AGREEMENT TO ESTABLISH AN ALLIANCE
BETWEEN THE
THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
AND
THE HISPANIC CONTRACTORS OF AMERICA, INC.

The number of Hispanic construction workers killed by work-related accidents is increasing in the United States. To help reverse this trend, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Hispanic Contractors of America, Inc. (HCA) agree to establish an Alliance to promote safe and healthful working conditions for Hispanic construction workers by:

• Helping Hispanic construction contractors (employers) improve knowledge of safe and healthful work practices and achieve compliance with safety and health standards and other regulations promulgated pursuant to the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970; and
• Increasing access to safety and health training resources and related materials in Spanish for construction employers and employees who are not fluent in the English language.

Both organizations acknowledge that when English is not the first language of construction employers and/or employees in the United States, access to training and information about safe and healthful work practices may be limited compared to native English-speakers. To bridge this language barrier and other potential gaps in access, the OSHA and HCA agree to work together to:

• Identify existing resources and stimulate the development of new resources for Hispanic construction employers and employees, such as safety and health publications, audio-visual and other reference materials that are in Spanish.
• Seek opportunities to jointly exhibit and disseminate safety and health information at conferences, events, community-based activities, and through electronic mediums.
• Work with community and faith based organizations and other leadership groups to build safety and health awareness within the Hispanic community.
• Encourage bilingual individuals in construction to take the OSHA train-the-trainer course on occupational safety and health standards for the construction industry, so they qualify to teach Hispanic workers the OSHA 10- and 30-hour construction safety and health outreach courses in Spanish.
• Promote and encourage participation in the OSHA cooperative programs (e.g. compliance assistance, consultation and mentoring) among HCA members.
• Provide an opportunity for State Plan States to become involved in all efforts to achieve the goals of this agreement.

Participating members of the organizations will meet to facilitate the goals of the Alliance. These members will include representatives from Federal OSHA’s Directorate of Federal State Operations, the Directorate of Construction, State Plan OSHA, and Consultation Projects. The participating members will draft a document formalizing the Alliance procedures, and establish methods to track, analyze, and evaluate the Alliance activities.