AGREEMENT ESTABLISHING AN ALLIANCE
BETWEEN ALLENTOWN AREA OFFICE
THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
AND
UPPER BUCKS COUNTY TECHNICAL SCHOOL

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The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Allentown Area Office (AAO) and Upper Bucks County Technical School (UBCTS) recognize the value of establishing a collaborative relationship to foster safer and more healthful American workplaces. To that end, OSHA and UBCTS hereby form an Alliance to provide UBCTS's students, faculty, administration members, Occupational Advisory Council members and others with information, guidance, and access to training resources that will help them protect the health and safety of workers (including young/student workers), particularly by reducing and preventing exposure to various workplace hazards, 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 will summarize specific activities and timeframes for completion in a written work plan.

Through the Alliance, the organizations will use relevant 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 to evaluate the effectiveness of the Alliance and measure the impact of its overall effort on improving workplace safety for students, faculty, administrators and young workers (School-To­ Work students). In developing this Alliance, OSHA and UBCTS recognize that OSHA's State Plan 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 of OSHA's Rulemaking and Enforcement Initiatives

The Participants intend to work together to achieve the following objectives related to raising awareness of OSHA's rulemaking and enforcement initiatives:

• To share information on occupational safety and health laws and standards, including the rights and responsibilities of workers and employers.
• To convene or participate in forums, roundtable discussions, or stakeholder meetings on youth safety to help forge innovative solutions in the workplace or to provide input on safety and health issues.

Training and Education

The Participants intend to work together to achieve the following training and education objectives, as the opportunity or resources permit:

• To review and provide input on effective training and education curricula for youth entering the workforce to promote understanding of workers' rights, including the use of the OSHA complaint process, and the responsibilities of employers and to communicate such information to workers and employers.
• To deliver various safety and health related training and education on topics including but not limited to: understanding worker rights, fall, struck-by, caught between, electrical hazards, material handling hazards, use of personal protective equipment and hazards associated with chemicals.

Outreach and Communication

The Participants intend to work together to achieve the following outreach and communication objectives, as the opportunity or resources permit:

• To develop information on the recognition and prevention of workplace hazards, and to develop ways of communicating such information (e.g., print and electronic media, electronic assistance tools, and OSHA's and the UBCT’S Web sites) to students, faculty, employers serving on Occupational Advisory Councils and other academic (career and technical) institutions.
• To speak, exhibit, or appear at OSHA's or UBCTS's conferences, local meetings, or other Commonwealth of Pennsylvania Department of Education events.
• To share information among OSHA personnel, academia and industry safety and health professionals regarding UBCTS's best practices or effective approaches through training programs, workshops, seminars, and lectures (or any other applicable forum) developed by the Participants.

OSHA's Alliances provide parties an opportunity to participate in a voluntary cooperative relationship with OSHA for purposes such as raising awareness of OSHA's rulemaking and enforcement initiatives, training and education, and outreach and communication. These Alliances have proved to be valuable tools for both OSHA and its Alliance participants. By entering into an Alliance with a party, OSHA is not endorsing or promoting, nor does it intend to endorse or promote, any of that party' s products or services.

An implementation team made up of representatives of each organization, including an available student representative, will meet to develop a work plan, determine working procedures, and identify the roles and responsibilities of the participants. In addition, they will meet at least 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 Allentown Area Office. OSHA will encourage State Plan States' and OSHA On-site Consultation Projects' 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 17th day of September, 2015.

 

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Samuel Gualardo
Director
PA/OSHA Consultation Program
Indiana University of Pennsylvania