The Secretary of Labor’s Report to the President

on the Status of Federal Agencies’

Occupational Safety and Health Programs

Calendar Year 2022
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TABLE OF CONTENTS

Preface_______________________________________________________________________5

Executive Summary ____________________________________________________________6

OSHA Activities _____________________________________________________________6

Federal Agency OSH Activities__________________________________________________9

Section 1 – OSHA Activities_____________________________________________________14

Enforcement________________________________________________________________14

Oversight __________________________________________________________________16

Compliance Assistance _______________________________________________________30

Section 2 – Federal Agency OSH Activities_________________________________________34

Fatalities, Hospitalizations, and Amputations ______________________________________34

Certified Safety and Health Committees __________________________________________42

Other OSH Committees and Councils ____________________________________________42

Identifying, Controlling, and Analyzing Hazards ___________________________________44

Safety and Health Self-Inspections ______________________________________________45

COVID-19 Response ________________________________________________________477

Motor Vehicle Safety________________________________________________________489

Federal Employees Overseas ___________________________________________________51

OSH Training and Resources___________________________________________________53

Whistleblower Protection Programs _____________________________________________53

Product Safety Programs ______________________________________________________54

Specific Agency Reporting Programs ____________________________________________55

Appendices __________________________________________________________________57

Appendix 1: CY 2022 Active Field Federal Safety and Health Councils 

by OSHA Region _________________________________________________________58

Appendix 2: NIOSH Requests & Investigations ___________________________________59

Appendix 3: Fatalities, Hospitalizations, and Amputations Reported in CY 2022 _________63

Appendix 4: Hazard Abatement Tracking Mechanisms_____________________________788
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PREFACE 

The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (the Act), Executive Order (EO) 12196, and 

29 CFR § 1960 require the heads of federal agencies to submit annual reports on their 

occupational safety and health (OSH) programs to the Secretary of Labor. Specifically: 

• Section 19(a) of the Act (29 United States Code (U.S.C.) § 668(a)) directs, “the head of 

each Federal agency to establish and maintain an effective and comprehensive 

occupational safety and health program which is consistent with the occupational safety 

and health standards promulgated under Section 6” (of the Act (29 U.S.C. § 655)). 

• Section 19(a)(5) of the Act (29 U.S.C. § 668(a)(5)) requires each Executive Branch 

federal agency head to, “make an annual report to the Secretary with respect to 

occupational accidents and injuries and the agency’s program under this section.” 

• EO 12196, “Occupational Safety and Health Programs for Federal Employees,” guides 

the heads of federal Executive Branch agencies in implementing Section 19 of the Act, 

and directs the Secretary to issue a set of basic program elements to assist agencies in 

carrying out their responsibilities.

• Title 29 Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) § 1960, “Basic Program Elements for 

Federal Employee Occupational Safety and Health Programs and Related Matters,” 

establishes the requirements for agency heads to implement OSH programs in their 

respective agencies.

Section 19(b) of the Act requires the Secretary to inform the President about the status of federal 

agencies’ OSH programs and the accidents and injuries that occurred at federal worksites. This 

report provides an analysis of the reports each agency submitted to the Secretary, along with an 

account of the activities that the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 

conducted at or with federal agencies during Calendar Year (CY) 2022, thereby fulfilling the 

Secretary’s responsibility. 
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EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 

This report summarizes information on the status of federal agencies occupational safety and 

health programs and activities, gathered from a number of sources, including agencies’ 2022 

annual reports, workers’ compensation data, and OSHA tracked data. The report includes the 

2022 injury and illness rates for federal Executive Branch employees and describes how agencies 

analyzed trends and improved programs to assess the government’s trends and overall progress 

toward improving worker safety and health. The report covers the CY 2022 reporting period and 

includes information on how the coronavirus disease that began in 2019 (COVID-19), persisted 

in calendar year 2022 and impacted federal agencies. 

Agency Reporting Requirements

Federal agencies are required to submit an annual report to OSHA and submit their OSHA 

required injury and illnesses data to the Bureau of Labor Statistics annually. 

Annual Report Requirement 

Section 19(a)(5) of the Act requires each Executive Branch agency to provide an annual report to 

the Secretary. That report must include information on occupational accidents, injuries, and 

illnesses, along with details on the agency’s program for providing safe and healthful working 

conditions. In addition, the report should assess the effectiveness of the agency’s OSH program. 

Reporting Federal Agency Injury and Illness Information Requirement 

Per 29 CFR § 1960.72(a), each agency must submit to the Secretary by May 1 of each year all 

information included on the agency’s previous calendar year’s occupational injury and illness 

recordkeeping forms. The information submitted must include all data entered on OSHA Form 

300, Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses; OSHA Form 301, Injury and Illness Incident 

Report; and OSHA Form 300A, Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses (or respective 

equivalent forms).

OSHA Activities

OSHA engaged in extensive enforcement, oversight, and compliance assistance activities to 

address OSH-related issues at federal agencies. Enforcement activities focused on inspections of 

federal worksites to identify violations of OSHA standards and to monitor agencies’ injury and 

illness rates. Oversight activities consisted of calculating quarterly injury and illness rates and 

assessing agencies’ OSH programs through the annual report submissions. Compliance 

assistance activities included consulting with federal agencies, explaining the importance of 

providing safe and healthy working environments, and highlighting best practices or methods to 

help agencies accomplish this goal. 

Enforcement 

In CY 2022, OSHA conducted 462 programmed and 373 unprogrammed inspections, at federal 

worksites, averaging 2.9 violations per programmed inspection with violations and 2.3 violations 

per unprogrammed inspection with violations. OSHA inspected federal agencies under a variety 

of national and local emphasis programs targeting specific hazards (e.g., combustible dust) and 

types of industries (e.g., maritime). The nationwide Federal Agency Targeting Inspection 

Program (FEDTARG) targeted federal establishments with high injury and illness rates. 
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Compared to the pre-pandemic numbers of CY 2019, inspections of federal worksites increased 

by 24% in CY 2022 and the average number of violations per inspection is similar. In CY 2022, 

OSHA issued three federal agency significant/novel cases at the Department of Interior (DOI), 

the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), and the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Oversight 

OSHA assesses federal agencies’ occupational safety and health programs by reviewing 

agencies’ injury and illness rates, evaluating their OSH program self-evaluations, and tracking 

their injury and illness submissions. OSHA calculates injury and illness incidence rates for 

individual agencies using fiscal year (FY) injury and illness claims data reported to the 

Department of Labor’s (DOL’s) Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP), together 

with employment data from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). OSHA also tracks 

workers’ compensation injury and illness rates to document the financial impact of federal 

worker injuries and illnesses. Workers’ compensation benefits provided to employees include 

payments for medical treatment, rehabilitation services, replacement of lost wages, and 

compensation benefits to their survivors in cases of death. 

OSHA’s annual report request to federal agencies provided agencies with the opportunity to 

assess and improve their OSH programs. In the CY 2022 annual report request, OSHA asked 

agencies to rate the operations, management, and culture components of their OSH programs 

using a seven-question tool that helps agencies evaluate how they fulfill specific requirements of 

29 CFR § 1960 and EO 12196. Most agencies reportedly met the regulatory requirements of 29 

CFR § 1960 and noted improvements such as: creating return to work policies that ensured 

continued protection from COVID-19, better tracking mechanisms for safety and health hazards 

and abatement, improved recordkeeping, and training beyond that provided solely for safety 

professionals. 

Some agencies identified OSH program areas that needed improvement. A small number 

indicated that they were not fully aware of their OSH responsibilities or how to implement all the 

attributes of an effective OSH program. To assist these agencies, OSHA contacted them to 

discuss their OSH responsibilities and ensure relevant agency personnel understood how to 

implement the elements of an effective OSH program.

During the reporting period, OSHA received complete recordkeeping data from 79 agencies (81 

percent). Of the remainder, 12 agencies (12 percent) failed to submit any data. OSHA kept a 

record of the 12 agencies that failed to submit any data, and these non-responder agencies are 

subject to having their establishments targeted for an OSHA inspection. For agencies that 

submitted data, the most common submission errors were failures to provide the number of 

employees or hours worked for an establishment. In addition to the analysis conducted for this 

report, OSHA will further assess the collection process and available data to identify ways to 

streamline and simplify the procedure, as well as encourage agencies to submit accurate and 

timely data. 

Compliance Assistance 

OSHA assists federal agencies to improve worker safety and health by responding to federal 

agency technical assistance requests (ATARs), encouraging participation in Field Federal Safety 

and Health Councils (FFSHCs) and Federal Agency OSH Managers’ Roundtables, assisting 
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agencies with developing alternate and/or supplemental standards, and providing training 

opportunities. In addition, in 2022 OSHA signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with 

the Department of Agriculture’s Food Safety and Inspection Service. 

Like the Consultation Programs service for private-sector employers, ATARs provide federal 

agencies with technical assistance, including hazard abatement advice, training, consultation 

visits, and/or OSH program assistance through their local OSHA Area Office. While the request 

is considered consultative, OSHA expects recipient agencies to abate identified hazards and 

correct violations of the citable program elements of 29 CFR § 1960 or other OSHA standards 

observed during the visit. During CY 2022, OSHA Area Offices conducted one ATAR at a 

Government Services Agency site in Portland, Oregon.

FFSHCs are federal interagency groups, chartered by the Secretary, that enable local OSH 

professionals to share knowledge and resources. In CY 2022, 32 FFSHCs worked to improve 

the effectiveness of OSH functions within the government. Over 30 departments and agencies 

participated in council activities and more than 2,000 federal employees attended meetings 

and/or council-provided training. Each year, OSHA assesses the councils’ efforts so that the 

Secretary can recognize those that best exemplify the intent and purpose of the program; in CY 

2022, OSHA identified nine FFSHCs to receive a Secretary’s award for their activities. 

The Federal Agency OSH Managers’ Roundtables are a valuable tool that allows agencies to 

exchange information on safety and health issues and share best practices. For these meetings, 

OSHA brings national-level OSH managers together to share presentations and discuss current 

topics of interest. In 2022, OSHA held two Roundtable meetings and addressed a range of topics 

including Occupant Emergency Plans / Emergency Action Plans for federal office buildings, 

federal agencies’ Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) injury and illness data collection, and 

Secretary of Labor’s Annual Report to the President among other safety and health related 

topics. 

Under 29 CFR § 1960.17, if an agency cannot comply with an applicable OSHA standard, it may 

request permission to comply with an alternate standard to ensure appropriate protection for 

affected employees. An alternate standard is the federal agency equivalent of a private-sector 

variance from OSHA standards. There are seven OSHA-approved alternate standards that 

address air traffic control towers, special-purpose ladders, lifting devices, diving standards, 

weight-handling equipment, and gas-free engineering. 

Under 29 CFR § 1960.18, if no OSHA standard exists for a specific working condition of federal 

agency employees, an agency must develop a supplementary standard for that working condition 

and provide the standard to OSHA. Currently, there are two supplementary standards: one 

addresses explosives, propellants, and pyrotechnics; the other covers portable tank transport. 

OSHA provides many training opportunities to federal agency OSH personnel, mostly through 

the OSHA Training Institute (OTI). However, in CY 2022, due to COVID-19 precautions and a 

subsequent backlog of OSHA personnel who required training, OTI training to federal OSH 

employees outside of OSHA was deferred until June 2022. 
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“FEDWEEK” is training OSHA offers through OTI and attendance is solely for federal agency 

OSH personnel. During FEDWEEK 2022, OSHA provided 10 half-day seminars on topics those 

same personnel had selected via survey. During 2022, 334 federal employees attended the 

virtual seminars, significantly fewer than had attended virtually in CY 2021, but still 

significantly higher than when the only option, pre-pandemic, was to attend in person. 

On August 1, 2022, OSHA entered into an updated MOU on worker safety with FSIS. 

Recognizing that OSHA and FSIS both share the goal of protecting the safety and health of 

workers in FSIS regulated facilities, the agencies’ leadership signed a five-year MOU that 

provides guidance on how the agencies will collaborate on training, information sharing and 

workplace hazards. OSHA and FSIS met quarterly and worked to develop the training stipulated 

in the MOU.

Federal Agency OSH Activities

Fatalities, Hospitalizations, and Amputations 

The Act, provisions of 29 CFR § 1960, and other regulations require employers, both private and 

public, to investigate, track, and promptly report incidents involving work-related fatalities, 

hospitalizations, and amputations to OSHA. As shown in Table 1, for the CY 2022 reporting 

period, federal Executive Branch departments and independent agencies reported 24 civilian 

employee fatalities, 269 hospitalizations, and 30 amputations. Each reported incident is a 

singular event. 

Table 1: Department/Agency Incidents Reported for CY 2022 

Agency Fatalities Hospitalizations Amputations

Department of Agriculture 1 19 2

Department of Commerce 1 5 0

Department of Defense 1 9 2

Department of Health and Human Services 0 6 0

Department of Homeland Security 8 46 0

Department of Justice 1 19 7

Department of the Air Force 0 20 1

Department of the Army 2 9 5

Department of the Interior 2 36 3

Department of the Navy 1 16 5

Department of State 1 29 2

Department of Transportation 0 8 0

Department of the Treasury 0 0 1

Department of Veterans Affairs 4 32 0

Environmental Protection Agency 1 0 0

National Aeronautics & Space Administration 0 6 1

Nuclear Regulatory Commission 0 1 0

Peace Corps 0 4 0

Small Business Administration 0 2 0
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Agency Fatalities Hospitalizations Amputations

Smithsonian Institution 0 2 0

Tennessee Valley Authority 1 0 1

Total 24 269 30

COVID-19 was the leading cause of hospitalizations for CY 2022. 

