Kansas City Regional, and the Kansas City, St. Louis and Wichita Area Offices
The Consulate of Mexico in Kansas City, Missouri

1. Alliance Background

   Date Signed: March 1, 2013

   Alliance Overview:

   The Participants intend to establish a collaborative relationship to provide Mexican Nationals in Missouri and Kansas 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 the rights of workers and the responsibilities of employers under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act).

   Implementation Team Members

   For Mexican Consulate-KC:

   Alicia Guadalupe Kerber Palma

   Consul Titular

   Adriana Villarreal Buenfil

   Head Officer

   Jorge R. Soberon

   Consular Protection

   Aracely J. Van Kirk

   Outreach

   For OSHA:

   Barbara Theriot

   Area Director, Kansas City Area Office

   Elizabeth Morales

   Assistant Area Director, Kansas City Area Office

   Todd Sieleman

   Compliance Assistance Specialist, Kansas City Area Office

   Brenda Garcia

   Compliance Safety and Health Officer, Kansas City Area Office

   Evaluation Period

   March 1, 2014 - March 1, 2015

2. Implementation Team Meetings

   Although there have been no formal meetings, several informal telephone conversations with some of the parties have been held throughout the evaluation period to discuss innovative ways to broaden the Hispanic community awareness of safety and health.

3. Activities and Products

   Alliance Activity

   • Training and Education

     No activity to report during the evaluation period.

   • Outreach and Communication

     In conjunction with the Alliance, a Kansas City Area Office Assistant Area Director (AAD) (Spanish-speaking), Compliance Officer (Spanish-speaking), and/or the Compliance Assistance Specialist (CAS) visited the Mexican Consulate facility nine times to participate in the monthly outreach event at the facility. During this participation, the area office staff spoke with Mexican Nationals about OSHA, workers' rights, and the OSHA complaint process, and provided publications. The average number of attendees per visit was approximately 60 people, impacting approximately 540 people. During the year, the same AAD conducted 2 live radio shows to talk about general OSHA information, workers' rights, and the complaint process. These radio sessions are primarily for the Hispanic community in Kansas City, MO and Kansas areas. Approximately, 125,000 Spanish-speaking people have been impacted through these events, which are often re-broadcasted several times. The specific activities have included:

     • March 10, 2014 – The Kansas City Area Office AAD and CAS provided a booth and a presentation on general OSHA information, workers' rights and the complaint process during the monthly outreach event at the Mexican Consulate facility. 60 people were in attendance.
     • April 14, 2014 – The Kansas City Area Office AAD provided a booth and a presentation on general OSHA information, workers' rights and the complaint process during the monthly outreach event at the Mexican Consulate facility. 50 people were in attendance.
     • April 28, 2014 – The Mexican Consulate-Kansas City Consul spoke during the annual Workers' Memorial Day event held at the Builders' Association Training Facility in North Kansas City, MO. Approximately 150 people were in attendance.
     • May 15, 2014 – The Kansas City Area Office AAD provided a booth and a presentation on general OSHA information, workers' rights and the complaint process during the 2014 Latino Summit at the Consulate facility. 50 people were in attendance.
     • June 9, 2014 – A Kansas City Area Office Compliance Officer provided a booth and a presentation on general OSHA information, workers' rights and the complaint process during the monthly outreach event at the Mexican Consulate facility. 85 people were in attendance.
     • July 14, 2014 – A Kansas City Area Office Compliance Officer provided a booth and a presentation on general OSHA information, workers' rights and the complaint process during the monthly outreach event at the Mexican Consulate facility. 60 people were in attendance.
     • August 11, 2014 – The Kansas City Area Office CAS provided a booth and a presentation on general OSHA information, workers' rights and the complaint process during the monthly outreach event at the Mexican Consulate facility. 50 people were in attendance.
     • August 24, 2014 – The Kansas City Area Office AAD provided a booth and a presentation on general OSHA information, workers' rights and the complaint process during the 2014 Labor Rights Week activities held at the Consulate facility. Approximately 75 people were in attendance.
     • August 24, 2014 – The Kansas City Area Office AAD participated in a Spanish radio program (associated with the Mexican Consulate) on Radio Luz (1480 AM) in the Kansas City area. The presentation included general OSHA information, workers' rights and the complaint process. The radio station has a base audience of approximately 25,000 listeners.
     • November 10, 2014 – A Kansas City Area Office Compliance Officer provided a booth and a presentation on general OSHA information, workers' rights and the complaint process during the monthly outreach event at the Mexican Consulate facility. 50 people were in attendance.
     • November 17, 2014 – The Kansas City Area Office AAD participated in a Spanish radio program (associated with the Mexican Consulate and the Kansas City Spanish Chamber of Commerce) on La Gran D Radio Station (1340 AM) in the Kansas City area. The presentation included general OSHA information, workers' rights, and the complaint process. The radio station has a base audience of approximately 100,000 listeners.
     • December 8, 2014 – The Kansas City Area Office AAD provided a booth and a presentation on general OSHA information, workers' rights and the complaint process during the monthly outreach event at the Mexican Consulate facility. 25 people were in attendance.
     • February 9, 2015 – The Kansas City Area Office AAD provided a booth and a presentation on general OSHA information, workers' rights and the complaint process during the monthly outreach event at the Mexican Consulate facility. 85 people were in attendance.

