LITTLE ROCK, AR - Enhanced workplace safety and health for Mexican workers in Arkansas and Oklahoma is the goal of an alliance signed on Friday, February 18, 2011 by the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Mexican Consulate in Little Rock.

Participating at the signing ceremony was Carlos M. Reynolds, from OSHA Little Rock and David A. Bates, from OSHA Oklahoma.
“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. ...