Region 4 - Alliance Annual Report - January 5, 2022

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 Mexico in Atlanta
Region IV Alliance Annual Report
January 5, 2022

  1. Alliance Background

    1. Date Signed

      December 7, 2004

      Renewal date

      • August 30, 2013
      • August 31, 2015
      • September 1, 2017
      • August 26, 2019

    2. Evaluation Period:

      December 1, 2020, through December 1, 2021

    3. Overview:

      The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Consul General of Mexico in Atlanta, Georgia, formed an Alliance to provide Mexican 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 the OSHA and the Consulate General of Mexico in Atlanta, Georgia.

  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.

    • February 9, 2021
    • April 9, 2021
    • August 30, 2021

    In addition to these formal meetings, the Alliance coordinators from both groups maintained regular contact throughout the reporting period to monitor the Alliance’s progress and results.

  3. Results

    The following table summarizes the Alliance’s activities in support of the goals in the Alliance agreement.

III. 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 FY2021 Representatives from the Alliance group participated in the Georgia Farmworkers Taskforce1 meetings. The Farmworker Taskforce2 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 FY2021 The OSHA Atlanta-East Area Office communicated with the Mexican Consulate to enhance that workers were aware of their workplace rights. Worker’s Rights, Hispanic/ Latino Worker and Small Business

N/A
Dissemination/Outreach April 9, 2021 The OSHA Atlanta Regional Office forwarded the Consul General of Honduras in Atlanta, GA, both English and Spanish versions of the OSHA news release regarding the fatal accident at Foundation Food Group Service in Gainesville, Georgia. Hazard Communication/ Chemicals, Worker’s Rights, Hispanic/ Latino Worker and Small Business

N/A

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 and Affiliation Title Of Presentation, if applicable City State Emphasis Area(s)* Number Reached (numeric value)
Outreach/Training FY 2021 Mexican Consulate’s 13th Annual Labor Rights Week Marilyn Velez, CAS – Atlanta-West Area Office During this period, the OSHA Compliance Assistance Specialist (CAS) from the Atlanta-West Area Office supported the Labor Rights Week event coordinated by the Consulate General of Mexico in Atlanta, Georgia. Atlanta GA Falls, Heat Illness Prevention, Construction and Small Businesses

100+ workers
Outreach/Training FY 2021 OSHA’s National Fall Safety Stand-Down; Heat Illness Prevention; and Safe + Sound Week Marilyn Velez, CAS – Atlanta-West Area Office During this period, the Alliance group conducted outreach events in support of the following OSHA initiatives and campaigns: National Fall Safety Stand-Down; Heat Illness Prevention; and Safe + Sound Week. Atlanta GA Falls, Heat Illness Prevention, Construction and Small Businesses

300+ workers
Outreach/Training FY 2021   Marilyn Velez, CAS – Atlanta-West Area Office During this period, representatives from the Mexican Consulate and OSHA Alliance supported the following task group events and meetings: Human and Labor Trafficking; Suicide Prevention and Mental Health; Georgia Farmworkers Rights Task Forces; Cherokee Family Violence Center; Women in Construction Week; EMPLEO Alliance; Georgia Coalition for Pregnant Workers. Atlanta GA Hazard Communication/ Chemicals, Heat Illness Prevention, Hispanic/ Latino Worker and Small Business

500+ attendees
Outreach/Training FY 2021 thru FY2022 Webinars/Facebook Live Sessions Marilyn Velez, CAS – Atlanta-West Area Office During this period, webinars and Facebook Live sessions were conducted in Spanish, for the consulate staff and others, which focused on the following topics: Preventing Falls in the Construction Industry; Domestic Violence Survivors; Anti-Asian Harassment and Discrimination in the workplace; Essential Workers; Worker’s Rights; and Suicide Prevention. Atlanta GA Hazard Communication/ Chemicals, Heat Illness Prevention, Hispanic/ Latino Worker and Small Business

500+ workers

Report Prepared by: Tom Bosley, Region IV Alliance Coordinator

1 The 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.

2 Members 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.