Certified Safety and Health Committees (CSHCs)

Under 29 CFR § 1960, Subpart F, any agency can form a certified safety and health committee 

(CSHC) to monitor and assist with its OSH program. An agency with a CSHC must have 

committees at both the national and field/regional levels. The national-level committees provide 

policy guidance, while the local committees monitor and assist in the execution of the agency’s 

OSH policies. An agency with an approved CSHC is exempt from unannounced OSHA 

inspections. During CY 2022, the Department of Labor (DOL) and the Tennessee Valley 

Authority (TVA) maintained Secretary-approved CSHCs. These agencies provided information 

certifying to the Secretary that their respective CSHCs met Subpart F’s requirements. Many

other agencies have internal OSH committees but have not certified those committees under 

Subpart F. 

When an agency decides to form a CSHC, it must report this intent to the Secretary and include: 

• The existence, location, and coverage (establishments and populations) area of the 

committee; and

• The names and phone numbers of each committee chair (national and local). 

In addition, the agency must certify to the Secretary of Labor that the committee meets all the 

requirements of 29 CFR §1960, Subpart F. Further, the agency must provide an update on its 

CSHC as part of its required Annual Report to the Secretary of Labor on the Agency’s 

Occupational Safety and Health Program.

Hazard Identification and Control Measures 

OSHA asked agencies to report on the two most common causes of injuries and the efforts taken 

to mitigate those causes. Several agencies reported on their efforts to reduce employee slip, trip, 

and fall or overexertion injuries through implementing engineering and administrative controls to 

reduce or eliminate exposure. For example, several agencies reported installing warning 

signage, implementing proactive housekeeping procedures, and conducting ergonomic 

assessments. Agencies also conducted annual safety training classes and held agency-wide 

meetings to improve safety awareness. 

Motor Vehicle Safety 

OSHA asked for details on agencies’ motor vehicle safety programs (MVSPs), including the 

number of motor vehicle accidents that occurred during the reporting period. In CY 2022, 38 

federal agencies with MVSPs reported a total of 7,417 motor vehicle accidents. Most agencies 

reported having MVSPs that complied with the Executive Orders requiring the use of seatbelts in 

motor vehicles and banning texting while driving. Some departments and agencies offered 

hands-on training to employees, such as defensive driving, while most relied on training courses 
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provided through either the General Services Administration (GSA) or the National Safety 

Council. 

Agency Self-Inspections of Safety and Health Programs 

Several agencies have returned to routine operations while maintaining most or all employees as 

teleworking. Consequently, some agencies are renewing their self-inspection procedures. These 

agencies reported performing announced, unannounced, formal, and informal inspections. 

However, according to several agencies, workplaces without employees onsite meant selfinspections were unnecessary. Ninety-four percent of responding agencies (92 agencies) 

selected a rating of “highly effective” or “needs minor improvements” for the self-inspection 

attribute. (See the discussion on the Operational Component’s Self-Inspection Attribute for 

additional information). 

Federal Employee Training 

Agencies offered a wide range of OSH training opportunities to their employees during CY 

2022. While most agencies provided employees with OSH training based on their job 

responsibilities, some augmented their efforts to ensure that collateral duty OSH personnel 

received all appropriate training. Many agencies also published OSH information on their 

websites and in newsletters, encouraged OSH personnel to participate in local FFSHCs and 

professional OSH organizations, and recognized employees who collaborated with safety 

professionals to identify and mitigate workplace hazards. 

OSH Overseas 

Section 19 of the Act, EO 12196, and 29 CFR § 1960 all require agencies to provide safe and 

healthful workplaces and those requirements have no geographic limits. In CY 2022, Executive 

Branch agencies reported 121,571 government employees worked overseas and received OSH 

coverage through either DoD, the Department of State (State), or their own respective agency 

programs. Agency reports discussed providing employes with prophylactic immunizations, 

training, and safety and health information prior to deployment. 

Whistleblower Protection Programs 

In the CY 2022 information request to federal agencies, OSHA asked agencies to provide 

information on their whistleblower protection programs. Per 29 CFR §1960, Subpart G, 

agencies must ensure that employees are not subjected to restraint, interference, coercion, 

discrimination, or reprisal for filing a report of unsafe or unhealthy working conditions. OSHA 

asked agencies to provide information on any federal employee allegations of reprisal as well as 

all actions taken in response to the allegations. Almost all agencies acknowledged their 

whistleblower responsibilities and reported having a well-designed protection program. In all, 

80 agencies (81percent) reported having functional whistleblower protection programs. During 

CY 2022, the Department of Justice (DOJ), Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and 

National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) reported investigating allegations of 

reprisal.

Product Safety

Federal agencies reported on compliance with the provisions of 29 CFR § 1960.34, which 

addresses the potential conflicts in standards for federal buildings, leased space, products 

purchased or supplied, and other requirements affecting federal employee safety and health. 
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Specifically, agencies described how they comply with the product safety requirements of the 

standard, including using Safety Data Sheets (SDSs), and responding to product recalls. Thirtysix agencies (37 percent) indicated the absence of a product safety program and claimed they do 

not use chemicals while 30 (31 percent) reported being in compliance with the standard. OSHA 

will continue to work with agencies that are not in compliance to ensure they understand their 

responsibilities in this area. 

Accomplishments 

Agencies reported on a broad range of OSH program improvements, such as improving injury 

and illness tracking systems; revising existing policies, procedures, and manuals; implementing 

new OSH training; and establishing new training methods while dealing with constantly 

changing COVID-19 guidance. In addition, agencies increased the frequency of facility 

inspections and used risk assessment findings to develop relevant training. Overall, most 

agencies noted considerable resource expenditures to increase safety awareness and develop 

robust OSH programs. OSHA inspections increased by 24 percent over CY 2019’s prepandemic inspection numbers. 

Areas of Concern 

Most agencies had an active safety and health management system, but a few did not. Some 

agencies lacking programs thought that because their tasks were mainly sedentary, they 

employed only a few workers, and/or because most employees teleworked, that they did not need 

an OSH program. In addition, even some of the larger agencies failed to have primary safety and 

health officers in place for long periods of time – and their safety and health systems suffered. In 

some agencies, COVID-19 caused a high number of hospitalizations in 2022. 

Agencies Failing to Submit Annual Reports 

For the first time since at least 2008, all agencies submitted annual reports. This success rate 

was due to OSHA’s persistent and repeated outreach to the federal agencies, along with the usual 

practice of granting extensions for late submissions at an individual agency’s request. 
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THE SECRETARY’S REPORT TO THE 

PRESIDENT
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SECTION 1 – OSHA ACTIVITIES 

This section discusses OSHA’s enforcement, oversight, and compliance assistance activities; 

significant/novel enforcement cases involving federal agencies; and agencies’ self-evaluations of 

their OSH programs using components of a provided safety and health evaluation tool. Further, 

this section includes information on recordkeeping; agencies’ reports on fatalities, 

hospitalizations, and amputations; and OSHA training opportunities available solely to federal 

personnel. 

Enforcement

Inspections 

OSHA’s federal workplace inspections assess agencies’ compliance with safety and health 

standards, as well as the requirements of 29 CFR § 1960, thus reducing the number of on-the-job 

hazards. Inspections commonly fall into one of two categories: programmed or unprogrammed. 

Programmed inspections generally focus resources on a particular safety or health issue, 

workplaces associated with specific hazards or adverse health outcomes/effects, and 

establishments where there are high rates of injuries and illnesses. Unprogrammed inspections 

occur primarily in response to employee complaints about, or notifications of, serious hazards. 

OSHA further categorizes inspections as related to either safety or health. Safety inspections 

focus on workplace issues such as means of egress, electrical hazards, machine guarding, or 

confined space entry procedures. Health inspections may focus on worker exposures to specific 

chemical respiratory hazards, infectious disease agents, or physical hazards such as occupational 

noise and ergonomics. If OSHA discovers that workplace exposures to safety and/or health 

hazards exist, it documents the conditions and determines whether they violate an OSHA 

standard. For federal agencies OSHA issues “Notices of Unsafe or Unhealthful Working 

Conditions” (Notices), similar to private sector citations but without monetary penalties. 

As in the private sector, different types of violations indicate the severity of the hazard or the 

agency’s response to the condition: 

• “De Minimis” violations have no direct or immediate relationship to safety or health and 

do not result in a Notice. 

• Other-Than-Serious violations describe hazards that cannot reasonably be predicted to 

cause death or serious physical harm to exposed employees but have a direct and 

immediate relationship to their safety and health.

• Serious violations involve hazards that could cause injury or illness that would most 

likely result in death or serious physical harm to the employee(s). 

• Willful violations exist where an agency has demonstrated either an intentional disregard 

for the requirements of the Act or a plain indifference to employee safety and health. 

• Repeat violations occur when an agency’s prior Notice for the same or a substantially 

similar condition has become a final order. 

• Failure-To-Abate (FTA) violations occur when the agency fails to correct a violation for 

which OSHA has issued a Notice, and the abatement date has passed or is covered under 
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a settlement agreement. A failure-to-abate also exists when the agency has failed to 

comply with the interim measures of a long-term abatement within the given timeframe.

In CY 2022, OSHA inspected 24% more federal agencies than it had in CY 2019, which was the 

highest number of inspections in the past four years. OSHA conducted 462 programmed and 

373 unprogrammed inspections at federal workplaces with an average of 2.9 violations for 

programmed inspections and 2.3 violations per unprogrammed inspections: almost the same as in 

CY 2019. OSHA found that 32.9 percent of establishments receiving programmed inspections 

and 43.5 percent receiving unprogrammed inspections were in compliance with safety and health 

standards. OSHA is continuing to inspect sites that are exposing federal workers to safety and 

health hazards. 

OSHA continued to conduct programmed inspections that focused on specific federal agency 

establishments/hazards during CY 2022. As illustrated in Table 2, both programmed and 

unprogrammed inspection activity increased in CY 2022. 

Table 2. OSHA Federal Agency Inspection Activity, CY 2019 – 2022. 

CY 2022 CY 2021 CY 2020 CY 2019

Programmed Inspections 462 295 195 388

Percent in Compliance 32.9 44.4 20.0 30.4

Average Number of Violations* 2.9 2.5 2.6 3.07

Serious, Willful, Repeat Violations 582 289 374 529

Percent of Violations Issued as Serious, 

Willful, Repeat 70.5 71.5 75.3 76.8 

Un-programmed Inspections 373 303 251 287

Percent in Compliance 43.5 57.9 59.0 45.2

Average Number of Violations* 2.3 2.5 2.3 2.3

Serious, Willful, Repeat Violations 274 200 171 261

Percent of Violations Issued as Serious, 

Willful, Repeat 73.1 74.1 81.0 77.0 

Total Inspections 835 598 446 675

*This only includes inspections with violations. 

Significant/Novel Cases 

Although by law OSHA cannot assess penalties against federal agencies, it can determine the 

equivalent penalties that it would have assessed had the case involved a private sector employer. 

Federal agency significant cases involve equivalent penalties that are a minimum of $250,000. 

Novel cases involve specific enforcement issues. In addition, some federal agency enforcement 

actions become “significant/novel cases” because they require higher level review prior to 

headquarters-level interagency communication and discussions. 

OSHA issued three federal agency significant/novel case reports in CY 2022 with single cases 

against DHS, DOI, and the VA. Table 3 provides details on the three cases. 
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Table 3. Summary of Federal Agency Significant/Novel Cases.

Department/Agency Inspection Type Violations

DHS-U.S. Customs and Border Patrol

Wellton, AZ 

Unprogrammed – Fatality Failure to Abate: 2

Serious: 4 

Other-than-serious: 1 

OSHA initiated the inspection after notification of an employee fatality due to COVID-19. 

The two Failure to Abate (FTA) violations concerned failing to conduct medical evaluations 

for respirator use and failing to record all fatalities, injuries, and illnesses. Serious violations 

concerned the use of respirators; the other-than serious violation concerned improper records. 

DOI – National Park Service

Lassen Volcanic National Park 

Mineral California

Programmed Repeat: 5

Serious: 3 

OSHA initiated the inspection due to a regional emphasis inspection program for federal 

agencies. The five repeat violations concerned the failures to: provide machine guarding, 

conduct annual maintenance checks on fire extinguishers, maintain clear space around 

electrical equipment, and reduce compressed air pressure to a safe use pounds per square inch 

(PSI). Three serious violations addressed the failures to: maintain clear exit routes, provide 

fall protection, and correctly calibrate a grinding wheel.

VA – Northern Arizona Veterans 

Affairs Health Care System

Prescott, Arizona

Unprogrammed – Fatality Willful: 1

Repeat: 2

Serious: 3

OSHA initiated this inspection following a complaint regarding unsafe entry into a permitrequired confined space and improper use of lockout/tagout (LOTO). OSHA issued a willful 

Notice for failing to use or document LOTO procedures; two repeat violations for failing to: 

train employees and properly lockout and tagout machines; and three serious items addressed 

LOTO violations.

Oversight

Injury and Illness Statistics and Workers’ Compensation Costs 

OSHA calculates injury and illness incidence rates for individual agencies using FY injury and 

illness claims data reported to OWCP together with OPM’s employment data.0F

1

 In FY 2022, 

federal government employment decreased by 19,669 (0.87 percent) to 2,241,690 employees. 

