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Occupational Safety & Health Administration |
OSHA News Release
2005 - 10/14/2005 - OSHA Joins with El Salvador Consulate to Enhance Safety and Health for Hispanic Workers in New York |
OSHA News Release - Table of Contents |
Region 2 News Release: 05-1089-NEW/BOS 2005-287 Friday, Oct. 14, 2005 Contact: Ted Fitzgerald Phone: (617) 565-2074 OSHA Joins with El Salvador Consulate to Enhance Safety and Health for Hispanic Workers in New York
LONG ISLAND, N.Y. -- Educating Hispanic workers and employers in New York about occupational safety and health is the goal of a new alliance between the U.S. Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and the Consulate of El Salvador, Long Island. The alliance provides opportunities to reach out to workers, employers and youth groups. Under the alliance -- a first in the region -- OSHA will work with the consulate to offer Salvadorans and other Hispanics information, guidance and training to help protect workers, particularly those with limited English-speaking ability. OSHA will present training courses in Spanish focused on hazards in general industry and construction, including fall, electrical and amputation hazards. Bi-lingual staff of the Consulate of El Salvador may complete OSHA "train-the-trainer" courses, and would qualify to teach OSHA courses in Spanish. "OSHA and the Consulate of El Salvador will work with faith-based and community organizations in New York to raise safety and health awareness in the Hispanic community," said Patricia K. Clark, OSHA's regional administrator. "It's important to equip these workers with the knowledge to identify occupational hazards and prevent workplace injuries and illnesses." Sixty-five workers, many of them day laborers, completed an OSHA safety course at the consulate in February. "The positive response to this earlier training session shows the critical need for this outreach," said Diana Cortez, OSHA's regional Hispanic coordinator. The alliance was signed July 1 at the Consulate in Brentwood, N.Y. Signatories were Clark; Cortez; Kevin Brennan, acting area director for OSHA's Long Island office; and Luis Montes Brito, consul general, El Salvador, Long Island, N.Y. OSHA health and safety alliances are part of U.S. Labor Secretary Elaine L. Chao's ongoing efforts to improve the health and safety of workers through cooperative partnerships. OSHA has created more than 325 alliances with organizations committed to fostering safety and health in the workplace. Additional information about this alliance and OSHA's Hispanic outreach activities in the New York region can be obtained by calling OSHA's Tarrytown area office at (914) 524-7510. Employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthful workplace for their employees. OSHA's role is to assure the safety and health of America's workers by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual improvement in workplace safety and health. For more information, visit www.osha.gov. # # # U.S. Labor Department releases are accessible on the Internet at www.dol.gov. The information in this news release will be made available in alternate format upon request (large print, Braille, audio tape or disc) from the COAST office. Please specify which news release when placing your request. Call (202) 693-7773 or TTY (202) 693-7755. The U.S. Department of Labor is committed to providing America's employers and employees with easy access to understandable information on how to comply with its laws and regulations. For more information, please visit www.dol.gov/compliance. |
OSHA News Release - Table of Contents |
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