OSHA and HREC ally for safety

Source: Construction Digital

Date :6/19/2007 10:59:40 AM

Construction organizations form alliance with the goal of helping NY small businesses provide safe work environments for employees.

Under the alliance, the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Hispanics in Real Estate (HREC) will develop and deliver training and education programs focusing on such workplace hazards as falls, electrocution, being struck by or caught in or between machinery, amputations, hazardous materials and chemicals. These programs will include presentations of OSHA's 10-hour construction and general industry courses in English and Spanish. HREC members who speak both English and Spanish will be encouraged to complete OSHA's train-the-trainer courses so they can teach these courses in both languages.

"This alliance is an opportunity to reach employees who may not know how to identify and prevent common workplace hazards," says Patricia K. Clark, OSHA's regional administrator in New York. "Equipping employees with that knowledge, and the ability to impart that knowledge to others, will help prevent injuries and illnesses."

"OSHA will work with the HREC, as well as faith-based and community-based organizations, to increase safety and health awareness within New York's Hispanic community," says Diana Cortez, OSHA's regional Hispanic outreach coordinator and director of the agency's Tarrytown Area Office.

The alliance was signed April 28 by Peter Fontanes, chairman, and Bridget Gonzalez, president, HREC; OSHA's Clark and Cortez; and OSHA Area Directors Christopher Adams (Syracuse), Arthur Dube (Buffalo), Edward Jerome (Albany), Patricia Jones (Long Island), Robert Kulick (Avenel, N.J.) and Richard Mendelson (Manhattan).

OSHA safety and health alliances are part of U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao's ongoing efforts to improve the health and safety of employees through cooperative partnerships with trade associations, labor organizations, employers and government agencies. OSHA currently has 468 alliances throughout the nation with organizations committed to fostering safety and health in the workplace.