Reg 5 - Alliance Annual Report - August 29, 2017

Annual Alliance Report

U.S. Department of Labor
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Region V OSHA Offices
And
Consulate General of the Ecuador in Chicago, Illinois

August, 2017

  1. Alliance Background

    1. Date Signed:

      August 28, 2014, August 29, 2016 (renewal)

    2. Evaluation Period:

      August 29, 2016 through August 29, 2017

    3. Overview:

      The Alliance with the Consulate General of Ecuador was established to facilitate fostering cooperative relationships for such purposes as, training and education, outreach and communication, and promoting a national dialogue on workplace safety and health.

      The Participants intentions are to establish a collaborative relationship to provide Ecuadorian workers information, guidance, and access to education and training resources to promote workers' rights in protecting their occupational safety and health, and to help them understand U.S. domestic law on the rights of workers and the responsibilities of employers under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act).

    4. Implementation Team Members:

      Occupational Safety and Health Administration

       

      • Ken Nishiyama Atha, Regional Administrator, Region V
      • Darnell Crenshaw, Assistant Regional Administrator Region V
      • Andres Saldana, Region V Alliance Program Manager, Region V

       

      Consulate General of the Ecuador

       

      • Catalina Rosa Landivar Guerrero, Vice Consul, Consulate of Ecuador

       

  2. Implementation Team Meetings

     

    • An in person meeting was held on August 12, 2017. Participants: Andres Saldana, Regional Safety & Health Manager and Catalina Landivar, Vice Consul of Ecuador. The group reviewed the outcome of the collaboration since the Alliance was signed, and discussed opportunities to build on the work done.

     

  3. Activities and Products

    Training and Education

    • Contacts established with Region V Susan Harwood Grantees allowed the Consulate of Ecuador to host two training sessions on safety in the workplace and employer--employees' rights and responsibilities:
      • February 11 & 12: OSHA 10 Training for Construction and Landscaping Workers.
    • The Consulate of Ecuador hosted labor rights fairs on August 29th and September 13th.
      • During these fairs, Facebook Live was used to promote workers' rights and resources and reach out to a larger audience. Topics covered were: what are labor rights, what to do in case workers' rights are violated, the importance of labor unions, who to contact. These videos reached 1000 viewers, and the videos continue to be seen.
    • The Chicago Regional Office and Vice Consul of Ecuador continue to participate in several worker rights roundtable discussions on developing and implementing strategies to connect more effectively various federal and state agencies with vulnerable workers.

    Outreach and Communication

    • The Chicago Regional office and Chicago North Area office attended a consular outreach service that was hosted by the Consulate of Ecuador in Chicago. The event was held on August 29, 2017 at the Consulate of Ecuador Annex located in the area of Albany Park in Chicago, Illinois. The Chicago North Area Office Compliance Safety and Health Officer spoke to a group of approximately 100 Ecuadorian and Ecuadorian Americans, regarding the OSH Act, employer/employees' rights and responsibilities, as well as OSHA's functions and services. Additionally, the Compliance Safety and Health Officer provided consular outreach service attendees with OSHA Quick Cards and Fact Sheets, and answered the attendees' questions.
    • The Chicago Regional office and whistleblower department attended a consular outreach radio station interview that was hosted by the Consulate of Ecuador in Chicago. The interviews were held on September 7 & 14, 2017 which presented information about employer/employees' rights and responsibilities as well as whistleblower worker protection rights. Both events were streamed on social media as well as over the air Spanish public radio. The information was able to reach thousands of Spanish speakers through the US, Central and South America and Europe and Mexico. It's expected that more than 3000 people were reached through this communication tool.
    • OSHA trainings hosted by Union Latina de Chicago in other places than the Consulate, where promoted on Facebook.
    • The Consulate of Ecuador sponsored ARISE Chicago's publication on Workers' Rights Resources Manual in Spanish.

    Promoting the National Dialogue on Safety and Health

    • The Chicago Assistant Regional Administrator and Program Manager attended a consular outreach service, and ceremony for the 208th anniversary of the Declaration of Ecuador Independence on August 10, 2017.

  4. Results

    • Through the joint efforts of the Alliance, the Consulate General of Ecuador now has greater access to OSHA outreach information and publications for the Ecuadorian workers in Region V; while OSHA Region V has gained access to a previously untapped channel of outreach and communication with workers in the seven-state jurisdiction of the Consulate of Ecuador.
    • OSHA's continued efforts to reach at-risk workers remains a paramount goal.
    • The Regional Office, in conjunction with the Consulate, developed a directory of the most commonly contacted federal and state agencies within the OSHA regional jurisdictions. The directory was developed for consular personnel and Ecuadorian nationals to use as reference tool for public services.
    • The Consulate of Ecuador's ability to provide assistance/referrals to those workers in need has greatly increased with this alliance, for example:
      • The regional office labor liaison was able to support the consulate with clarification of a fatality inspection for an Ecuadorian national who passed in a construction worksite in Delaware, Ohio. Follow-up contact with the Ohio workers compensation were also provided.
    • Those construction workers attending OSHA 10 trainings and Fall Prevention trainings are better prepared to identify unsafe work conditions, to know what are the workers' rights, and to know where to report.
    • Approximately 150 people have participated in the several OSHA trainings since 2014.

  5. Upcoming Milestones

    • The Alliance plans to reestablish its collaborative efforts to renew the Alliance.
    • A focus will be based on expanding outreach assistance to Ecuadorian nationals in other states, such as Ohio, Indiana, and Wisconsin.
    • Jointly continuing:
      • Promotion of occupational safety and health for the Ecuadorian community in Region V.
      • Participation in mobile consulate events.
      • Participation in consulate activities during the year.
      • Participation in outreach and education events