AGREEMENT ESTABLISHING AN ALLIANCE
BETWEEN
THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR’S
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
ATLANTA REGIONAL OFFICE
AND
THE OSHA TRAINING INSTITUTE EDUCATION CENTERS (OTIEDC)
IN REGION IV¹

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Atlanta Regional Office and the OSHA Training Institute Education Centers (OTIECS) in Region IV recognize the value of establishing a collaborative relationship to foster safer and more healthful American workplaces. To that end, OSHA and the OTIECs in Region IV hereby form an Alliance to provide OTIECs students and others with information, guidance, and access to training resources that will help them protect the health and safety of workers, particularly by reducing and preventing exposure to prevalent health and safety hazards in the general and construction industries, and enhancing their understanding of workers’ rights and the responsibilities of employers under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act). In developing this Alliance, OSHA and the Region IV OTIECs recognize that OSHA’s State Plan and On-site Consultation Project partners are an integral part of the OSHA national effort.

Raising Awareness of OSHA’s Rulemaking and Enforcement Initiatives

The Participants intend to work together to achieve the following goal related to raising awareness of OSHA’s rulemaking and enforcement initiatives:

• 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 National, Regional and Local Emphasis Program topics in order to help forge innovative solutions in the workplace or to provide input on safety and health issues.

Training and Education

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

• To develop effective training and education programs for 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.
• To deliver or arrange for the delivery of health and safety training to targeted industries in support of OSHA’s National/Regional/Local Emphasis Programs.
• Coordinate with Field Federal Safety and Health Councils by hosting meetings and providing instructors at meetings.
• Collectively assessing the employer training needs in Region IV and the geographical distribution of OTIECs.

Outreach and Communication

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

• To speak, exhibit, and/or appear at OSHA’s, safety and health conferences, local meetings, Region IV VPPPA Conference, Field Federal Safety and Health Council (FFSHC) meetings and related events.
• To work with other Alliance Participants on specific issues and projects, such as the Regional safety stand-down, that are addressed and developed through the Alliance

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 rulemaking and enforcement initiatives, training and education, and outreach and communication. These Alliances have proved to be valuable tools for both OSHA and its Alliance participants. By entering into an Alliance with a party, OSHA is not endorsing or promoting, nor does it intend to endorse or promote, any of that party’s products or services.

An implementation team made up of representatives of each organization will meet to develop a plan of action, determine working procedures, and identify the roles and responsibilities of the participants. In addition, they will meet at least three 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 Region IV local, area, and regional offices that are a signatory to the Alliance agreement and any other appropriate offices. OSHA will encourage State Plan States’ and OSHA On-site Consultation Projects’ participation on the team.

This agreement will remain in effect for a period not to exceed two years. Any party may terminate it for any reason at any time, provided they give 30-day written notice. This agreement may be modified at any time with the written concurrence of all signatories.

Signed this 29^th day of September, 2015