The total injury and illness cases increased by 54,990 (137 percent) to 95,131 and the total case 

rate increased 138 percent from 1.78 occurrences per 100 to 4.24. The Government’s lost-time 

cases increased 194 percent from 27,240 to 80,166 and its lost-time case rate increased 198 

percent from 1.20 occurrences per 100 to 3.58. These increases reflect the high number of 

workers’ compensation cases submitted for COVID-19. 

The costs related to the Federal Employees Compensation Act (workers compensation for the 

federal sector) for chargeback year (CBY) 2022 were approximately $1.6 billion compared to 

1 OWCP data are available only on an FY basis. 
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CBY 2021’s $1.33 billion, CBY 2020’s $1.4 billion, and CBY 2019’s $1.5 billion.1F

2

 Workers’ 

compensation benefits provided to employees include payments for medical treatment, 

rehabilitation services, replacement of lost wages, and compensation benefits to their survivors in 

cases of death. 

Evaluations 

As 29 CFR § 1960.80 and Section 1-401(h) of EO 12196 both require, OSHA evaluated 

agencies’ OSH programs. Under 29 CFR § 1960 agencies must develop and maintain effective 

safety and health management systems. Within this framework, OSHA assesses whether 

agencies regularly monitor, modify, and if necessary, implement OSH program policies and 

procedures to correct problems, adapt to changing worksite environments, and promote 

workplace safety and health. 

To assess federal agencies OSH programs, OSHA used parts of the Form 33 evaluation tool it 

developed in 1985 and validated to measure the effectiveness of private sector employers’ safety 

and health management systems to develop a self-assessment template. For the past several 

years OSHA has asked agencies to evaluate their programs using the provided template. The 

template’s questions are based on the concept of an organizational safety and health program. 

For the CY 2022 report, OSHA asked agencies to assess their OSH programs using seven main 

attributes. 

Table 4 – Evaluation Components and Attributes 

Operational Component – 2 Attributes

Hazard Anticipation and Detection

• Effective safety and health self-inspections are performed regularly determines if 

personnel in the agency regularly perform effective OSH inspections. 

Hazard Prevention and Control 

• Effective safety and health rules and work practices are in place determines if the 

agency has established both general workplace rules and specific work practices that 

prescribe safe and healthful behavior and task performance methods.

Managerial Component – 3 Attributes

Planning and Evaluation

• Hazard incidence data are effectively analyzed determines if the agency uses hazard 

incidence data to set safety and health priorities. 

• A review of the overall safety and health management system is conducted at least 

annually determines if the agency periodically audits the management aspects of its 

SHMS, identifying progress and needed changes/improvements. 

Administration and Supervision

• Individuals with assigned safety and health responsibilities have the necessary 

knowledge, skills, and timely information to perform their duties determines if the 

agency’s personnel have the understanding, skill, and current information needed to 

effectively fulfill their OSH responsibilities.

2 On September 28, 1998, Congress amended the Occupational Safety and Health Act (the Act) to make it applicable 

to the U.S. Postal Service in the same manner as any other employer subject to the Act. Therefore, the U.S. Postal 

Service is not included in this report.
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Cultural Component – 2 Attributes

Management Leadership

• Managers allocate the resources needed to properly support the agency’s safety and 

health program determines if the agency’s managers demonstrate OSH leadership, 

promote a culture of safety and health in the organization, and support effective 

operation of the OSH program by allocating needed resources. 

Employee Participation 

• There is an effective process to involve employees in safety and health issues 

determines if there is an established organizational process that employees know, trust, 

and use to provide input regarding safety and health issues.

OSHA asked agencies to rate each of the seven attributes based on their CY 2022 reporting 

period experiences and select one of the following responses: 

• does not exist – the attribute was not in place at all; 

• needs major improvements – some aspect of the attribute is present, but it needs major 

improvements; 

• needs minor improvements – some aspect of the attribute is present, but it needs minor 

improvements; 

• is highly effective – the attribute was completely effective and integrated into the OSH 

program without the need for improvement; or 

• not applicable – the agency thought an attribute did not apply to its program. 

In addition to scoring each attribute, OSHA asked agencies to provide detailed information 

supporting each chosen attribute rating. 

Overall Assessment

For the CY 2022 reporting period, OSHA received responses from 98 of the 98 agencies, a 100 

percent response rate. The successful response rate was due an extensive outreach to the federal 

agencies to obtain their reports with an emphasis on agencies that had been delinquent in the 

past. 

0

2

4

6

8

10

12

14

16

18

20

2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022

# of Non-Responding Federal Agencies

# of Non-Responding Federal Agencies
19

Of the agencies, 52 (53 percent) provided an average rating of “highly effective” for each of the 

seven attributes, and 35 agencies (36 percent) indicated most of their OSH program components 

needed minor improvements. Ten agencies (10 percent) reported that most elements of their 

OSH programs required major improvements. One agency (1 percent) indicated that most OSH 

program elements did not exist. 

According to their assessments, overall, agencies recognized the benefits of effective safety and 

health programs. Several reported a commitment to safety but also noted a lack of safety and 

health or collateral duty staff in CY 2022. These agencies further opined that because their 

operations were solely administrative, many or all their employees teleworked at least most of 

the time, and they employed only a few workers, the attributes were inapplicable. This is 

concerning since even administrative work such as typing for long periods of time or poor 

positioning of workstation can be an ergonomic hazard. Some agencies with similar work did 

provide safety checklists for teleworking employees. 

Table 5. Average Safety and Health Program Ratings for Departments/Independent Agencies. 

Agency Rating Agency Rating

AbilityOne Commission  Federal Retirement Thrift 

Investment Board



Access Board  Federal Trade Commission 

Advisory Council on Historic 

Preservation

 General Services Administration 

African Development Foundation  Harry S. Truman Scholarship 

Foundation



Agency for Global Media  Holocaust Memorial Museum 

Agency for International 

Development

 Institute of Museum and Library 

Services



American Battle Monument 

Commission

 Inter American Foundation 

Armed Forces Retirement Home  International Boundary and Water 

Commission



Board of Governors of the Federal 

Reserve System

 International Development 

Finance Corporation



Central Intelligence Agency  International Trade Commission 

Chemical Safety and Hazard 

Investigation Board

 James Madison Memorial 

Fellowship Foundation



Commission on Civil Rights  John F. Kennedy Center for the 

Performing Arts



Commission on Fine Arts  Marine Mammal Commission 

Commodity Futures Trading 

Commission

 Merit Systems Protection Board 

Consumer Product Safety 

Commission

 Millennium Challenge Corporation 

Corporation for National and 

Community Service

 Morris K. and Stewart L. Udall 

Foundation


20

Agency Rating Agency Rating

Court Services and Offender 

Supervision Agency

 National Aeronautics and Space 

Administration



Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety 

Board

 National Archives and Records 

Administration



Department of Agriculture  National Capital Planning 

Commission



Department of Commerce  National Council on Disability 

Department of Defense  National Credit Union 

Administration



Department of Education  National Endowment of the Arts 

Department of Energy  National Endowment for the 

Humanities



Department of Health and Human 

Services

 National Gallery of Art 

Department of Homeland Security  National Intelligence 

Department of Housing and Urban 

Development

 National Labor Relations Board 

Department of Interior  National Mediation Board 

Department of Justice  0BNational Science Foundation 

Department of Labor  National Transportation Safety 

Board



Department of State  Nuclear Regulatory Commission 

Department of the Air Force  Nuclear Waste Technical Review 

Board



Department of the Army  Occupational Safety and Health 

Review Commission



Department of the Navy  Office of Government Ethics 

Department of the Treasury  Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian 

Relocation



Department of Transportation  Office of Personnel Management 

Department of Veterans Affairs  Office of Special Counsel 

Environmental Protection Agency  Peace Corps 

Equal Employment Opportunity 

Commission

 Pension Benefit Guaranty 

Export Import Bank of the US  Postal Regulatory Commission 

Farm Credit Administration  Presidio Trust 

Federal Communications 

Commission

 Railroad Retirement Board 

Federal Deposit Insurance 

Corporation

 Securities and Exchange 

Commission



Federal Election Commission  Selective Service System 

Federal Energy Regulatory 

Commission

 Small Business Administration 

Federal Housing Finance Agency  Smithsonian Institution 

Federal Labor Relations Authority  Social Security Administration 
21

Agency Rating Agency Rating

Federal Maritime Commission  Social Security Advisory Board 

Federal Mediation and Conciliation 

Service

 Tennessee Valley Authority 

Federal Mine Safety and Health 

Review Commission

 Trade and Development Agency 

LEGEND

 Highly Effective – Completely in place

 Needs Minor Improvements – Mostly in place but needs minor improvements

Needs Major Improvements – Some portion/aspect is present but needs major 

improvements

 Virtually Nonexistent – Little discernable indication that any portion/aspect exists

Component Assessment – 7 Total Attributes 

Most agencies reported that the seven component attributes were generally effective. 

Specifically, 58 agencies (59 percent) rated all seven of their managerial component attributes as 

“needs minor improvements” or “highly effective.” 

Operational Component Assessment – 2 Attributes 

The Operational Component Assessment is based on two surveyed attributes: 

Hazard Anticipation and Detection 

1. Effective safety and health self-inspections are performed regularly determines if 

personnel in the agency regularly perform effective OSH inspections. 

Hazard Prevention and Control 

2. Effective safety and health rules and work practices are in place determines if the agency 

has established both general workplace rules and specific work practices that prescribe 

safe and healthful behavior and task performance methods. 

Most agencies reported that both operational component attributes were generally effective. For 

the operational component attributes, 85 agencies (87 percent) rated both of the attributes as 

“needs minor improvements” or “highly effective.” 

Self-Inspection Attribute: Specifically, 87 agencies (89 percent) rated the selfinspection attribute as “needs minor improvements” or “highly effective.” Most agencies 

stated that their methods for hazard recognition and control included employee 

identification and reports to managers and safety personnel verbally and by email. Some 

agencies maintained electronic hazard reporting systems and anonymous hotlines. 

• The Equal Opportunity Commission rated itself as highly effective due to 

conducting formal and informal safety self-inspection reviews for hazardous 

conditions. In CY 2022, staff performed daily walk-throughs at Headquarters; 

formal self-inspections in the field offices/Headquarters; immediately corrected 

identified hazards or appropriately scheduled them for correction; annually 
22

reviewed the inspection checklist and updated as needed on the overall 

safety/security posture and compliance, with plans for review again in CY 2023. 

• DoD reported that in CY 2022 it prioritized inspections based on potential hazard 

risk due to limited qualified onsite staff. The focus on inspecting high-risk

locations still kept injury and illness rates low. 

• Other agencies such as the African Development Foundation said that due to the 

gradual re-entry plan following the COVID-19 shutdown, annual inspections were 

not conducted but would resume in the future. 

• The American Battle Monument Commission contracted for safety inspections to 

ensure compliance with OSHA-mandated programs and host nation requirements. 

In addition, European facilities are inspected annually by governing agencies and 

third-party contractors to ensure compliance. 

• The Department of Education depends on its OSH Manager to conduct 

inspections of regional and local facilities. Due to limited funding, the Manager 

inspected only six (two regional and four local) of the 27 establishments. The 

sites would benefit from having a local safety and health officer conduct the 

inspections and be a point of contact. 

• The Department of Agriculture said COVID-19 curtailed its ability to conduct 

inspections among the many facilities across the country due to safety specialists’ 

inability to travel.

• During CY 2022, the Peace Corps conducted thorough safety and health 

inspections at five overseas Posts and the Headquarters’ office using a qualified 

Occupational Safety and Health (OSH) professional. However, the Agency had 

not implemented a formal program for OSH self-inspections. An office safety 

checklist was distributed to all overseas Posts, but the Peace Corps is still 

developing a system for reporting self-inspections, ensuring prompt corrective 

actions, and formal training to ensure adequate reviews of Peace Corps 

workplaces and understanding potential hazards. 

Rules and Work Practices Attribute: Nearly all agencies (87; 89 percent) rated 

themselves as “needs minor improvements” or “highly effective” for the work rules and 

practices attribute, claiming that policies and procedures supported robust OSH 

programs, with several reportedly implementing engineering controls to eliminate or 

reduce workplace hazards. Despite some limitations of teleworking or COVID-19, a few 

agencies implemented new procedures for safety and health work rules and practices. 

• The FBI improved its Injury and Illness Tracking system in 2022 and its field 

office division created an injury incident and rate dashboard to help pinpoint 

injury trends and places with high injury rates. 

• The United States Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) continuously worked on 

improving its safety and health rules and safe practices. During CY 2022, 

USACE revised its Safety and Health Requirements manual, EM 385-1-1, to 

ensure it met all updated OSHA requirements and industry standards. In addition, 

COVID-19 highlighted the need for flexible work schedules to ensure maintaining

proper social distancing requirements. USACE also implemented the Corps of 

Engineers-Safety and Occupational Health Management System which has 

brought leaders and employees together to implement a business approach to 
23

safety. This systematic and comprehensive process for managing safety ensures 

the required safety and health rules and safe work practices are in place.

A few agencies said that due to teleworking and COVID-19, this attribute either did not 

apply, was difficult to measure, or needed major improvement. U.S. AbilityOne reported 

that the attribute was inapplicable because its personnel were all working remotely. The 

U.S. Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board teleworked during CY 2022 due to 

COVID-19 and office renovations: employee telework agreements requiring maintaining

a safe work environment would need only minor improvement. 

