Wage and Hour Division (WHD)

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ATLANTA -- The Mexican Consulate in Atlanta has established a help-line, (404) 262-4466, for Hispanic workers who are concerned about safety and health hazards at their worksite or other work-related issues under the jurisdiction of the U.S. Department of Labor.

Bi-lingual consulate employees have been trained by the U.S. Labor Department to screen calls and connect workers with appropriate department staff for assistance. Since December, 90 percent of the callers have been construction workers.

“Often, Hispanic workers do not realize they have protections under the Occupational Safety and Health Act and other Labor Department laws,” said Cindy Coe Laseter, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Atlanta regional administrator.

The hot-line was set up under an alliance between the Mexican Consulate, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Georgia Tech Research Institute’s Safety, Health and Environmental Technology Division. The goal of the agreement is to reduce injuries, illnesses and fatalities among Hispanic workers.

“We also encourage Hispanic workers to call the hot-line if they have questions about unpaid wages or overtime pay, which are covered by the Fair Labor Standards Act, administered by the Labor Department’s Wage and Hour Division,” said Consul General of Mexico in Atlanta Remedios Gomez-Arnau.

“The Wage and Hour Division has been working cooperatively with the Mexican Consulate training their intake workers on making referrals to us and other agencies,” said John McKeon, regional administrator, southeast region, Wage and Hour Division.

The Mexican Consulate’s phone number complements OSHA’s toll-free number, 1-800-321-OSHA (6742). The OSHA line is available 24-hours, seven days a week to report workplace safety and health hazards.

OSHA has a regional office in Atlanta at 61 Forsyth St., SW, Room 6T50; phone: (404) 562-2300. For more information about laws administered by the department, visit www.dol.gov.

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.

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U.S. Department of Labor releases are accessible on the Internet at www.dol.gov. The information in this news release will be made available in alternate format (large print, Braille, audio tape or disc) from the COAST office upon request. Please specify which news release when placing your request at (202) 693-7828 or TTY (202) 693-7755. The Labor Department 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.