Region 1 News Release: 13-663-NEW/BOS 2013-055
April 15, 2013
Contact: Ted Fitzgerald Andre Bowser
Email: fitzgerald.edmund@dol.gov bowser.andre.j@dol.gov
Phone: 617-565-2075 617-565-2074

US Labor Department's OSHA forms alliance with Philippine consulate
general in New York to inform, assist workers in 10 states
Alliance will provide vital training for Philippine national workers in northeast US

NEW YORK — The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Philippine consulate general in New York today formed an alliance to promote workplace safety and health for Philippine nationals in the northeast United States.

Through the alliance, OSHA and the consulate will provide information, training, guidance and access to education and training resources to Philippine nationals, particularly those working in home health care, and their employers. The alliance will cover workers in Connecticut, Delaware, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island and Vermont.

The training will address safety and health hazards associated with home health care and promote understanding of the rights and responsibilities of workers and employers under the Occupational Safety and Health Act, including the OSHA complaint process.

"Knowledge is the most important tool a worker can bring to the job," said Robert Kulick, OSHA regional administrator in New York. "This alliance will help workers identify and eliminate workplace hazards and ensure that they know their right to have a voice in their workplace when it comes to their safety and health. We look forward to a long and fruitful alliance with the Philippine consulate general."

The alliance was signed today at the Philippine Consulate in New York by Kulick and Consul General Mario L. DeLeon Jr.

Through its Alliance Program, OSHA works with businesses, trade associations, unions, consulates, professional organizations, faith- and community-based organizations, and educational institutions to prevent workplace fatalities, injuries and illnesses. The purpose of each alliance is to develop compliance assistance tools and resources and educate workers and employers about their rights and responsibilities. Alliance Program participants do not receive exemptions from OSHA inspections or any other enforcement benefits. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov/dcsp/alliances/index.html.

More information about this alliance can be obtained from the OSHA regional offices in Boston, 617-565-9860; New York, 212-337-2378; and Philadelphia, 215-861-4900.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to ensure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.

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U.S. Department of Labor news materials are accessible at http://www.dol.gov. The information above is available in large print, Braille, audio tape or disc from the COAST office upon request by calling 202-693-7828 or TTY 202-693-7755.