• The Commission of Fine Arts did not have its own specific OSH program but 

followed the GSA program for the building. 

Managerial Component Assessment – 3 Attributes 

The Managerial Component Assessment is based on three surveyed attributes: 

Planning and Evaluation 

1. Hazard incidence data are effectively analyzed determines if the agency uses hazard 

incidence data to set safety and health priorities. 

2. A review of the overall safety and health management system is conducted at least 

annually determines if the agency periodically audits the management aspects of its 

SHMS, identifying progress and needed changes/improvements. 

Administration and Supervision 

3. Individuals with assigned safety and health responsibilities have the necessary 

knowledge, skills, and timely information to perform their duties determines if the 

agency’s personnel have the understanding, skill, and current information needed to 

effectively fulfill their OSH responsibilities.

Most agencies reported that the three managerial component attributes were generally effective. 

Specifically, 58 agencies (59 percent) rated all three of their managerial component attributes as 

“needs minor improvements” or “highly effective.” 

Hazard Incidence Data Attribute: The managerial component attribute that focused on 

using hazardous incident data analyses to set safety and health priorities had the fewest

“needs minor improvements” or “highly effective” ratings. Specifically, 70 agencies (71 

percent) rated the incident data attribute as “need minor improvements” or “highly 

effective.” Of the 28 agencies that did not rate it as highly effective or needs minor 

improvements, only three were “needs major improvement.” The remaining were” not 

applicable,” “does not exist,” or failed to provide a response. Apparently, many of these 

agencies thought that zero reportable injuries or a remote workforce meant that the 

attribute became inapplicable. However, according to the Guidelines for completing the 

Report Template, “A score of ‘Attribute is highly effective’ on this attribute indicates that 

the agency collects and analyzes its hazard incidence data or that it recorded fewer than 

10 hazards over the past three years, and responsible persons in the organization 

interpreted the data.” OSHA would encourage agencies to revisit their analyses; if 

“responsible person” had reviewed the data, the “inapplicable” rating could be revised to 

“highly effective” should the interpretation apply. Also, agencies need to be aware that 
24

analyses need to include not only recordable injuries and illnesses but also near misses. 

OSHA will clarify the CY 2023 request for agency reports.

• In 2022, the Board of Governors of the Federal Reserve System developed both a 

Health & Safety Management System and an Environmental Management System, 

while simultaneously implementing a robust new inspection program. Those program 

revision efforts revealed a need to improve the way the agency collects and uses 

safety data to track program performance. Implementation of the management 

systems in 2023 will involve developing and tracking metrics and performing 

program reviews. 

• The Department of Agriculture has not filled the Occupational Safety and Health 

Manager position since July 2020, which means no central figure is reviewing these 

records.

• At the Corporation for National and Community Service (Americorps) hazardous 

workplace situations are rare due to its usual work; data collection and analyses are 

lacking agency wide. The agency identified that documenting policy and procedures 

will help it address the gaps. 

Annual SHMS Review Attribute: The managerial component attribute that dealt with 

annually reviewing the overall safety and health management system, correcting 

shortcomings, and identifying additional opportunities to improve hazardous incident 

data analyses to set safety and health priorities had 77 agencies (79 percent) rate the 

incident data attribute as “need minor improvements” or “highly effective.” Of the 21 

agencies that did not rate it as highly effective or needs minor improvements, seven 

needed major improvement. The remaining said it was not applicable, did not exist, or 

left the response blank. The primary causes appear to be the lack of staff or staff focus 

on COVID-19. 

• The position of the Department of Agriculture Occupational Safety and Health 

Manager has been vacant since July 30, 2020; there has not been an annual review for 

the past three years.

• The Federal Housing Finance Agency (FHFA) does not have a safety and health 

management system in place and does not have a dedicated full time equivalent 

(FTE) assigned person to fill the role of Safety Officer. As an additional duty, the 

Office of Facilities Operations Management assigns safety officer responsibilities to 

the Emergency Management Specialist (EMS). The EMS position was vacant for 

over nine months in 2022, thus preventing any focused attention to the development 

of a safety and health management program. 

• The EPA reported delays in their offices and laboratories to implementing safety and 

health management systems (SHMSs), because of the amount of time spent 

implementing COVID-19 policies and procedures. At the end of CY 2022, about 

25% of EPA locations said “yes” when asked if they had implemented SHMSs based 

on the ISO 45001 standard. Given that implementation is still underway, EPA does 

not currently perform a comprehensive annual SHMS review. However, in CY 2022, 

10 EPA locations performed internal SHMS audits. Some (but not all) of the 10 

audits covered the leading and lagging indicators. Additionally, five of the 10 audits 

were documented in a written report: eight of them identified OSH accomplishments, 
25

six identified OSH system failures, and four assessed root causes for failures. Nine of 

the 10 locations that performed audits briefed management on the results. 

• In previous years, the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) 

conducted periodic environmental, health, and safety comprehensive assessment 

audits of its safety and health management system Department-wide. These 

assessments evaluated the extent to which the OSH program in the regions complies 

with regulatory standards, and internal policies and procedures. However, HUD was 

without a safety professional for CY 2022; a new Safety and Occupational Health 

Officer (SOHO) started with the agency in January 2023 and HUD reported reviews 

of the overall safety and health management system will resume per 29 CFR 1960. 

• The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts (JFKC) has not fully 

implemented this program. However, a full time Safety and Occupational Health 

Officer has been in place since January 2023 with a goal of enhancing this check and 

balance.

• The Harry S. Truman Foundation has only four employees. The Foundation inspects 

offices annually but does not have a safety and health management system. 

• In 2022, the Corporation for National and Community Service (CNCS) did not have a 

formalized and documented safety and health management program outside of 

guidance provided on its Safety SharePoint site. In 2023, the agency plans to draft 

documentation to address OSH program gaps. In addition, it conducts an annual 

review of its Occupant Emergency Plans. 

• The National Credit Union Administration is establishing a safety and health record 

management system; the policy is pending approval. 

• The Office of Special Counsel has not formalized a safety and health management 

system but relies on the system in place from its office space lessor. 

• During CY 2022, the Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation focused on supporting 

the decommissioning of the old headquarters, establishing the new headquarters, and 

preparing for the Corporation’s return to office. 

• The Smithsonian Institution’s Office of Health, Safety, and Environmental 

Management (OSHEM) conducts an annual Management Evaluation and Technical 

Review (METR) that covers five safety and health program elements including 

management commitment, risk management, training, incident investigation, and 

recordkeeping. Upon completion of the METR, the team conducts a closing 

conference with senior leaders and issues a final written report. OSHEM also 

conducts biennial METR Assist Visits to selected qualifying Museums/Facilities. 

These Assist Visits generally focus on improving selected Safety and Health 

programs requested by the unit safety coordinator and safety committee team. The 

Smithsonian Institution also uses the annual report to OSHA as a means for 

conducting an annual review of its agency-wide SHMS as well as the museum/facility 

SHMS.

In CY 2019, efforts began to provide Smithsonian Institution establishment Safety 

Coordinators with a tool to complete their required annual review of their safety 

program to assess the status and effectiveness of strategies and initiatives to ensure 

management commitment, employee involvement, identification and abatement of 

hazards, training, and injury/illness reduction. The information included in the 
26

request for the annual report to OSHA is a subset of the extensive information 

required for the Smithsonian’s annual program review. The initial focus will be on 

the Smithsonian Institution Safety Manual program management chapters with 

several additional chapters that capture most of the deficiencies documented during 

the METR audits. 

Most Safety Coordinators used the OSHEM METR review to identify specific 

program elements that required improvements along with the OSHEM 

recommendations. Others identified program elements that were of particular 

concern to their operations such as control of hazardous energy, pest control, 

laboratory safety, and training. Some reviewed the previous three years’ 

injury/illness experience and focused on specific training to prevent future incidents. 

These reviews involved a variety of staff including Facility Managers, Safety 

Committees, and individual employees. 

Knowledge, Skills, Timely Information Attribute: The managerial component 

attribute that dealt with the individuals assigned OSH responsibilities having the 

necessary knowledge, skills, and timely information to perform their duties had 85 

agencies (87 percent) that rated the incident data attribute as “need minor improvements” 

or “highly effective.” Of the 13 agencies that did not rate it as highly effective or needs 

minor improvements, six needed major improvement. The remaining agencies listed the 

attribute as not applicable, does not exist, or left the response blank. 

• DHS safety staff members have the necessary skills, knowledge, and relevant 

information to successfully perform assigned duties. Individual Development Plans 

formally plan and track professional and personal development training – whether 

formal or through developmental work assignments. Funding for professional 

development training is limited and tightly controlled across the Department. There 

are 26 free web-based safety and health courses offered through DHS-wide virtual 

training systems. Components’ OSH staff are well trained and qualified, and their 

programs make good use of trained Collateral Duty Safety Officers (CDSOs). The 

components offer various training modules for supervisors and other individuals with 

safety responsibilities. 

• The Department of Commerce (DOC) and its bureaus have secured the services of 

trained safety professionals where necessary. In areas of low hazard, the DOC and its 

bureaus have ensured provision of ample training to collateral duty safety personnel. 

DOC safety policies require that collateral duty personnel must receive safety training 

sufficient to perform their duties within six months of assignment. DOC and its 

bureaus support the continuous education of professional safety personnel. 

• As required in Department of Defense I 6055.01, DoD Components must ensure that 

safety and occupational health (SOH) programs are managed by personnel who have 

adequate training, education, and competencies and understand both 29 CFR 1960 

and DoD OSH policies and procedures. Commanders and senior management 

officials provide education to leaders and supervisors at all levels on SOH policies, 

procedures, and initiatives in their organization and parent organizations. Supervisors 

are responsible for providing training on the risk management skills needed to 

implement the DoD Component and organization’s SOH policies and programs 
27

throughout their assigned workplaces. Full-time SOH staff provide formal and 

informal training courses, educational programs, and other training to more junior 

SOH staff and to collateral duty SOH personnel to ensure they can conduct 

inspections to recognize and report hazards within their workplaces and track the 

completion of necessary hazard abatement actions. In addition, DoD is committed to 

providing continuing education and professional credentialing for SOH personnel 

through cost reimbursement or sponsorship programs. DoD Components assign 

qualified SOH personnel as SOH advisors to identify hazards and recommend 

elimination or mitigation, develop mishap prevention policies and programs, monitor 

safety performance, and serve as points of contact for SOH matters. Staffing 

considerations also include consideration for professional qualifications. DoD 

recognizes licensure and professional certification as evidence of competency and 

supports all eligible DoD personnel to obtain and maintain licenses and accredited 

certifications.

• FHFA does not have an assigned Safety Officer. The Office of Facilities Operations 

Management would normally assign safety officer responsibilities to the Emergency 

Management Specialist, but this position was vacant for over nine months in CY 

2022. The Senior Program Analyst (Transportation & Security) has the requisite 

skills and knowledge, but multiple competing duty requirements and responsibilities 

prevent focused and dedicated attention to the OSH program and responsibilities. 

• The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation indicated that individuals with 

assigned OSH responsibilities may need some training to ensure they have the 

necessary knowledge and skills to perform their duties effectively. 

• Prior to CY 2022, HUD provided ample training for all individuals assigned with 

OSH responsibilities. Training includes classroom training, OTI-hosted events, 

computer-based on-line training, and refresher training for routine general safety and 

health topics. HUD will be resuming all OSHA-required training with the assistance 

of the newly hired Safety and Occupational Health Officer. 

• As a micro agency, the Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board reportedly lacks the 

resources to support a full-time OSH staff and may be unaware of the option to use 

collateral duty safety and health officers. The Board currently lacks an individual(s) 

appointed to OSH oversight. 

• Peace Corps needs to implement a more comprehensive program to identify specific 

needs and provide training and support to develop the knowledge and skills for staff 

with OSH responsibilities at overseas Posts. At present, the Agency has two full time 

staff dedicated to the safety and health program. 

Cultural Component Assessment – 2 Attributes 

The Managerial Component Assessment is based on two surveyed attributes: 

Management Leadership

1. Managers allocate the resources needed to properly support the agency’s safety and 

health program determines if the agency’s managers demonstrate OSH leadership, 

promote a culture of safety and health in the organization, and support effective operation 

of the OSH program by allocating needed resources. 
28

Employee Participation 

2. There is an effective process to involve employees in safety and health issues 

determines if there is an established organizational process that employees know, trust, 

and use to provide input regarding safety and health issues.

Most agencies reported that both cultural component attributes were generally effective. For the 

cultural component attributes, 80 agencies (82 percent) rated both of the attributes as “needs 

minor improvements” or “highly effective.” 

Resource Allocation Attribute: This attribute addressed whether managers 

demonstrated leadership, promoted a safety and health culture, and gave adequate support 

and resources. Specifically, 82 agencies (84 percent) rated their management leadership

attribute as “needs minor improvements” or “highly effective.” Managers allocated the 

budget and the personnel needed to support the agency’s safety and health program. 

• Most agencies mentioned that management supplied personal protective equipment to 

the staff including what was needed for COVID-19. 

• DOE leadership supports the safety and health management system in various ways. 

