R. Casey Perkins (left) area director in Austin for the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration signs alliance with Carlos Gonzalez Gutierrez (right) consul general for the Mexican Consulate in Austin.

August 31, 2015

Participants: The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s Austin Area Office and the Consulate General of Mexico in Austin. Signing the agreement were R. Casey Perkins and Carlos Gonzales Gutierrez.

Alliance description: The alliance signed today will provide safety and health outreach and training to Mexican nationals working in Central Texas. This voluntary alliance provides Spanish speaking workers with assistance and outreach materials, in Spanish, on workers’ rights and OSHA standards. Some of the safety and health issues that will be covered include falls from elevated work surfaces, electrocution, heat illness, exposure to hazardous chemicals, struck-by and caught-in or -between hazards.

Duration: Two years.

Quote: “The alliance with the Mexican consulate provides OSHA with a great opportunity to provide safety training and outreach in a native language in an effort to keep Spanish speaking workers safe in the workplace,” R. Casey Perkins, OSHA’s area director in Austin. “Knowledge is the first step of workplace safety and health, and OSHA is committed to ensuring training is provided in a language that workers can understand.”

Information: 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. For information about forming an alliance or partnership, contact OSHA’s Austin Area Office at 512-374-0271.