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Updated: Feb 8th, 2012 - 06:46:21 |
Region 2 News Release: 05-2010-NEW/BOS 2005-324
Wednesday, November 9, 2005
Contact: Ted Fitzgerald
Phone: (617) 565-2074
OSHA Joins with Guatemalan Consulate to Enhance Safety and Health for Hispanic Workers in New York and New Jersey
NEW YORK -- Enhancing workplace safety and health for Guatemalan and other Hispanic workers in New York and New Jersey is the goal of a newly-signed alliance between the U.S. Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Consulate General of Guatemala in New York City.
OSHA and the consulate, along with other faith-based and community organizations, will work with the local Hispanic community in New York and New Jersey to increase safety and health awareness. This will include jointly developing and delivering training and education programs to non-English or limited-English speaking employees and employers.
The training, to be provided in Spanish, will focus on reducing workers' exposures to fall, electrical, amputation and other hazards. It will include delivery in Spanish of OSHA's 10- and 30-hour courses on general and construction industry safety.
"Working with the mobile consulate and in other venues, we will provide Guatemalan and other Hispanic workers with training and information that will help them identify and protect themselves against common and deadly workplace hazards," said OSHA Regional Administrator Patricia K. Clark.
The alliance will encourage bi-lingual individuals to take OSHA's Train-the-Trainer courses so they can qualify to teach the OSHA 10- and 30-hour courses in Spanish. In addition, the consulate's constituency will be encouraged to develop relationships with OSHA offices regarding safety and health issues and to participate in OSHA's cooperative programs.
"By training Spanish speakers to train other Spanish-speaking workers about workplace safety and health we hope to greatly increase the number of workers equipped with the most valuable tool of all -- knowledge," said OSHA's Regional Hispanic Coordinator Diana Cortez.
The alliance was signed Oct. 13 at the Consulate General of Guatemala in New York City. Signatories were Clark; Cortez; and Rosa Maria Merida de Mora, ambassador, consul general of Guatemala.
OSHA health and safety alliances are part of U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao's ongoing efforts to improve the health and safety of workers through cooperative partnerships. OSHA has created more than 325 alliances with organizations committed to fostering safety and health in the workplace. Additional information about this alliance and OSHA's Hispanic outreach activities in the New York region can be obtained by calling OSHA's Tarrytown area office at (914) 524-7510.
Employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthful workplace for their employees. OSHA's role is to assure the safety and health of America's workers by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual improvement in workplace safety and health. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.
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