OSHA grants first Ambassador Alliance Program status in region to El Paso Community College for continued commitment to safety, health

Participants: U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration

El Paso Community College

Alliance description:  On Nov. 28, 2022, OSHA’s El Paso Area office signed an Ambassador Alliance Agreement with the El Paso Community College’s Risk Management Institute that recognizes the center as an OSHA Alliance Program Ambassador. This is the first Ambassador Agreement signed by OSHA’s five-state region that includes Arkansas, Louisiana, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. OSHA confers ambassador status to long-term alliance participants who agree to continue a cooperative relationship and who share timely and relevant safety and health information with its stakeholders. Ambassadors are also recognized for working collaboratively on safety and health issues its stakeholders raise. Unlike regular alliances, ambassador relationships do not need to be renewed and remain in effect for the duration of an ongoing cooperative relationship and a good faith effort by both parties to meet the intent of the arrangement.

El Paso Community College’s Risk Management Institute also participates in OSHA’s Susan Harwood Grant Program and has trained 4,055 workers since 2018.

Background:  OSHA’s Alliance Program works with groups committed to worker safety and health to prevent workplace fatalities, injuries and illnesses. These groups include unions, consulates, trade or professional organizations, businesses, faith- and community-based organizations and educational institutions. OSHA and the groups work together to develop compliance assistance tools and resources, share information with workers and employers and educate workers and employers about their rights and responsibilities.

Quote: “OSHA’s alliance with El Paso Community College has made our efforts to enhance safety and health training for employers and workers in the El Paso community more effective, especially in the Spanish-speaking community,” explained OSHA Area Director Diego Alvarado, Jr. in El Paso, Texas. “The El Paso Community College’s Risk Management Institute earned ambassador status by promoting understanding of the rights of workers and the responsibilities of employers.”