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Region 6 News Release: DOL-OSHA-11-89-DAL
Feb. 18, 2011
Contact: Elizabeth Todd       Juan Rodriguez
Phone: 972-850-4710       972-850-4709
E-mail: todd.elizabeth@dol.gov       rodriguez.juan@dol.gov

US Labor Department's OSHA and Mexican Consulate form alliance to
promote safety and health of Mexican workers in Arkansas and Oklahoma

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Enhanced workplace safety and health for Mexican workers in Arkansas and Oklahoma is the goal of an alliance signed today by the U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Mexican Consulate in Little Rock.

"We welcome this unique opportunity to join with the Mexican Consulate in emphasizing safety and health in high-risk industries," said William Burke, OSHA's acting regional administrator in Dallas, Texas. "The joint resources of this relationship will provide access to education and training to protect their occupational safety and health."

The Mexican Consulate in Little Rock represents and assists Mexican workers in the construction, manufacturing and poultry industries, serving approximately 120 people a day. Under this alliance, consulate personnel will work closely with OSHA's Arkansas and Oklahoma offices to enhance outreach, training and educational goals, and communication about safety and health, to that population.

"With the signing of this alliance, we seek a closer relationship with the Department of Labor and to strengthen the mechanisms for the protection of labor rights of Mexican citizens in the United States," said Andres Chao, consul of Mexico in Little Rock. "The main emphasis focuses on ensuring compliance with laws and regulations protecting Mexican workers, as well as raising awareness about them."

Through its Alliance Program, OSHA works with groups committed to worker safety and health to prevent workplace fatalities, injuries and illnesses. These groups include unions, consulates, trade and professional organizations, faith- and community-based organizations, businesses and educational institutions. OSHA and the groups work together to develop compliance assistance tools and resources, share information, and educate workers and employers about their rights and responsibilities. Alliance Program participants do not receive exemptions from OSHA programmed inspections. For more information on the agency's cooperative programs, visit http://www.osha.gov/dcsp/compliance_assistance/index_programs.html.

Employers and employees with questions about workplace safety and health standards, alliances or partnerships can call OSHA's Dallas Regional Office at 972-850-4145, the agency's Little Rock Area Office at 501-224-1841 or its Oklahoma City Area Office at 405-278-9560.

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, audiotape or disc from the COAST office upon request by calling 202-693-7828 or TTY 202-693-7755.