Region 4 - Alliance Annual Report - December 7, 2020

U.S. Department of Labor
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Atlanta Regional Office
61 Forsyth Street, S.W., Room 6T50
Atlanta, Georgia 30303
(678) 237-0400; Fax (678) 237-0447
OSHA, Consul General of Guatemala in Atlanta
Region IV Alliance Annual Report
December 7, 2020

  1. Alliance Background

    1. Date Signed

      October 23, 2012

      Renewal Date

      March 15, 2016

    2. Evaluation Period:

      October 24, 2019, through December 1, 2019

    3. Overview:

      The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Consul General of Guatemala in Atlanta formed an Alliance to provide Guatemalan workers throughout the southeast with information, guidance, and access to training resources that will help them protect employees’ health and safety and allow them to exercise their rights fully.

    4. Implementation Team Membership and Contributors:

      The implementation team included representatives from OSHA’s Atlanta-West Area and Regional Offices, as well as the Consul of Guatemala.

  2. Implementation Team Meetings

    Implementation team meetings were conducted during this period. However, due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic meetings were conducted by conference call, MS Teams or WebEx.

    • June 3, 2020
    • July 9, 2020
    • August 19, 2020

  3. Results of Alliance Activities in Support of Agreement Goals

    Dissemination: Alliance Program participant shared information on OSHA-developed or OSHA Alliance Program-developed tools and resources, OSHA standards/rulemakings, enforcement, or outreach campaigns.

    Dissemination Type Date Description Emphasis Area(s)* Number Reached (numeric value)
    Dissemination/Outreach June 3, 2020, July 9, 2020 and August 1, 2020 Representatives from the Alliance group participated in the Georgia Farmworkers Taskforce meetings. The Farmworker Taskforce consist of a wide range of government agencies, community groups, as well as diplomatic representatives. Hazard Communication/ Chemicals, Heat Illness Prevention, Hispanic/ Latino Worker and Small Business 100+ attendees
    Dissemination/Outreach June 9, 2020 The Region IV COVID-19 Outreach information was shared with the consulate, in an effort to education workers in the Hispanic community about the ongoing hazards associated with the pandemic. Infectious Disease, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), Hispanic/ Latino Worker and Small Business 100+ attendees

    Outreach Events and Training for non-OSHA Staff: Alliance Program participant or OSHA participation in events, which includes speeches/presentations, exhibits, roundtables, conferences, informational webinars or other meetings or training in support of the Alliance or an OSHA initiative.

    Activity Type Date Event Name Representative Name(s) and Affiliation(s) Title Of Presentation (if applicable) City State Emphasis Area(s)* Number Reached (numeric value)
    Outreach/Training Sept.3, 2020 "Managing Heat Illness among outdoor workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic" Marilyn Velez, CAS - Atlanta-West Area Office During this period, a Facebook live presentation was conducted in Spanish, which was focused on the following topic "Managing Heat Illnesses among outdoor workers during the COVID-19 Pandemic." The Consulate General of Mexico in Atlanta, Georgia, hosted the event in support of Labor Rights Week. Members of the OSHA Whistleblower staff also participated in the event. Atlanta GA Falls, Heat Illness Prevention, Construction and Small Businesses 100+ workers

Report prepared by: Tom Bosley, Region IV Alliance Coordinator

iThe Georgia Farmworker Task Force is an advocacy group lead by the Farmworker Rights Division of the Georgia Legal Services. They advocate and represent farmworkers who are working and living unsafely because their employer is violating regulations in place to protect them. This group visits farms to inform workers of their rights; they also provide legal representation and inform the members of potential violations of existing laws. The Federal Agencies belonging to this group are there to provide resources and clarification of their regulations/jurisdictions/limitations and the non-profit organizations and Consulates are usually receiving employees’ complaints because the workers feel more comfortable speaking to them than a government agency.

iiMembers of the Farmworker Taskforce consisted of the following: Georgia Legal Services Program; Tapestry / Anti-Human Trafficking Program; Southern Poverty Law Center; Justice for Migrant Women; Emory University Nursing School; Medical College of Augusta; Farmworker Association of Florida; United Farm Workers (UFW) Foundation; Mexican Consulate of Atlanta; El Salvador Consulate of Atlanta; Honduras Consulate of Atlanta; Guatemala Consulate of Atlanta; USDOL OSHA; USDOL Wage & Hour Division; and the US Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.