DOE federal employee occupational safety and health (FEOSH) budget provides time 

and allowance for employees to participate in the Joint Employee Safety Council, 

FEOSH and Organizational and Safety Culture Improvement Council meetings, and 

hires professional safety personnel in engineering, nuclear safety, occupational safety 

and health, industrial hygiene, and health physics disciplines. Additionally, DOE 

FEOSH leadership personnel review hazard incidence rates (both contractor and 

federal employee), are involved in causal analysis processes, track corrective actions 

to closure, respond to employee concerns, provide necessary training and personal 

protective equipment, and encourage individual safety development through the 

Individual Development Program. 

• Several agencies reported on the lack of budget and/or personnel needed to fully 

develop their safety and health management system. It was also noted that in some 

cases safety and health budgets were not a separate budget line and were tied to other 

items like Human Resources. In addition, the Continuing Resolution limited some 

spending. 

• While the Army is currently tracking the resourcing requirements necessary to 

establish a program element for SOH within the budget process, it does not have a 

process to determine budgeting needs. 

• Federal Housing Finance Agency does not have an assigned FTE to fill the role of 

Safety Officer. As an additional duty, management would normally assign safety 

officer responsibilities to the Emergency Management Specialist (EMS), but this 

position was vacant for over 9 months in CY 2022. 

• Housing and Urban Development did not have a Safety and Occupational Health 

Officer (SOHO) in CY 2022. A SOHO was hired in January 2023. 

• Millennium Challenge Corporation is a small agency with limited resources and 

increased competition for the agency’s admin funding. As such, the safety and health 

management system must compete with other mission priorities.

• The Office of Special Counsel has no individual(s) appointed with OSH oversight. 
29

• While extensive resources and efforts were allocated to address the COVID pandemic 

at all Peace Corps facilities and establishments, the agency has not established a 

mechanism to ensure adequate resources are available to ensure OSH inspections of 

overseas Posts and to abate safety hazards that might be identified.

• The Selective Service System did not have a Designated Safety Official during CY 

2022 due to staff turnover. 

• The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation did not feel that this attribute applied 

to the agency. 

Employee Participation Attribute: This attribute addresses the presence of a process 

for employee involvement in the occupational safety and health system. Specifically, 88 

agencies (90 percent) rated their employee participation attribute as “needs minor 

improvements” or “highly effective.” 

• The Advisory Council on Historic Preservation did not think that this attribute 

applied. 

• The Armed Forces Retirement Home (AFRH) has engaged employees through safety 

orientation and safety topic training that is part of mandatory annual training. Every 

employee has access to the AFRH SharePoint website to view standard operating 

procedures and directives per the Agency’s OSH procedures to prevent occupational 

injuries, human suffering, and loss of life. Supervisory safety responsibilities are 

outlined during the mandatory annual training for all staff that covers reporting of 

injuries and workers compensation. AFRH encourages employees to participate on 

the Safety Committee as department representatives. The committee oversees the fire 

protection program as well as the accreditation standards and identifies, defines, and 

assesses safety and fire protection problem areas, ensures compliance with 

accreditation standards, and recommends solutions to identified problems. 

• The Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board solicits employee involvement 

through e-mail postings, “All hands” meetings, and small group debrief meetings 

conducted after it issues investigation reports. It also holds periodic investigator 

training sessions and seeks input on safety and health issues. It has conducted 

anonymous safety perception surveys during OSHA’s Safe + Sound Week.

• Employee involvement and empowerment are key components of DoD’s SHMSs and 

OSH programs. DoD Component policies create the conditions for employees to 

actively participate in these programs. Leaders, supervisors, safety and health 

professionals, occupational safety and health councils, and bargaining units 

encourage individual employees to participate in workplace inspections, hazard 

identification and assessments, hazard control recommendations, training, and 

corrective action implementation processes. Other methods for employee 

participation are voluntary employee designation as a collateral duty safety 

representative or assistant, establishment of anonymous hotlines to report unsafe 

conditions, strong whistleblower protection programs, and readily accessible links to 

command web portals to submit ideas, observations, and concerns. Senior leaders use 

open door policies, routine administration of general and safety-specific climate 

surveys conducted at multiple organizational levels, designating employee 

representatives to serve on SOH and advisory councils, and soliciting direct feedback 

during training sessions and safety stand-down activities.
30

• The Federal Housing Finance Agency strives to maintain open communication with 

employees regarding safety and health issues but needs a Safety Officer FTE to 

provide focused attention. FHFA returned to normal operations in June 2022 and is 

pursuing greater employee involvement in safety and health issues. It held its annual 

health fair in November 2022. 

• The Selective Service System did not have an overall effective process to involve 

employees in OSH issues during CY 2022. The Support Services Directorate 

conducts regular verbal safety briefs to encourage employees and employees have 

stop work authority. 

Attribute Resolutions 

OSHA will reach out to the agencies that reported attributes were not applicable, did not exist, or 

needed major improvement, and offer to help build their OSH management systems. The 

comparison data to assess any improvement based on the outreach will likely not be available or 

relevant until at least CY 2024. 

Recordkeeping 

As set forth in 29 CFR § 1960, federal agencies must maintain injury and illness records in a 

similar format as the private sector. The recordkeeping requirement allows agencies and OSHA 

to identify worksites with the highest injury and illness rates and helps to assess federal agency 

training needs. The Bureau of Labor Statistics annually collects the required injury and illness 

records from all Executive Branch agencies and provides the records to OSHA. 

The OSHA data collection cycle first began in CY 2014; the ninth completed data collection 

cycle occurred in CY 2022. OSHA provided agencies with guidance on the data collection 

process and followed up with information on errors identified in the submissions. Working with 

BLS, OSHA tracked the data collected and monitored its quality. In addition, OSHA worked 

with OWCP to assist agencies using the Employees’ Compensation Operations & Management 

Portal2F

3

 (ECOMP) to explain the procedures for transferring the data from ECOMP to BLS. 

During the reporting period, OSHA received complete establishment data from 79 of 98 agencies 

(81 percent) and partial data from an additional seven agencies (seven percent). The most 

common errors were failures to provide the number of employees or hours worked for each 

establishment. OSHA will analyze the collected data for key findings, and the collection process 

for lessons learned to further streamline and simplify the procedure. In addition, OSHA will 

work with BLS to improve the response rate.

Compliance Assistance

Agency Technical Assistance Request 

OSHA’s Agency Technical Assistance Request (ATAR) service resembles the Consultation 

Program OSHA provides for private-sector employers. Federal agencies may contact an OSHA 

Area Office and request technical assistance, such as hazard abatement advice, training, a partial 

or comprehensive visit, and/or program assistance. While the request is consultative, an 

3 ECOMP is an electronic claim filing system for OWCP information that also allows federal agencies to maintain 

their OSHA-required injury and illness data.
31

agency’s subsequent failure or refusal to abate serious hazards may result in an inspection 

referral. 

In CY 2022, the Portland, Oregon Area Office (AO) conducted OSHA’s sole ATAR for the 

Government Services Agency in Portland, Oregon. The AO conducted a health-related ATAR 

for dust, noise, and water contamination due to construction work at a local federal building. 

OSHA plans to expand its outreach on ATARs during CY 2023. 

Field Federal Safety and Health Councils 

FFSHCs are federal interagency groups, chartered by the Secretary, that bring local OSH 

professionals together for education, problem solving, and cooperation in the safety and health 

field. Located throughout the nation, FFSHCs work to reduce the incidence, severity, and cost of 

accidents, injuries, and illnesses within their designated geographic areas. 

In CY 2022, 32 FFSHCs (see Appendix 1 for a list of FFSHCs by OSHA region) actively carried 

out efforts to improve the effectiveness of OSH functions within the government. According to 

the annual reports submitted to OSHA, 35 departments and agencies participated in the FFSHCs 

and more than 2,000 federal employees attended meetings and/or council-provided training. 

Participation decreased for some because of limited funds and personnel shortages. 

Agency involvement in council activities varied from extensive engagement to occasional 

attendance at FFSHC meetings. DoD, for example, reported that approximately 20 percent of its 

subagencies participated in local FFSHCs during CY 2022. GSA reported that all regions and 

the headquarters office supported employee participation, while NASA said that its field centers 

participated, and both DOT and EPA reported encouraging employees to attend meetings and 

hold leadership positions. 

Under 29 CFR § 1960.89, each active FFSHC must submit an annual report to the Secretary 

describing activities and programs for the previous calendar year along with plans, objectives, 

and goals for the current year. OSHA uses these reports to assess each FFSHC’s program plans 

to determine the success of these goals and objectives. The FFSHCs that best exemplify the 

intent and purpose of the FFSHC program may receive an achievement award from the 

Secretary.

In determining award recipients, OSHA forms three categories, based on the size of the federal 

populations served, which allows FFSHCs to compete with other councils that have similar

resources. OSHA evaluates and rates each council’s annual report, ranking it against other 

FFSHCs in its category. The top three FFSHCs in each category receive awards for Superior 

Performance, Meritorious Achievement, and Notable Recognition. 

In CY 2022, OSHA identified nine FFSHCs as eligible for a Secretary’s Award for their 

activities. By category, these were: 

Category I: Federal employee population exceeding 24,000

• Superior Performance – Greater Kansas City

• Meritorious Achievement – Atlanta
32

• Notable Recognition – Middle Tennessee

Category II: Federal employee population between 12,000 and 24,000 

• Superior Performance – Puerto Rico

• Meritorious Achievement – Greater St. Louis 

• Notable Recognition – Minneapolis 

Category III: Federal employee population of fewer than 12,000

• Superior Performance – Mississippi Gulf Coast

• Meritorious Achievement – Louisville Area

• Notable Recognition – Greater Omaha

Alternate and Supplementary Standards 

Under 29 CFR § 1960.17, if an agency cannot comply with an applicable OSHA standard, it may 

submit a request to OSHA to comply with an alternate standard.3F

4

 There are seven OSHAapproved alternate standards: 

• Federal Aviation Administration – Alternate Standard for Fire Safety in Air Traffic 

Control Towers; 

• National Archives and Records Administration – Standard on Special-Purpose Ladders; 

• NASA – Standard for Lifting Devices and Equipment; 

• NASA – Alternate Standard for Diving Operations 

• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration – Alternate Diving Standards; 

• Department of the Navy (Navy), Naval Facilities Engineering Command – Management 

of Weight-Handling Equipment; and

• Navy – Gas Free Engineering Manual. 

Under 29 CFR § 1960.18, if no existing OSHA standard applies to a working condition of an 

agency’s federal employees, the agency must develop a supplementary standard. There are two 

supplementary standards: 

• NASA – Safety Standard for Explosives, Propellants, and Pyrotechnics; and

• DOI/National Park Service – Supplementary Standard for Containers and Portable Tanks 

Transport. 

FEDWEEK

Each year, OSHA provides a week of training, known as FEDWEEK, specifically for federal 

agency OSH personnel through the OSHA Training Institute in Arlington Heights, Illinois. 

OSHA seeks input from federal agencies and federal OSH personnel when developing the 

FEDWEEK curriculum. In CY 2022, OTI intended to provide both in-person and virtual classes 

for FEDWEEK. However, since the in-person registration numbers were negligible, OTI 

decided to present the seminars only in the virtual format. OSHA provided ten virtual half-day 

seminars for federal OSH personnel: Welding Hazards; Road Construction & Excavation; 

Distracted Driving; Scaffolding in Construction; Heat Stress; Control of Hazardous Energy; 

4 An alternate standard is the federal sector’s equivalent of a private-sector variance. Any alternate standard must 

provide protection for affected federal employees that is equal to or greater than the applicable OSHA standard.
33

Break the Transmission Chain of Infection; Indoor Air Quality; Fall Protection; and AntiRetaliation Program (for USPS only). 

From CY 2019 to CY 2022, attendance varied. The CY 2019 attendance included more federal 

agencies represented than in prior years. COVID-19 restrictions cancelled CY 2020’s

FEDWEEK event and moved CY 2021’s training’s to virtual-only. As previously mentioned, 

due to the low numbers of in-person registrants, CY 2022’s FEDWEEK was also solely virtual. 

While virtual courses are not always the best choice, especially when teaching hands-on skills 

such as using equipment like a sound level meter or personal dust collector, providing a virtual 

option results in higher attendance. 

Table 6: FEDWEEK Participation by Attendees and Calendar Year (2019-2022).

Calendar Year

2022 2021 2020 2019

Participants 334 805 * 80

Agencies Represented ** 30 * 30

* CY 2020 training cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 

**OTI did not track students’ agency affiliations. 

Federal Agency OSH Managers’ Roundtable 

The Federal Agency OSH Managers’ Roundtable meetings are a valuable tool that allows 

agencies to exchange information on safety and health issues and best practices. For these 

meetings, OSHA brings national-level OSH managers together to share presentations and discuss 

current topics of interest. In 2022, OSHA held Roundtable meetings in April and November and 

addressed a range of topics, such as Occupant Emergency Plans/Emergency Action Plans for our 

Federal Office Buildings; Federal Agencies’ BLS Injury and Illness Data Collection; and 

Secretary of Labor’s Annual Report to the President, Recording of COVID-19 Cases. In 

addition to scheduled presentation topics, all Roundtable meetings include a general discussion 

session to allow agency representatives to talk about their experiences with the topics presented 

and/or express concerns about safety and health issues in their respective agencies. 

OSHA/FSIS Memorandum of Understanding 

On August 1, 2022, OSHA entered into an updated MOU on worker safety with FSIS. 