   • Promoting the National Dialogue on Safety and Health

     The following referrals from the Mexican Consulate-Kansas City were received during the evaluation period:

     • June 14, 2013 – A Fork truck hazard in a Kansas City, KS warehouse (who employees approximately 28) was reported by the Consulate on behalf of a former worker. The worker was fired after an accident (involving a fork truck the worker was driving fell between the truck the worker was loading and the dock) in April 2013. Fortunately, the worker was not hurt. Since the worker did not report the incident until more than 30 days after the retaliation, the worker could not be helped under 11C protection. However, the Wichita Area Office processed the complaint, under several Local Emphasis Programs, and found no violations during the on-site inspection.
     • June 19, 2013 -Trench hazards were reported from a worker through the Consulate; however, OSHA had no jurisdiction since the worker was employed by a city. The Kansas City Area Office Duty Office contacted the City Water Service Department (WSD) to ensure that employees working inside of trenches were protected from cave-in hazards. A positive response was received from the WSD, regarding the protection of these workers.
     • January 22, 2014 – Numerous serious hazards were reported by a worker through the Consulate, at a pallet manufacturing shop in Kansas City, KS, employing approximately 42 workers. The referral was forwarded to the Wichita Area Office, who initiated a formal inspection. Violations for lack of machine guarding, and deficiencies regarding the hazard communication, personal protective equipment and fork truck standards, were issued on Feb. 10, 2014. The receipt of the violations has yet to be acknowledged.

   Alliance Products

   No new products were developed. However, many OSHA bilingual publications have been provided (although not tracked) to the Mexican Consulate to be placed in their waiting area during this evaluation period and for their mobile consulates.

4. Results

   During this evaluation period, the alliance has brought together the signatory groups as well as other community organizations that interact with the Hispanic population in the greater Kansas City area, as well as in Kansas and Missouri.

   Type of Activity (Conference, Training, Print and Electronic Distribution, etc.)	Number of Individuals Reached or Trained
   OSHA booth and presentations held during the monthly outreach event at the Consulate facility in Kansas City, MO	540
   OSHA participation in Radio Programs associated with the Consulate	125,000 (potentially)
   Consul participation in Workers' Memorial Day event	150
   OSHA participation in the 2014 Latino Summit held at the Consulate facility in Kansas City, MO	50
   TOTAL	125,740

5. Upcoming Milestones

   The partners in the alliance wish to renew the alliance, and a draft is currently under review. The area offices will be available to support the mobile Consulate locations throughout Missouri and Kansas, when available. In addition to this support for the mobile Consulate, the area offices plan to support the Labor Rights Week activities and other community activities, including the BiNational Health Week events.

Report Prepared by: Jacalyn Wheeler, Region VII Alliance Program Coordinator

For more information, contact the Office of Outreach Services and Alliances at 202-693-2340 or go to OSHA's Website.