OSHA signing ceremony renews alliance with Georgia Youth

Participants:

• OSHA's Atlanta-East, Atlanta-West and Savannah Area Office
• Georgia Local Section — American Industrial Hygiene Association
• Georgia Chapter — American Society of Safety Engineers
• Georgia Tech Research Institute's Occupational Safety and Health Division
• Southeast Center for Young Worker Safety and Health
• The U.S. Department of Labor's Wage and Hour — Atlanta District Office
• Brasfield & Gorrie LLC
• WestRock
• HDS Consulting
• Georgia Concerned Beauty Professionals
• Associated General Contractors of Georgia
• Georgia Department of Education
• Construction Education Foundation of Georgia
• Georgia Department of Economic Development
• Gilbane Building Co.

Alliance description: OSHA and the OSHA Sustainable Workforce Alliance, formerly the Georgia Youth Alliance, renewed their agreement on Nov. 5, with a continued emphasis on youth workers. Specifically, the OSHA Sustainable Workforce Alliance is committed to providing members and others with information, guidance and access to training resources that will help them protect the health and safety of youth workers and educators in career/technical education programs throughout Georgia. Through the alliance, members and others will continue to address the exposure of youth workers to prevalent hazards in the construction and general industries, and provide them with an understanding of worker's rights and the responsibilities of employers under the Occupational Safety and Health Act.

Background: This agreement was originally established in 2006 in support of the agency's Young Worker Initiative, to provide information and resources to teenagers, parents, educators and employers to ensure safe and rewarding work experiences. The OSHA Sustainable Workforce Alliance represents the collaboration of organizations and agencies across the state working together to promote and ensure the creation of a safe and sustainable future workforce.

Duration: This agreement will remain in effect for five years.

Quote: "The renewal of this alliance reflects the importance of recognizing the value of maintaining a collaborative relationship between public services and private businesses to foster safer and healthier environments for American workers," said Teresa Harrison, OSHA's deputy regional director in Atlanta. "This alliance will continue to help develop effective training programs, promote positive workplace awareness and open communication between OSHA, employers and workers."

Caption:Eileen O'Laughlin, program manager, Georgia Department of Economic Development; Christi Griffin, OSHA's Atlanta-West area director; and Scott Shelar, executive director, Construction Education Foundation of Georgia; and other alliance members signing the renewal agreement.