Recognizing that OSHA and FSIS both share the goal of protecting the safety and health of 

workers in FSIS regulated facilities, the agencies’ leadership signed a five-year MOU that 

provides guidance on how the agencies will collaborate on training, information sharing and 

workplace hazards. OSHA and FSIS met quarterly and worked to develop the training stipulated 

in the MOU. In addition, OSHA provided safety posters to all FSIS regulated facilities. OSHA 

and FSIS have collaborated for almost 30 years, signing their first MOU in 1994. 
34

SECTION 2 – FEDERAL AGENCY OSH 

ACTIVITIES 

This section contains agency-specific OSH program information. Agencies’ annual reports 

include data on fatalities, hospitalizations, and amputations; injury and illness trend analyses and 

hazard mitigation methods; OSH training programs; OSH committee and council participation; 

and whistleblower protection provisions. 

In accordance with 29 CFR §§ 1960.34 and 1960.35, GSA and the National Institute for 

Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), respectively, must provide specified services to 

federal agencies to support improved safety and health conditions for federal employees. This 

section ends with summaries of their reported activities. 

Fatalities, Hospitalizations, and Amputations

The Act, provisions of 29 CFR § 1960, and other regulations require employers to investigate, 

track, and promptly report to OSHA incidents that involve work-related fatalities, 

hospitalizations, and amputations. 

Departments and Agencies 

Over the course of CY 2022, the departments and agencies reported 323 fatalities, 

hospitalizations, and amputations. Reported incidents decreased at eight of the 

departments/agencies, while increasing at eleven and remaining the same at two. 

Department and/or agency summaries follow Table 7a for those departments and agencies that 

realized a significant year-over-year change within the context of the overall reported number. 

For example, while the Environmental Protection Agency’s total reports increased by 100 

percent, the department reported no fatalities, hospitalizations, or amputations in CY 2021, and 

only one fatality and no hospitalizations or amputations in CY 2022. Given this context, no 

further assessment was necessary or relevant. 

Table 7a: Department/Agency Fatalities/Hospitalizations/Amputations for CY 2021 and 2022. 

Agencies Fatalities Hospitalizations Amputations Percent

2021 2022 2021 2022 2021 2022 Change 

Department of 

Agriculture 7 1 22 19 0 2 ↓ 24 

Department of 

Commerce 0 1 1 5 0 0 ↑ 500

Department of Defense 2 1 8 9 3 2 ↓ 8

Department of Health 

and Human Services 0 0 7 6 2 0 ↓ 33 

Department of Homeland 

Security 51 8 121 46 1 0 ↓ 69 

Department of Justice 6 1 37 19 12 7 ↓ 51
35

Agencies Fatalities Hospitalizations Amputations Percent

2021 2022 2021 2022 2021 2022 Change 

Department of the Air 

Force 0 0 10 20 4 1 ↑ 50 

Department of the Army 1 2 14 9 2 5 ↓ 6

Department of the 

Interior 1 2 24 36 0 3 ↑ 64 

Department of the Navy 3 1 10 16 3 5 ↑ 38

Department of the State 2 1 36 29 1 2 ↓ 18

Department of 

Transportation 3 0 5 8 0 0 ↔ 0 

Department of the

Treasury 0 0 1 0 0 1 ↔ 0 

Department of Veterans 

Affairs 21 4 113 32 2 0 ↓ 74 

Environmental Protection 

Agency 0 1 0 0 0 0 ↑

National Aeronautics and 

Space Administration 0 0 8 6 1 1 ↑ 22 

Nuclear Regulatory 

Commission 0 0 0 1 0 0 ↑

Peace Corps 0 0 1 4 0 0 ↑ 300

Small Business 

Administration 0 0 0 2 0 0 ↑

Smithsonian Institution 0 0 1 2 0 0 ↑ 100

Tennessee Valley 

Authority 0 1 0 0 1 1 ↑ 100 

The ↑ indicates a respective increase, ↓ indicates a respective decrease, and ↔ indicates no 

change in the Total Reports in CY 2022 compared to CY 2021. 

Department/Agency Summaries 

The Department of Agriculture reported a 24 percent decrease in incidents in CY 2022 compared 

to CY 2021. Overall, USDA’s workers experienced an increase in strains and struck-by 

incidents that resulted in hospitalizations. As was the case with most agencies, USDA’s

COVID-19 related hospitalizations decreased. 

Table 7b: USDA Fatalities/Hospitalizations/Amputations for CY 2021 and 2022

Cause Fatalities Hospitalizations Amputations Percent

2021 2022 2021 2022 2021 2022 Change

Crushed by, caught in 0 0 1 0 0 1 ↔ 0

Fall 1 0 2 3 0 0 ↔ 0

Fire 0 0 2 1 0 0 ↓ 50

Fitness 0 0 2 0 0 0 ↓ 100

Heat, dehydration 0 0 4 2 0 0 ↓ 50
36

Cause Fatalities Hospitalizations Amputations Percent

2021 2022 2021 2022 2021 2022 Change

Horse 0 0 1 0 0 1 ↔ 0

Hot surface other than 

fire 0 0 0 1 0 0 ↑

Illness 0 0 0 0 0 0 ↔ 0

Slip, trip, fall 0 0 0 1 0 ↑

Strain, over-exertion 0 0 1 5 0 0 ↑ 400

Struck, struck by 1 0 0 4 0 ↑ 300

Unclassified 0 0 1 0 0 0 ↓ 100

Vehicular (land) 0 1 6 1 0 0 ↓ 67

Vehicular (air) 1 0 0 0 0 0 ↓ 100

COVID-19 4 0 2 1 0 0 ↓ 83

Total 7 1 22 19 2 ↓ 24

The Department of Defense reported an eight percent decrease in incidents in CY 2022 

compared to CY 2021. In CY 2022, there was one less fatality, one more hospitalization, and 

one less amputation. The greatest increases were due to slips, trips, and falls; and vehicular

(land) incidents. 

Table 7c: DoD Fatalities/Hospitalizations/Amputations for CY 2021 and 2022. 

Cause Fatalities Hospitalizations Amputations Percent

2021 2022 2021 2022 2021 2022 Change

Crushed by, caught in 0 0 1 0 1 2 ↔ 0

Electrical 0 0 1 0 0 0 ↓ 100

Heat 0 0 0 1 0 0 ↑

Over-exertion 0 0 2 1 0 0 ↓ 50

Physical Attack 1 0 0 0 0 0 ↓ 100

Slip, trip, fall 0 1 1 2 0 0 ↑ 200

Struck, struck by 0 0 3 0 2 0 ↓ 100

Vehicular (land) 0 0 0 2 0 0 ↑

COVID-19 1 0 0 31 0 0 ↑ 200

Total 2 1 8 9 3 2 ↓ 8

1 One hospitalization related to a COVID-19 vaccine.
37

The Department of Health and Human Services’ incident reports decreased 33 percent in CY 

2022, from nine in CY 2021 to six in CY 2022. 

Table 7d: HHS Fatalities/Hospitalizations/Amputations for CY 2021 and 2022. 

Cause 

Fatalities Hospitalizations Amputations Percent

Change

* 2021 2022 2021 2022 2021 2022

Caught in 0 0 0 0 1 0 ↓ 100

Flu Vaccine Reaction 0 0 0 1 0 0 ↑

Needlestick 0 0 0 1 0 0 ↑

Slip, trip, fall 0 0 1 1 0 0 ↔ 0

Strain, over-exertion 0 0 2 0 0 0 ↓ 200

Struck, struck by 0 0 1 1 1 0 ↓ 50

Vehicular (land) 0 0 0 2 0 0 ↑

COVID-19 0 0 3 0 0 0 ↓ 300

Total 0 0 7 6 2 0 ↓ 33

The Department of Homeland Security’s reported incidents decreased 69 percent in CY 2022 

compared to CY 2021. Customs and Border Protection accounted for most of the COVID-19 

related incidents, followed by Immigration and Customs Enforcement. The data submitted 

indicates that there may be a substantial reduction in heat/hydration and COVID-19 incidents. 

Table 7e: DHS Fatalities/Hospitalizations/Amputations for CY 2021 and 2022. 

Cause Fatalities Hospitalizations Amputations Percent

2021 2022 2021 2022 2021 2022 Change

Bite 0 0 1 0 0 0 ↓ 100

Crushed by, caught in 0 0 0 0 1 0 ↓ 100

Dehydration, Heat 0 0 6 0 0 0 ↓ 600

Fall from height 0 0 2 0 0 0 ↓ 200

Firearm 0 2 2 3 0 0 ↑ 150

Fitness 0 0 1 0 0 0 ↓ 100

Horse 0 0 0 1 0 0 ↑

Illness (other than 

COVID-19) 2 0 1 5 0 0 ↑ 167

Material handling 0 0 1 0 0 0 ↓ 100

Slip, trip, fall 0 0 4 5 0 0 ↑ 25

Struck by 0 0 0 1 0 0 ↑

Unclassified 7 0 12 1 0 0 ↓ 90

Vehicular (land) 2 2 11 9 0 0 ↓ 15

COVID-19 40 3 80 19 0 0 ↓ 83

Total 51 7 121 46 1 0 ↓ 69

 
38

The Department of Justice’s reported incidents decreased 51 percent in CY 2022 compared to 

CY 2021. The Bureau of Prisons accounted for six hospitalizations and five amputations. The 

increase in hospitalizations was due to cut/pierce injuries. 

Table 7f: DOJ Fatalities/Hospitalizations/Amputations for CY 2021 and 2022. 

Cause Fatalities Hospitalizations Amputations Percent

2021 2022 2021 2022 2021 2022 Change

Burn 0 0 1 1 0 0 ↔ 0

Crushed by, caught in 0 0 0 1 6 2 ↓ 50

Cut, pierce 0 0 0 2 5 4 ↑ 20

Electrical 0 0 0 1 0 0 ↑

Illness (Other than 

COVID-19) 0 0 3 0 0 0 ↓ 300

Firearm 2 0 3 3 0 1 ↓ 20

Heart attack 0 0 1 0 0 0 ↓ 100

Heat, dehydration 0 0 6 0 0 0 ↓ 600

Slip, trip, fall 0 0 4 1 0 0 ↓ 75

Overexertion 0 1 6 6 1 0 ↔ 0

Struck, struck by 0 0 2 2 0 0 ↔ 0

Vehicular (land) 1 0 4 0 0 0 ↓ 500

Unclassified 0 0 2 1 0 0 ↓ 50

COVID-19 3 0 5 1 0 0 ↓ 88

Total 6 1 37 19 12 7 ↓ 51

The Department of the Air Force’s (USAF’s) reported incidents increased 50 percent in CY 

2022 compared to CY 2021. The greatest increase occurred in the strain/over-exertion category. 

Table 7g: USAF Fatalities/Hospitalizations/Amputations for CY 2021 and 2022. 

Cause Fatalities Hospitalizations Amputations Percent

2021 2022 2021 2022 2021 2022 Change

Animal bite 0 0 0 1 0 0 ↑

Caught by, caught in 0 0 0 1 1 1 ↑ 100

Explosion 0 0 0 2 0 0 ↑

Repetitive motion 0 0 2 0 0 0 ↓ 200

Slip, trip, fall 0 0 7 9 0 0 ↑ 29

Strain, over-exertion 0 0 0 4 0 0 ↑

Struck by 0 0 1 2 3 0 ↓ 50

Vehicular (land) 0 0 0 1 0 0 ↑

Total 0 0 10 20 4 1 ↑ 50
39

The Department of the Army’s (Army’s) incident reports had a slight decrease of six percent 

in CY 2022 compared to CY 2021. The greatest decrease occurred in the category of 

slips/trips/falls. 

 

Table 7h: Army Fatalities/Hospitalizations/Amputations for CY 2021 and 2022. 

Cause Fatalities Hospitalizations Amputations Percent

2021 2022 2021 2022 2021 2022 Change

Carbon Monoxide 0 1 0 0 0 0 ↑

Crushed by, caught in 0 0 0 0 1 3 ↑ 200

Cut, Pierce 0 0 0 0 0 1 ↑

Dehydration/heat 0 0 3 1 0 0 ↓ 67

High Pressure 

Equipment 0 0 0 2 0 0 ↑

Insect bite 0 0 1 0 0 0 ↓ 100

Material handling 0 0 1 0 1 0 ↓ 200

Other 0 0 0 1 0 0 ↑

Overexertion, Strains 0 0 0 1 0 0 ↑

Slip, trip, fall 1 0 7 2 0 0 ↓ 75

Struck, struck by 0 0 1 1 0 1 ↑ 100

Vehicular (land) 0 1 0 1 0 0 ↑

COVID-19 0 0 1 0 0 0 ↓ 100

Total 1 2 14 9 2 5 ↓ 6

The Department of the Interior’s reported incidents increased 64 percent in CY 2022 

compared to CY 2021. The greatest increases involved slips, trips, and falls and illnesses other 

than COVID-19. 

Table 7i: DOI Fatalities/Hospitalizations/Amputations for CY 2021 and 2022. 

