Alliance -- An OSHA Cooperative Program<< Back to Region V

I. Alliance Background

Date Signed.

March 6, 2003

Alliance Overview.

The purpose of the alliance was to promote safe and healthful working conditions. The alliance was formed as part of OSHA’s broader emphasis on outreach to immigrant workers in general and Hispanic workers in particular. Historically, and just prior to the alliance the Madison Area Office experienced several workplace fatalities and serious injuries among the Hispanic workforce in Madison’s area of jurisdiction. Of the groups that the area office approached the Interfaith Coalition showed the most interest and promise of working with a government agency.

Implementation Team Members.

Kimberly Stille Area Director, Mark Fontaine Team Leader, Ann McNeary United Way, Cheryl Statz Interfaith Coalition.

II. Implementation Team Meetings

May 1, 2004 Interfaith Coalition Office Madison WI - A meeting was held to discuss the direction of the Alliance.

Throughout the year until he left the Madison Area Office, Adam Gerson, a compliance officer with the Madison OSHA office, regularly attended Interfaith monthly meetings more as an observer, but also to have input into worker safety issues which may arise during the course of the meeting.

III. Activities and Products

Evaluation Period.

This report covers the period from March 2004 until March 2005

Alliance Activity.
  • Training and Education – OSHA and the Interfaith Coalition assisted the Madison Area Safety Council in providing outreach to employers in the Madison Area at a breakfast meeting. The Madison Office had a Spanish Language instructor come the OSHA office on a weekly basis to teach Spanish to employees. Spanish I and Spanish II were taught to 5 OSHA compliance officers.
  • Outreach and Communication – The alliance is mentioned in all of the Madison Area Office speeches to give it maximum exposure to the public.
  • Promoting the National Dialogue on Safety and Health – This alliance was publicly commented on in a national office publication that was discussing faith-based alliances within OSHA. The Madison OSHA office wrote a letter of support when the Interfaith Coalition attempted to get a grant that partially involved safety related themes.

Alliance Products.

  • Training and Education – To date there have been no significant "products" other than the outreach and training efforts noted above which include PowerPoints, handouts etc.
  • Outreach and Communication – There have been no significant "products" other than what has been noted above.
  • Promoting the National Dialogue on Safety and Health – There has been no significant “product” in this area other than what is noted above.

IV. Results

The alliance has not produced as many products as the partners would have liked. It has been difficult to see progress when looking at the recent history, but the Interfaith Coalition is under new leadership (The old director had little if any safety or health experience and did not see the value of the alliance.) The new director is a former labor leader and recent discussions with him indicate that he may be more willing to take a more proactive approach to work with OSHA.

Type of Activity (Conference, Training, Print and
Electronic Distribution, etc.)		 Number of Individuals
Reached or Trained
National Alliance Newsletter Unknown
Various Conference Training 100 Individuals
   
TOTAL 100+

V. Upcoming Milestones

Future plans include:
  • Continued promotion of the alliance through speeches.
  • Public Service Announcements on the Local Hispanic Language Radio Station.
  • Continued meetings with the Interfaith Coalition to better address the safety and health needs of the local Hispanic Community
  • Providing Spanish Language publications and other media to the Interfaith Coalition which promotes safety and health in the workplace and employee workplace safety and health rights.
  • Explore outreach to other ethnic groups that the Interfaith Coalition works with such as Hmong, Vietnamese and others
Report Prepared by: Mark Fontaine