Workers who are nationals of other countries but working in California might not realize there are protections available to them in the event of a workplace injury.
Officials from the U.S. Occupational Safety and Health Administration apparently share this concern. According to a recent press release, OSHA recently announced a new alliance with the Dominican Republic’s consulate general office in California. The alliance was memorialized with a signing at the consulate’s office in Glendale, California.
The new relationship is intended to increase knowledge among Dominican nationals of the health and safety standards applicable to them in California’s workplaces. In particular, OSHA officials want workers to be familiar with the OSHA complaint process. Some workplace commentators suspect that lack of knowledge about this accessibility to this resource might be the biggest obstacle to injured workers unsure of how to protect their rights.
The relationship is part of OSHA’s Alliance Program. Through that outreach arm, OSHA officials may work with a variety of workers, such as unions, trade or professional organizations, educational institutions, or even community groups. In each case, OSHA seeks to educate workers about their rights and what responsibilities employers have towards ensuring workplace safety.
Of course, even the wealth of online resources might still be intimidating to a worker unfamiliar with workers’ compensation laws. In that regard, an attorney might prove to be an excellent resource. An attorney might be able to explain, in simple terms, all of the procedures that must be followed to file an injury claim and hold employers accountable for any potentially unsafe practices.
Source: hawaiireporter.co, “US Department of Labor’s OSHA forms alliance to promote worker safety and health in California, Nevada, Arizona and Hawaii,” June 21, 2013