Cause Fatalities Hospitalizations Amputations Percent

2021 2022 2021 2022 2021 2022 Change

Allergy 0 0 2 0 0 0 ↓ 100

Animal 0 0 0 1 0 0 ↑

Caught in/crushing 0 0 0 0 0 1 ↑

Cut, pierce 0 0 0 0 0 2 ↑

Drowning 0 1 0 0 0 0 ↑

Electrical 0 0 0 1 0 0 ↑

Fall from height 0 0 1 2 0 0 ↑ 100

Fire 0 1 3 0 0 0 ↓ 67

Heat, dehydration 0 0 1 0 0 0 ↓ 100

Illness other than 

COVID-19 0 0 4 12 0 0 ↑ 200

Insect 0 0 1 1 0 0 ↔ 0
40

Cause Fatalities Hospitalizations Amputations Percent

2021 2022 2021 2022 2021 2022 Change

Slip, trip, fall 0 0 4 8 0 0 ↑ 100

Struck/struck by 0 0 0 2 0 0 ↑

Unclassified 0 0 0 1 0 0 ↑

Vehicular (land) 1 0 4 5 0 0 ↔ 0

COVID-19 0 0 4 3 0 0 ↓ 25

Total 1 2 24 36 0 3 ↑ 64

The Department of the Navy’s (Navy’s) incident reports increased 25 percent in CY 2022 

compared to CY 2021. The Navy’s employees experienced more slip, trip, and fall and struck by 

incidents. 

Table 7j: Navy Fatalities/Hospitalizations/Amputations for CY 2021 and 2022. 

Cause Fatalities Hospitalizations Amputations Percent

2021 2022 2021 2022 2021 2022 Change

Caught in, crushing 0 0 0 0 3 3 ↔ 0

Cut, pierce 0 0 0 0 0 1 ↑

Drowning 0 1 0 0 0 0 ↑

Electric shock 0 0 1 0 0 0 ↓ 100

Heat, dehydration 0 0 1 0 0 0 ↓ 100

Insect 0 0 1 1 0 0 ↔ 0

Overexertion/strain 0 0 0 1 0 0 ↑

Slip, trip, fall 0 0 4 7 0 0 ↑ 75

Sports 0 0 1 0 0 0 ↓ 100

Struck, struck by 0 0 0 3 0 1 ↑

Vehicle (land) 0 0 0 2 0 0 ↑

COVID-19 3 0 2 0 0 0 ↓ 500

Total 3 1 10 14 3 5 ↑ 25

The Department of State’s (State’s) reported incidents decreased 18 percent in CY 2022 

compared to CY 2021. An analysis indicates amputations went up by 300 percent. 

Table 7k: State Fatalities/Hospitalizations/Amputations for CY 2021 and 2022. 

Cause Fatalities Hospitalizations Amputations Percent

2021 2022 2021 2022 2021 2022 Change

Caught by, caught in 0 0 3 1 1 2 ↑ 25

Cut/pierce 0 0 7 1 0 0 ↓ 86

Drowning 1 0 0 0 0 0 ↓ 100

Electric shock 0 0 1 1 0 0 ↔ 0

Fall from height 0 0 0 4 0 0 ↑

Firearm 0 1 0 1 0 0 ↑
41

Cause Fatalities Hospitalizations Amputations Percent

2021 2022 2021 2022 2021 2022 Change

Fitness 0 0 1 0 0 0 ↓ 100

Ingest toxic substance 0 0 0 1 0 0 ↑

Slip, trip, fall 0 0 16 12 0 0 ↓ 25

Strain, over-exertion 0 0 1 1 0 0 ↔ 0

Struck by 0 0 1 3 0 0 ↑ 200

Unclassified 0 0 2 1 0 0 ↓ 50

Vehicular (land) 1 0 3 3 0 0 ↓ 25

COVID-19 vaccine 0 0 1 0 0 0 ↓ 100

Total 2 1 36 29 1 2 ↓ 18

The Department of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) reported incidents decreased 74 percent in CY 

2022 compared to CY 2021, primarily due to a decrease in COVID-19-related hospitalizations.

Table 7l: VA Fatalities/Hospitalizations/Amputations for CY 2021 and 2022. 

Cause Fatalities Hospitalizations Amputations Percent

2021 2022 2021 2022 2021 2022 Change

Allergy 0 0 2 0 0 0 ↓ 100

Burn 0 0 1 0 0 0 ↓ 100

Crushed by, caught in 0 0 0 0 2 0 ↓ 100

Cut, pierce 0 0 1 0 0 0 ↓ 100

Fall from height 0 0 1 1 0 0 ↔ 0

Fume 0 0 1 0 0 0 ↓ 100

Illness (unknown) 0 0 1 1 0 0 ↔ 0

Overexertion, Strain 0 0 0 2 0 0 ↑

Slip, trip, fall 1 0 7 7 0 0 ↓ 13

Struck, struck by 0 0 3 3 0 0 ↔ 0

Vehicular (land) 0 0 1 2 0 0 ↑ 100

COVID-19 20 4 95 16 0 0 ↓ 83

Total 21 4 113 32 2 0 ↓ 74

The Peace Corps’ (PC’s) reported incidents increased by 300 percent in CY 2022 compared to 

CY 2021, due to an increase in hospitalizations.
42

Table 7n: Peace Corps Fatalities/Hospitalizations/Amputations for CY 2021 and 2022. 

Cause Fatalities Hospitalizations Amputations Percent

2021 2022 2021 2022 2021 2022 Change

Illness other than 

COVID-19 0 0 0 1 0 0 ↑

Slip, trip, fall 0 0 0 2 0 0 ↑

Strain, over-exertion 0 0 0 1 0 0 ↑

Struck, struck by 0 0 1 0 0 0 ↓ 100

COVID-19 0 0 0 0 0 0 ↔ 0

Total 0 0 1 4 0 0 ↑ 300

Certified Safety and Health Committees

A CSHC is an agency OSH committee that the Secretary has approved and the agency’s head has 

certified as meeting the requirements of 29 CFR § 1960, Subpart F. A CSHC monitors and

supports an agency’s OSH program and improves safety awareness by providing the agency an 

open channel of communication between employees and management. A CSHC also allows an

agency to facilitate employee input on OSH-related policies, conditions, and practices. 

An agency that wants to form a CSHC must report its intent to the Secretary. Specifically, the 

agency must provide the Secretary with information regarding the location and coverage area 

(establishments and populations) of the committee. The agency must also provide the name and 

phone number of each committee chair and certify that the committee meets all the requirements 

of 29 CFR § 1960, Subpart F. Also, as part of the required annual report to the Secretary, the 

agency must provide an update of its OSH program activity. 

While agencies with CSHCs that meet all requirements are exempt from unannounced OSHA 

inspections, they may request an inspection. For CY 2022, the Secretary recognized two 

Executive Branch agencies as having functional CSHCs within the requirements of Subpart F: 

• DOL

• TVA

DOL and TVA submitted information certifying to the Secretary that their respective CSHCs 

met the requirements of the subpart during the CY 2022 reporting period. TVA reported 

membership changes in CY 2022. 

Other OSH Committees and Councils

OSHA asked that federal agencies provide information on their involvement in both internal and 

external OSH committees and councils, including their participation in FFSHCs. Forty-seven 

agencies reported on a variety of non-certified OSH-related committees that function at the 

departmental, agency, and field operation levels, including FFSHCs. Committee membership 

varied from agency to agency, with some comprised of various levels of managers, while others 

focused on expertise in a specific area, and still others included members with only OSH-related 

duties and responsibilities. According to the various reports, agencies considered most of these 

OSH committees to be vital components of their OSH programs. Given the reported 

participation levels of various OSH committees, some departments and agencies may want to 
43

pursue certifying their committees and achieving the recognition and OSH benefits such 

certification would provide. 

Although many federal agencies reported minimal to no involvement in FFSHC activities, some 

agencies described a variety of committees and other venues to address workplace OSH issues. 

These departments and agencies reported active participation in FFSHC activities, and reported 

that they encourage employees to participate in local council activities and appropriate OSH 

professional organizations, such as the Metropolitan Washington DC FFSHC, the Virtual Reality 

Safety Training System relating Construction Safety, the National Fire Protection Association, 

the National Response Framework-Worker Safety Health Support Annex and the US Public 

Health Service, as well as nationally- and locally-oriented safety organizations. Only 38 of the 

98 agencies (39 percent) reported the complete absence of an internal OSH committee. 

Most agencies, such as the Department of Commerce, reported encouraging employees to 

participate in OSH professional organizations, such as the Department-level OSH/OWCP 

working group. The Department of State noted that encouraging employee participation in 

quarterly meetings was an effective means of addressing current issues and coordinating 

initiatives involving multiple program areas (such as this report). State reported that its overseas 

program routinely interacts with management of regional bureaus to advise on status of posts’ 

safety and health program. In Fall 2022, State’s domestic Environmental Safety Division; 

overseas Safety, Health; and Environmental Management Office, and Bureau of Medical 

Services Occupational Health and Wellness facilitated quarterly meetings to coordinate safety 

initiatives and address safety issues. The quarterly group is coordinating a permanent DASHOchaired, management-level OSH committee slated to roll out in late CY 2023. 

While the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission (FERC) has not established a permanent, 

regular OSH committee, it plans to begin the process of establishing such in CY23. Currently 

FERC uses small ad hoc safety teams to address, analyze, or discuss specific safety issues. 

These teams are typically multi-disciplinary and include both supervisory and non-supervisory 

staff who are familiar with the issue the team wants to resolve. 

When asked whether they supported and recognized OSH-related certifications from outside 

organizations, 39 of 98 agencies (40 percent) reported employee participation in external OSH 

committees, including OSHA’s Office of Federal Agency Programs OSH Managers’ Roundtable 

meetings, and six agencies (six percent) reported encouraging employees to seek professional 

certification and participate in professional OSH organizations. Most agencies, like DOE and 

the EPA, reported encouraging employees to participate in OSH professional organizations, such 

as the International Air Transport Association and the American Industrial Hygiene Association. 

Agencies encouraged OSH personnel to obtain and maintain professional certifications such as 

Certified Safety Professional and Certified Industrial Hygienist, and licenses such as Professional 

Engineer, to demonstrate competence in assigned duties. 
44

Identifying, Controlling, and Analyzing Hazards

Reporting Hazards 

An effective OSH program encourages all workers (such as the agencies’ workers and 

contractors) to participate and feel comfortable providing input and reporting their safety and 

health concerns; and prohibits retaliation when they report safety and health concerns, injuries, 

illnesses, and hazards; participate in the program; or exercise their safety and health rights. A 

crucial element of an effective hazard reporting system is notifying employees about actions 

taken to resolve their reported concerns. 

OSHA asked agencies how they encouraged employees to report hazards and the reporting 

mechanisms employees could use. Agencies listed a variety of methods used to encourage 

hazard reporting and advise employees of their rights such as: 

• safety training sessions; 

• automated reporting systems

• new employee orientation sessions; 

• shop safety talks/toolbox talks; 

• reminders in standard operating procedures and official memoranda; 

• newsletters, emails, and intranet posts; 

• electronic (intranet, etc.) publication of OSH related policies and directives that include 

information on hazard reporting methods; 

• recognition programs to acknowledge employees who collaborate with safety 

professionals to identify and mitigate workplace hazards; 

• posting the “OSHA Job Safety and Health: It’s the Law” poster; 

• posters on bulletin boards in common areas identifying the site’s safety and health 

designees; 

• encouraging employees to participate in site surveys and inspections; 

• disseminating safety shares or relevant lessons learned; 

• establishing an Employee Concerns Program; 

• workplace safety meetings, committees, advisory councils; 

• participating in OSHA sponsored programs like the Safe and Sound Campaign; 

• encouraged by leaders during meetings or directly to management. 

• senior leadership involvement 

Agencies provided various examples of hazard reporting methods such as: 

• supervisors; 

• local safety managers; 

• collateral duty safety officers; 

• specific personnel or offices such as an Employee Concerns Office, Ombudsman, or 

union/employee representative 

• Office of the Inspector General

• safety and health committees; 

• safety stand downs/safety awareness programs;

• town hall meetings;

• safety walkthroughs; 
45

• web-based systems (e.g., intranet, SharePoint); 

• safety apps; 

• safety hotline; 

• dedicated email address;

• dedicated help desk; 

• suggestion box for anonymous reporting; 

• agency email or phone for facilities management; 

• hazard reporting form on the intranet; and 

• daily task briefing in which employees analyze their workplaces and tasks.

Safety and Health Self-Inspections

For CY 2022, federal agencies reported an overall improvement in the effectiveness of their selfinspections, several attributing their OSH program improvements to an increase in the number of 

self-inspections. Of responding agencies, 73 percent (72 agencies) selected a rating of “highly 

effective” or “needs minor improvements” for the self-inspection attribute. (For additional 

information see the discussion on the Operational Component’s Self-Inspection Attribute). 

Several agencies reported that OSH self-inspections were interrupted and not conducted due to 

the COVID-19 pandemic. Of these agencies, nine continued in a maximum telework status. Of 

the 98 agencies that provided information on performing self-inspections, 47 agencies (48 

percent) reported inspecting all workplaces in CY 2022. The remaining 19 agencies (19 percent) 

did not inspect all their workplaces. According to several agencies, the absence of employees 

from workplaces negated the need for self-inspections. 

For CY 2022, federal agencies reported an overall improvement in the effectiveness of their selfinspections, several attributing their OSH program improvements to an increase in the number of 

self-inspections. While most agencies oversaw their own self-inspections, a few opted for 

inspections from external sources such as GSA or a contractor. Overall, agencies’ responses to 

internal and external inspections included correcting minor issues on the spot, abating hazards 

per corrective action plans, and updating policy and/or procedural guidance to improve the 

effectiveness of their OSH programs. 

