AGREEMENT RENEWING AN ALLIANCE
BETWEEN
THE WILKES-BARRE AREA OFFICE OF
THE OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY AND HEALTH ADMINISTRATION
U.S. DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
AND
NORTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA INDUSTRIAL RESOURCE CENTER (NEPIRC)

The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Wilkes-Barre Area Office and the Northeastern Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center (NEPIRC) continue to recognize the value of maintaining a collaborative relationship to foster safety and health practices and programs to improve American workplaces. To that end, OSHA and NEPIRC hereby renew the Alliance signed July 1, 2023, with a continued emphasis on reducing and preventing exposure to emerging general industry hazards and addressing hazard recognition and control programs, injury and illness prevention programs, effective safety training issues. Specifically, both organizations are committed to providing NEPIRC stakeholders and the public with information, guidance, and access to training resources that will help them protect workers and understand the rights of workers and the responsibilities of employers under the Occupational Safety and Health Act (OSH Act). Through the Alliance, the organizations will continue to address the wide range of Industrial and Manufacturing hazards such as machine guarding, lockout/tagout, electrical, hazard communication, forklifts, ladders, and walking/working surfaces hazards (slips, trips and falls).

This agreement provides a framework and objectives for the Alliance's activities. Alliance participants also agree to meet the requirements for program participation laid out in the “Fundamental Requirements for OSHA Alliance Program Participants” and the “Guidelines for OSHA's Alliance Program Participants: Alliance Products and Other Alliance Projects.”

Through the Alliance, the organizations will use injury, illness, and hazard exposure data, when appropriate, to help identify areas of emphasis for Alliance awareness, outreach, and communication activities. The Alliance will also explore and implement selected options, including but not limited to surveys, to evaluate the Alliance and measure the impact on improving workplace safety and health. In renewing this Alliance, OSHA and NEPIRC recognize that OSHA's State Plan and On-Site Consultation Program partners are an integral part of the OSHA national effort, and that information about the products and activities of the Alliance may be shared with these partners for the advancement of common goals.

Raising Awareness: Outreach and Communication

The Participants intend to work together to achieve the following objectives:

• Share information on OSHA's National/Regional/Local Initiatives (Emphasis Programs, Regulatory Agenda, Outreach), and opportunities to participate in initiatives and the rulemaking process.
• Share information on occupational safety and health laws and standards, including the rights and responsibilities of workers and employers.
• Speak, exhibit, or appear at OSHA and NEPIRC conferences, local meetings, and safety day events, and share information on OSHA special initiative outreach campaigns such as Safe + Sound.
• Convene or participate in forums, roundtable discussions, or stakeholder meetings on general industry hazards, work and life wellness programs, and emergency preparedness to help forge innovative solutions in the workplace or to provide input on safety and health issues.
• Develop pathways to communicate information regarding the recognition and prevention of workplace hazards to employers and workers in the industry.
• Encourage worker participation in workplace safety and health by training employers on how to involve employees in JHAs and hazard identification initiatives in the workplace to include the effectiveness of employee-based workplace safety committees.

Training and Education

The Participants intend to work together to achieve the following objectives:

• Develop effective training and education programs for NEPIRC stakeholders and others regarding hazards such as machine guarding, lockout/tagout, electrical, hazard communication, forklifts, ladders, and walking/working surfaces hazards (slips, trips and falls), and communicate such information to constituent employers and workers. Ensure training materials/programs are made available in appropriate languages and formats to meet the needs of their target audiences.
• Deliver or arrange for the delivery of courses as: Forklift Safety, Hazard Identification/Job Hazard Analysis, Conducting Safety Audits, Personal Protective Equipment, and Safety Committee operations.
• Deliver effective training and education programs for NEPIRC stakeholders to promote understanding of workers' rights, including the use of the OSHA complaint process, and the responsibilities of employers and to communicate such information to workers and employers. Ensure training materials/programs are made available in appropriate languages and formats to meet the needs of their target audiences.

OSHA's Alliances provide organizations an opportunity to participate in a voluntary cooperative relationship with OSHA for purposes such as raising awareness of OSHA's initiatives, outreach, communication, training, and education. These Alliances have proven to be valuable tools for both OSHA and Alliance participants. In entering this Alliance, OSHA and Northeastern Pennsylvania Industrial Resource Center acknowledge that this agreement is not legally binding. This agreement does not obligate or authorize the expenditure or reimbursement of appropriations or other funds, nor does it require the parties to enter into any contract or other obligations. It does not confer any rights or responsibilities under U.S. law, nor does it limit or restrict the parties from participating in similar activities or arrangements with other entities. This agreement does not limit, supersede, or otherwise affect OSHA's normal operations or decisions in carrying out its statutory and regulatory duties and functions. OSHA's entering an Alliance with an organization does not imply the agency's endorsement or promotion of that organization's products or services.

An implementation team made up of representatives of each organization will meet one to two times per year to track and share information on activities and results in achieving the goals of the Alliance. OSHA team members will include representatives of the Wilkes-Barre Area Office and any other appropriate offices. OSHA will encourage State Plans' and OSHA On-Site Consultation programs' participation on the team.

This agreement will be executed in full compliance with all applicable federal laws. It takes effect on the date of signing and will remain in effect for two years. Either signatory may terminate their organization's participation in the agreement for any reason at any time, provided they give 30 days' written notice. This agreement may be modified at any time with the written concurrence of both signatories.

Signed this 1st day of August 2025.