• Region IV /
  • Alliance Annual Report - November 17, 2017

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
November 17, 2017

  1. Alliance Background

    1. Date Signed

      2. November 1, 2013

      Renewal date

      July 15, 2016

    2. Evaluation Period

      3. December 2, 2016, through December 1, 2017

    3. Overview

      4. 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 Alabama and Georgia 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).

    4. Implementation Team Members

      5. 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

    • July 5, 2016
    • May 16, 2017

    In addition to these formal meetings, the Alliance coordinators from both groups maintained regular contact throughout the reporting period to monitor the Alliance’s progress and results.

  3. Results

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

    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
    Event On July 15, 2016, the Consul General participated in a joint signing ceremony with representatives from the US Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), as well as the Wage and Hour Division (WHD). Following the signing event, the group conducted a panel discussion, which focused on safety and health, as well as workers’ rights. Asian American/ Pacific Islander Workers, Fall Prevention, Hazard Communication/ Chemicals, Temporary Workers, and Heat Illness Prevention 35
    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 The OSHA Area Offices had no action to report during this review period.    
    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 was encouraged to support OSHA’s National Fall Prevention Safety Stand-down. OSHA’s outreach material supporting the campaign was also shared with the Alliance group.

    During the period, the OSHA Atlanta Regional Office encouraged the Consular Section of the Philippine Embassy to support the following OSHA National Safety Stand-down events:
    • May 8 through 12, 2017, the OSHA National Fall Prevention Safety Stand-down.
    • May 22 through May 24, 2017, the OSHA Heat Illness Prevention Stand-down.
    		 Asian American/ Pacific Islander Workers and Fall Prevention 100+ workers
    Dissemination During this event period, an article was posted in the Georgia Asian Times regarding the US Department of Labor’s outreach to the Asian community.   1,000+
    Speech/Presentation On May 16, 2017, the Compliance Assistance Specialist (CAS) from the OSHA Atlanta-West Area Office and a representative from the US Department of Labor, Wage & Hour Division met with members of the Pan Community Services. Fall Prevention, Hazard Communication/ Chemicals, and Heat Illness Prevention 10
  4. Evaluation

    5. Refer to the information provided in the above tables.

  5. Upcoming Milestones in FY 2018

    • 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, Heat Illness Prevention, as well as the Safe and Sound Campaigns throughout the Filipino community in OSHA’s Region IV.

    Report prepared by Tom Bosley, Region IV Alliance Coordinator