AGREEMENT ESTABLISHING AN ALLIANCE
BETWEEN
OMAHA AREA OFFICE
THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
AND
NEBRASKA APPLESEED

The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Omaha Area Office, and Nebraska Appleseed Center for Law in the Public Interest (Nebraska Appleseed), a statewide organization based in Lincoln, Nebraska, recognize the value of establishing a collaborative relationship to foster safety and health practices and programs to improve American workplaces. To that end, OSHA and Nebraska Appleseed hereby form this Alliance, with an emphasis on worker rights and employer responsibilities to provide a safe and healthful workplace. Specifically, both organizations are committed to providing Nebraska Appleseed staff, immigrant workers, meat and poultry processing workers, English language learners, and other underserved vulnerable populations with information, guidance, and access to training resources that will help them protect the health and safety of workers and understand the rights of workers and the responsibilities of employers under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act).

This agreement provides a framework and objectives for the Alliance’s activities. Alliance participants also agree to meet 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 Alliance and measure the impact on improving workplace safety and health. In developing this Alliance, OSHA and Nebraska Appleseed recognize that OSHA’s State Plan and On-Site Consultation Program 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.

• Share information on occupational safety and health laws and standards, including the rights and responsibilities of workers and employers.

• Speak, exhibit, or appear at OSHA and Nebraska Appleseed conferences, local meetings, or other community-based events.

• Collaborate with other Alliance participants on specific issues and projects related to the safety and health and whistleblower rights for immigrant workers, meat and poultry processing workers, English language learners, and other hard-to-reach populations that are addressed and developed through the Alliance Program.

• 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 and Nebraska Appleseed’s websites) to employers and workers in the industry.

• Convene or participate in forums, roundtable discussions, or stakeholder meetings on priority workplace safety and health concerns that affect immigrant Nebraskans and other hard-to-reach populations – such as meat and poultry processing work-speed related injuries, ergonomics, recordkeeping, and other workplace safety issues – to help forge innovative solutions in the workplace or to provide input on safety and health issues.

• Share information among OSHA personnel and industry safety and health professionals regarding Nebraska Appleseed’s good practices or effective approaches through training programs, workshops, seminars, and lectures (or any other applicable forum).

• Encourage worker participation in workplace safety and health by sharing know your rights materials and facilitating safety conversations.

• Explore the efficacy of developing case studies on ergonomics, recordkeeping, other health and safety concerns in meat and poultry processing, or other workplace safety issues that affect immigrant Nebraskans and hard-to-reach populations.

• Encourage other local nonprofit partners and grassroots organizations to build relationships with OSHA’s Regional and Area Offices to address workplace health and safety issues.

Training and Education

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

• Develop effective training and education programs for immigrant Nebraskan workers, meat and poultry processing workers, English language learners, and other underserved vulnerable populations to promote understanding of workers’ safety and health and whistleblower rights. This includes the use of the OSHA complaint process, and the responsibilities of employers and to communicate such information to workers and employers.

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, communications, 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 Omaha Area Office and Nebraska Appleseed and any other appropriate offices. OSHA will encourage State Plans’ and OSHA On-Site Consultation program’ participation on the team.

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

Signed this 28^th day of September, 2022.