referred to as “the Georgia Mental Health Alliance” or “GAMH Alliance”) recognize the value of establishing a collaborative relationship to foster safety and health practices and programs to improve American workplaces. To that end, the GAMH Alliance hereby forms an Alliance to provide GAMH members and the public with information, guidance, and access to training resources that will help them protect workers by reducing and preventing exposure to mental health hazards and/or addressing work-related suicide and drug overdose issues and understand 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 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, OSHA and the Georgia Mental Health Alliance 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 GAMH Alliance intends to work together to achieve the following objectives:

• Develop information on the recognition and prevention of work-related suicide, mental health issues, and potential workplace drug overdoses, and communicate such information (e.g., print and electronic assistance tools, and websites for OSHA, DPH, and MHA-GA) to employers and workers in the targeted industries.
• Speak, exhibit, or appear at OSHA’s, DPH, and MHA-GA conferences, local meetings, or other suicide awareness and mental health awareness events.
• Collaborate with other Alliance participants on specific issues and projects regarding work-related mental health, drug overdoses, and suicides. Emphasis will be focused on effectively communicating about these issues with hard-to-reach groups, such as construction and agricultural workers.

Training and Education

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

• Develop effective training and education programs regarding mental health, drug overdoses, and suicides awareness, and to communicate such information to constituent employers and workers within the construction, agricultural and other industries.
• Deliver or arrange for the delivery of workplace suicide prevention and post-prevention training courses.

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 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 Atlanta West Area Office and any other appropriate offices. OSHA will encourage State Plans' and OSHA On-Site Consultation program' 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 all signatories.

Signed this 1st day of March, 2022.

• Jeffery Stawowy
• Area Director, Atlanta West Area Office
• Occupational Safety and Health Administration

• Cherie L. Drenzek DVM, MS
• State Epidemiologist
• Chief Science Officer
• Georgia Department of Public Health

• Erin N. Clayton
• Director of Programs
• Mental Health America of Georgia