ANNUAL ALLIANCE REPORT
U.S. Department of Labor
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Houston South Area Office
And
The Consulate General of Mexico in Houston
September 27, 2016

1. Alliance Background

   1. Date Signed

      November 8, 2013

   2. Evaluation Period

      April 14, 2014 to August 29, 2015

   3. Overview

      The Mexican Consulate spear-heads The Justice & Equality Workgroup which is comprised of ten Consulates, several federal agencies, and non-profits whose focus is to inform, educate the Hispanic workforce on issues related to labor rights.

      The Participants intend to establish a collaborative relationship to provide Mexican Nationals in Eastern Texas and others with information, guidance, and access to education and training resources to promote workers' rights in protecting their occupational health and safety, particularly with regards to reducing injuries and fatalities related to fall, electrical, struck-by, and caught in/between hazards, and to help them understand the rights of workers and the responsibilities of employers under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act).

   4. Implementation Team Members

      Consulate General of Houston:

      Jesus Loera Carrillo

      Cónsul de Protección

      OSHA

      Mark R. Briggs

      Area Director, OSHA, Houston South Area Office

      Mark A. Hernandez

      Compliance Assistance Specialist, OSHA, Houston South Area Office

      James Shelton

      Compliance Assistance Specialist, Houston North Area Office

2. Implementation Team Meetings

   The Houston South Area Office's (HSAO) Compliance Assistance Specialists (CAS) attended the Sub-Committee of the Justice and Equality bi-monthly meetings and additional alliance meetings as needed. The HSAO CAS left the Agency in late 2014 and the HNAO CAS starting attending the bi-monthly meetings in January 2015 to present.

3. Activities, Events and Products

   Training and Education

   • CAS Shelton provides OSHA update information at the bi-monthly Justice and Equality meetings.
   • CAS Shelton provided a bilingual slideshow presentation on heat illness prevention and worker rights to the Consulate for use on the lobby television screens
   
   

   Outreach and Communication

   • Bi-monthly meeting with Justice & Equality members
   
   

   Promoting the National Dialogue on Workplace Safety and Health

   • The Mexican Consulate has been successful in maintaining the Justice and Equality group and facilitating OSHA outreach to the Hispanic community.
   • The Consulate of Mexican in Houston participates in the Annual Worker Memorial Vigil which is held each year.

4. Results

   • The Alliance between the Consulate of Mexico in Houston and OSHA has allowed worker rights information to be distributed to several thousand Hispanic workers in the Greater Houston Area.
   • The Alliance and Justice and Equality group provides periodic meetings to discuss worker rights with various organizations that work in the Hispanic community.
   • Some information for this evaluation period is unavailable due to the departure of the CAS from the HSAO. The Alliance was resigned August 31, 2015.

5. Upcoming Milestones

   The Alliance will be renewed during Labor Rights Week during the opening ceremony at the Mexican Consulate.