• Region IV /
  • Alliance Annual Report - December 21, 2015

U.S. Department of Labor
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Atlanta Regional Office
61 Forsyth Street, S.W., Room 6T50
Atlanta, Georgia 30303
(678) 237-0400; Fax (678) 237-0447

Consular Section of the Embassy of the Philippines, Washington, D.C., Alliance

Region IV Alliance Annual Report
December 21, 2015

  1. Alliance Background

    A. Date Signed

    November 1, 2013

    Renewal Date

    Pending

    B. Evaluation Period

    December 2, 2014, through December 1, 2015

    C. Overview

    The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Consular Section of the Embassy of the Philippines, Washington, D.C., formed an Alliance to provide Filipino workers and employers in Florida information, guidance, and access to education and training resources that will help them protect the rights of workers under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act).

    D. Implementation Team Members:

    The implementation team consists of representatives from the Consular Section of the Embassy of the Philippines in Washington, D.C., the OSHA Area Offices in Alabama and Georgia, as well as the Atlanta Regional Office.

  2. Implementation Team Meetings

    The group conducted Alliance implementation team meetings, in person, by telephone, and through e-mail correspondence on the following dates:

    • April 30, 2015
    • May 28, 2015
    • June 29, 2015
    • July 13, 2015
    • August 5, 2015

  3. Results

    The following table summarizes the Alliance’s activities in support of the goals in the Alliance agreement.

    4. Raising Awareness of OSHA’s Rulemaking and Enforcement Initiatives:

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

    • To raise awareness of and demonstrate commitment to workplace safety and health and workers’ rights under the OSH Act whenever leaders from the Participants address groups.
    • To convene or participate in forums, roundtable discussions, or stakeholder meetings on common workplace safety and health hazards, chemical safety, bloodborne pathogens, electrocutions, falls, struck-by and caught-in/between hazards to help forge innovative solutions on issues concerning workplace safety and health and understanding of workers’ rights and responsibilities of employers under the OSH Act.
    • To share information on applicable occupational safety and health laws and standards, including those relating to workers’ rights and responsibilities of employers.
    Activity Type Activity Name/Summary OSHA Areas of Emphasis Supported Number Reached

    N/A

    N/A

    N/A

    N/A

    Training and Education:

    The Participants intend to work together to achieve the following training and education goal:

    • To develop training and education programs for Filipino workers and employers in Alabama and Georgia in chemical safety, bloodborne pathogens, electrocutions, falls, struck-by and caught-in/between hazards or prevalent hazards in both the construction and general industries.
    • To develop training and education programs for Filipino workers and employers in Alabama and Georgia to promote understanding of workers’ rights and responsibilities of employers under the OSH Act, including the use of the OSHA complaint process, and to communicate such information to employers and workers.
    • To deliver or arrange for the delivery of 0SHA 10-hour Construction and General Industry Outreach Training Programs or other hazard awareness courses.
    • To develop workplace health and safety curricula on common workplace hazards faced by Filipino workers in Alabama and Georgia.
    Activity Type Activity Name/Summary OSHA Areas of Emphasis Supported Number Reached

    N/A

    N/A

    N/A

    N/A

    Outreach and Communication:

    The Participants intend to work together to achieve the following outreach and communication goals:

    • 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 links to OSHA’s Web site from the Embassy of the Philippines, Washington, D.C. Web site to Filipino workers in Alabama and Georgia their employers.
    • To speak, exhibit, or appear at OSHA’s or the Embassy of the Philippines, Washington, D.C. conferences, local meetings, Consular Outreach Missions or other events.
    • To participate in “Mobile Consulate” activities and events.
    • To share information among DOL personnel and safety and health professionals regarding the Embassy of the Philippines, Washington, D.C. good practices or effective approaches and publicize results through outreach by the Embassy of the Philippines, Washington, D.C. and OSHA and through materials, training programs, workshops, seminars, and lectures (or any other applicable forum) developed by the participants.
    Activity Type Activity Name/Summary OSHA Areas of Emphasis Supported Number Reached
    Dissemination During this event period, the Consular Section of the Philippine Embassy was encouraged to support OSHA’s National Fall Prevention Safety Stand-down, as well as OSHA’s Heat Illness Prevention Campaigns. Additionally, OSHA’s outreach material supporting both campaigns was shared with the Alliance group. Fall Prevention and Heat Illness Prevention 100+ workers
    Exhibit, Speech/Presentation, Dissemination

    The Atlanta Regional Office coordinated a Mobile Consulate between the Consular Section of the Embassy of the Philippines and the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Program (TOSHA) for the following dates and location:

    • May 30 through 31, 2015, in Nashville, TN
    		 Fall Prevention, Worker Rights, Whistleblower, Struck by, Hazard Communication/ Chemicals, Heat Illness Prevention and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) 100+ workers
    Exhibit, Speech/Presentation, Dissemination

    The Atlanta Regional Office coordinated a Mobile Consulate between the Consular Section of the Embassy of the Philippines and the Kentucky Occupational Safety and Health Division (KY OSH) for the following dates and location:

    • July 4 through 6, 2015, in Lexington, KY
    		 Fall Prevention, Worker Rights, Whistleblower, Struck by, Hazard Communication/ Chemicals, Heat Illness Prevention and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) 100+ workers
    Exhibit, Speech/Presentation, Dissemination

    The Atlanta Regional Office coordinated a Mobile Consulate between the Consular Section of the Embassy of the Philippines, Washington, D.C. and the OSHA Atlanta-East Area Office for the following date and location:

    • July 19, 2015, in Augusta, Georgia
    		 Fall Prevention, Worker Rights, Whistleblower, Struck by, Hazard Communication/ Chemicals, Heat Illness Prevention and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) 100+ workers
    Exhibit, Speech/Presentation, Dissemination

    The Atlanta Regional Office coordinated a Mobile Consulate between the Consular Section of the Embassy of the Philippines, Washington, D.C. and the South Carolina Occupational Safety and Health Program (SCOSH) for the following dates and location:

    • August 1 through 3, 2015, in Charleston, SC
    		 Fall Prevention, Worker Rights, Whistleblower, Struck by, Hazard Communication/ Chemicals, Heat Illness Prevention and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) 200+ workers
    Exhibit, Speech/Presentation, Dissemination

    The Atlanta Regional Office coordinated a Mobile Consulate between the Consular Section of the Embassy of the Philippines, Washington, D.C. and the OSHA Mobile (Alabama) Area Office for the following date and location:

    • August 8, 2015, in Montgomery, Alabama
    		 Fall Prevention, Worker Rights, Struck by, Hazard Communication/ Chemicals, Heat Illness Prevention and Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) 100+ workers

  4. Evaluation

    N/A

  5. Upcoming Milestones in FY 2016

    • During this period, OSHA will renew the Alliance with the Consular Section of the Philippine Embassy.
    • The Alliance group will continue to effectively coordinate with the Consular Section of the Philippine Embassy to ensure that mobile consulate visits in Region IV are properly supported by OSHA Area Offices, as well as State Plan States.
    • The Alliance group will continue to work cooperatively with the Consular Section of the Philippine Embassy to effectively promote the need for safety and health management systems, especially among the Filipino small business community.
    • The Alliance group will continue to promote OSHA’s Fall Prevention and Heat Illness Prevention Campaigns throughout the Filipino community in OSHA’s Region IV.

Report prepared by Tom Bosley, Region IV Alliance Coordinator