AGREEMENT RENEWING AN ALLIANCE
BETWEEN
THE U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
FORT LAUDERDALE AREA OFFICE
AND
UNDERGROUND CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION OF SOUTH
FLORIDA dba NUCA of SOUTH FLORIDA

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Fort Lauderdale Area Office and the Underground Contractors Association of South Florida dba NUCA of South Florida (NUCASF) continue recognize the value of maintaining a collaborative relationship to foster safety and health practices and programs to improve American workplaces. To that end, OSHA and NUCASF hereby renew the Alliance signed June 20, 2019, with a continued emphasis on reducing and preventing exposure to trenching, confined spaces, silica, heat stress, highway work zones including other excavation hazards. Specifically, OSHA and NUCASF are committed to providing NUCASF members and others with information, guidance, and access to training resources that will help them protect 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 organization will continue to address trenching, confined spaces, silica, heat stress, highway work zones including other excavation hazards.

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 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 effectiveness of the Alliance and measure the impact on improving workplace safety and health. In renewing this Alliance, OSHA and (NUCASF) recognize that OSHA’s State Place 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:

• Share information on OSHA’s National/Regional/Local Initiatives (Emphasis Programs, Regulatory Agenda, Outreach), and opportunities to participate in initiatives and the rulemaking process.
• To develop information on the recognition and prevention of workplace hazards, and communicate such information (e.g., print and electronic media, electronic assistance tools, and OSHA's and the NUCASF’s Web sites) to employers and workers in the industry.
• Speak, exhibit, or appear at OSHA's or NUCASF conferences, local meetings, or other outreach events.
• Share information among OSHA personnel and industry safety and health professional regarding NUCASF’s good practices or effective approaches through training programs, workshops, seminars, and lectures (or any other applicable forum).
• Convene or participate in forums, roundtable discussions, or stakeholder meetings on underground utility construction hazards to help forge innovative solutions in the workplace and/or to provide input on safety and health issues.

Training and Education

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

• Develop effective training and education programs for the utility construction industry regarding safe trenching and excavation procedures, confined space entry and other imminent dangers in the underground utility construction industry and to communicate such information to constituent employers and workers.
• Deliver or arrange for the delivery of underground utility construction 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, 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 Fort Lauderdale Area Office and any other appropriate offices. OSHA will encourage State Plan States and OSHA On-site Consultation Projects to participate on the Team.

This Agreement will remain in effect for five years. Either signatory may terminate it for any reason at any time, provided such signatory give 30-days written notice. This agreement may be modified at any time with the written concurrence of both signatories.

Signed this 13h day of October, 2021