Abatement Tracking 

As a key component of a SHMS, agencies must ensure the existence of established processes not 

only to routinely identify and report hazards, but also to select and track appropriate abatement 

measures (or controls) and then monitor those abatements or controls to ensure they continue to 

remain effective. 

 

Effective controls protect workers from workplace hazards; help avoid injuries, illnesses, and 

incidents; minimize or eliminate safety and health risks; and help employers provide workers 

with safe and healthful working conditions. These include instituting interim control measures to 

protect workers from hazards until the implementation of permanent measures. 

 

OSHA asked agencies how they control workplace hazards (i.e., please describe how your 

agency tracks abatement of hazards and adheres to abatement dates). Most agencies (69 percent) 
46

either specified the hazard abatement tracking tool and/or described the hazard abatement 

tracking process. (See Appendix 7 for agency-specific abatement tracking information.) 

 

The remaining 31 percent of agencies:

• did not provide a response; 

• indicated that this inquiry was not applicable; 

• responded that they had no abatement issues; 

• stated they relied on property management or GSA for hazard abatement, but did not 

describe a coordination or tracking process; 

• claimed successful hazard abatement but provided no information on a tracking method 

for such; 

• claimed a tracking system but failed to describe it; or 

• reported that no injury or illness occurred in CY 2021. 

Hazard Data Analysis 

This year, OSHA again asked agencies how they determined any OSH-related trends, such as 

specific causes or types of injuries, or hazardous jobs or tasks. Responses illustrated little 

change in previously reported agency actions to identify and analyze workplace hazards. 

Agencies responded by describing a range of analysis methods, from manual cataloging of 

incidents to real-time computer monitoring of OSH-related data as entered an information 

system(s). In general, agencies with a greater number of employees, or higher incidence rates, 

tended to incorporate information systems and more frequent monitoring of entered data. 

Overall, federal departments and agencies with higher rates of injuries and illnesses reported 

greater emphasis on data analysis, integrating OSH-related considerations into all aspects of 

agency operations, and tracking near misses. Yet even agencies that reported few or no workrelated injuries and illnesses continued to track OSH-related reports and information to help 

ensure safer and more healthful workplaces. Among responding agencies, 58 agencies rated 

their hazard data analysis as highly effective. 

 

Most departments and agencies reported performing some type of data analysis to determine the 

prevalence of injury type, the most common causes of injuries, and the jobs or tasks that resulted 

in injuries. Agencies also reported tracking and analyzing “near-misses,” or those incidents that 

could have resulted in an accident or injury but did not at that time. Other strategies for reducing 

workplace injuries and illnesses include encouraging employees to report potential hazards as 

they are discovered; and focusing on specific problems, such as frequent types of injuries, or 

specific hazards. 

For other agencies, 26 percent indicated that they needed minor improvements, reporting that 

training would be necessary for workers hired during the shutdown or agency re-entry. Some of 

the agencies: failed to respond, indicated that the attribute was inapplicable, or stated it did not 

exist in their organizations. Other agencies claimed their workplaces: included no hazardous 

duties, had no history of incidents, or had no incidents in CY 2022 due to minimum staff 

working onsite and that they were small organizations with one major facility; or had only 

infrequent incidents (accidents), and as such, did not need complex incident data management. 

Other agencies reported that they could identify incident trends without data analysis and then 
47

act to reduce or eliminate hazards; or that because few onsite injuries occurred data was 

insufficient for analysis. 

 

Only two of the agencies indicated needing major improvement in this area. The Corporation for 

National and Community Service (AmeriCorps) reported that due to the rarity of incidents 

because of low-hazard tasks, data collection and analysis procedures are lacking agency wide. 

Documentation of policy and procedures will help the agency address gaps. While the USDA 

OSH Manager position is currently vacant and is decentralized with regards to adherence this 

area needs improvement and oversight. 

COVID-19 Response

Federal agencies reported on the steps taken during CY 2022 to protect employees from 

contracting COVID-19; most referenced following CDC, OMB, OPM, OSHA, and local 

guidance. Agencies noted that the evolving guidance required ongoing modification of policies 

and procedures to protect workers. 

When feasible, agencies allowed employees to telework. Agencies with missions requiring 

onsite work used a range of controls to protect employees, from creating physical barriers to 

providing PPE. To help track the evolving guidance and develop internal policies, many 

agencies established workgroups comprised of senior management officials with decision 

making authority, safety professionals, industrial hygienists, and at times, medical staff. 

Employees who provided direct services to the public, such as patient care and international 

border monitoring, had an increased risk of exposure to and contracting COVID-19. Among 

Executive Branch agencies, the Departments of Veterans Affairs and Agriculture recorded the 

most fatalities due to the illness in CY 2022, reporting 20 and four, respectively. (See Appendix 

6 for detailed information on the fatalities, amputations, and hospitalizations agencies reported 

for CY 2022.) 

Employee Awareness Protocols

Agencies used various means to engage employees and continuously shared new/updated 

information on the pandemic and avoiding COVID-19. Agency reports mentioned engagement 

and communication methods such as training, webinars, websites, intranets, SharePoint, town 

halls, virtual meetings, broadcast emails, newsletters, employee reviews, briefings to labor 

organizations, electronic bulletins, and informational hotlines, among many others. 

Actions Taken to Limit COVID-19 Exposure in 2022 

Agencies minimized transmission of COVID-19 through employee education campaigns – 

providing information about hand and surface hygiene, cough and sneeze etiquette, when to seek 

medical attention, and how to find out more information. Agency workgroups monitored the 

evolving guidance for changes and reports of new variants and used this information to make 

decisions throughout the year regarding the transition to normal federal business. 

For mission-essential work at their facilities through 2022, agencies continued developing and 

implementing onsite protocols to protect the safety and health of their employees, visitors, and 

contractors. These onsite protocols included: 
48

Policy Updates

• Incorporated all recommendations and requirements from Executive Orders and the Safer 

Federal Workforce Task Force COVID-19 safety response plan; 

• Updated policies and reviewed scientific findings and guidance regarding COVID-19; 

and

Facility Access

• Used telework and remote work; 

• Staggered work schedules and used cohort seating strategies for onsite employees; 

• Adjusted restrictions in accordance with transmission rates; 

• Continued to implement a respiratory protection program, and conducted fit testing for 

N95 respirators; and

• Closed high-density assembly areas, when needed. 

Facility Modifications

• Enhanced office ventilation systems;

• Added social distancing markings; 

• Installed touchless hand sanitizers;

• Cleaned office common areas and high touch surfaces; 

• Marked elevators for social distancing and limited occupants; 

• Added anti-microbial surface protectors for high-touch surfaces such as elevator call 

buttons; 

• Added signage at entry points to remind entrants to follow precautions; 

• Installed physical barriers in open workspaces; 

• Incorporated hands-free exit and entrance mechanisms. 

Personal Protective Equipment, Testing, and Protocols

• Provided face coverings, gloves, and respirators; 

• Supplied home PCR and rapid test kits;

• Used digital self-check systems; and, 

• Used a trend analysis dashboard. 

When feasible, agencies provided instruction on testing, self-isolation, and quarantine timelines. 

They cleaned and sanitized affected work areas, developed policies to allow asymptomatic 

quarantined employees to telework, addressed appropriate leave status for affected employees, 

and allowed employees to return to work when they met established requirements. 

The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) updated the safety plan and posted update 

notifications to the Safer Federal Workforce Task Force website.

Motor Vehicle Safety

In CY 2022, 71 agencies (72 percent) reported having a Motor Vehicle Safety Program (MVSP), 

and most noted compliance with EOs 13043 and 13513, which require using seatbelts in motor 

vehicles and ban texting while driving, respectively. Most agencies reported that MVSPs were 

major OSH program elements and that EO compliance was necessary to reduce the deaths, 

injuries, and property damage related to vehicular mishaps. Thirty-eight of the agencies with 
49

MVSPs (54 percent) provided information on the roughly 7,417 motor vehicle accidents their 

employees experienced during CY 2022. 

Most agencies reported offering motor vehicle safety awareness training from DOT, GSA, 

USDA, or similar organizations. Covered training topics included distracted driving prevention, 

safe holiday/seasonal driving, accident reporting procedures, driver improvement training for 

personnel involved in vehicle mishaps, vehicle safety inspection procedures, driver education for 

personnel deployed overseas, use of travel planning tools, and defensive driving. Agencies like 

the USAF supported nationally recognized safe driving programs. DoD fielded motor vehicles 

that featured safety technologies (e.g. back-up cameras, lane assist, blind-side alerts, and close 

collision alerts) and trained motor vehicle operators on their use. The Department of State 

planned to expand its Event Recorder (DriveCam) program to additional posts overseas. DOT

promoted the National Safety Council’s Defensive Driving Course program to reinforce motor 

vehicle safety and mishap prevention. 

Sixteen agencies reported that they did not have any MVSP because either they employed only a 

few workers or did not need a dedicated vehicle fleet. Agencies without any MVSP included: 

Access Board, African Development Foundation, Commission on Civil Rights, DNFSB, ExportImport Bank, Federal Mediation and Conciliation Services, Federal Labor Relations Authority, 

Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board, Inter-American Foundation, Institute of Museum 

and Library Services, National Council on Disability, National Credit Union Administration, 

National Endowment for the Humanities, Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation, Postal 

Regulatory Commission, and Social Security Advisory Board. 

Some agencies asserted that an MVSP was “not applicable” to their situations or simply ignored 

the item. Other agencies reported compliance with EOs 13043 and 13513 but provided no 

information on safety protocols or measures. OSHA will follow up with agencies to offer 

assistance in addressing motor vehicle safety.

Some agencies demonstrated substantial decreases in the numbers of reported motor vehicle 

accidents during CY 2022 including the Departments of Agriculture, Air Force, Army, Defense, 

Energy, Homeland Security, and Veterans Affairs; and the General Services Administration. 

Some agencies reported substantial increases in the number of reported motor vehicle accidents 

during the past three years including the Departments of Justice, Labor, Interior, and State; and 

the Peace Corps.

Table 8: Summary of Reported Motor Vehicle Accidents by Department/Agency CY 2020 – 

2022.

Department/Agency 2022 2021 2020

Department of Agriculture 1,129 1,918 NR

Department of the Air Force 17 19 94

Department of the Army 349 514 288

Department of Commerce 32 25 306

Department of Defense 664 929 812

Department of Energy 58 89 63

Department of Health and Human Services NR 45 25
50

Department/Agency 2022 2021 2020

Department of Homeland Security 375 1,042 1,765

Department of Housing and Urban Development NR NR NR

Department of Justice 2,921 2,825 2,311

Department of Labor 235 227 213

Department of the Interior 638 595 564

Department of the Navy 9 2 12

Department of State 1,836 1,598 1,102

Department of Transportation 10 11 13

Department of the Treasury 108 127 93

Department of Veterans Affairs 42 147 21

Environmental Protection Agency 13 10 12

General Services Administration 6 20 26

National Aeronautics and Space Administration 114 123 104

Social Security Administration 6 8 13

Tennessee Valley Authority 183 153 175

Office of Personnel Management 2 2 1

AbilityOne 0 0 0

Access Board 0 0 NR

African Development Foundation 0 0 0

Agency for Global Media 0 0 0

Agency for Internal Development 0 0 0

American Battle Monuments Commission 5 0 1

Armed Forces Retirement Home 0 0 0

Chemical Safety and Hazard Investigation Board 0 0 0

Commission of Fine Arts NR NR NR

Commission on Civil Rights 0 0 0

Commodity Futures Trading Commission 0 0 0

Consumer Product Safety Commission 1 0 0

Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency 0 0 1

Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board 0 0 0

Equal Employment Opportunity Commission 2 2 2

Export-Import Bank of the United States 0 0 0

Farm Credit Administration 1 0 0

Federal Communications Commission 1 0 NR

Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation 5 0 NR

Federal Election Commission 0 0 0

Federal Housing Finance Agency 0 0 0

Federal Labor Relations Authority 0 0 0

Federal Maritime Commission 0 0 0

Federal Mediation and Conciliation Service 0 0 0

Federal Mine Safety and Health Review Commission 0 0 0

Federal Reserve Board 0 0 0

Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board 0 0 0

Federal Trade Commission 0 0 0
51

Department/Agency 2022 2021 2020

Harry S. Truman Foundation 0 NR NR

Holocaust Memorial Museum 0 0 0

Institute of Museum and Library Services 0 0 0

Inter-American Foundation 0 0 0

International Trade Commission 0 0 0

International Boundary and Water Commission 5 2 2

James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation 0 0 0

John F. Kennedy Center 0 0 0

Marine Mammal Commission 0 0 NR

Merit Systems Protection Board 0 0 0

Millennium Challenge Corporation 0 NR NR

Morris K. Udall & Stewart L. Udall Foundation 0 0 0

National Archives and Records Administration 3 0 0

National Capital Planning Commission 0 0 0

National Council on Disability 0 0 0

National Credit Union Administration 0 0 0

National Endowment for the Arts 0 0 0

National Endowment for the Humanities 0 0 NR

National Gallery of Art 1 0 0

National Labor Relations Board 0 0 0

National Mediation Board 0 0 0

National Science Foundation 0 0 0

National Transportation Safety Board 0 0 0

Nuclear Regulatory Commission 1 1 0

Nuclear Waste Technical Review Board 0 0 0

Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission 0 0 0

Office of Government Ethics 0 0 0

Office of Navajo and Hopi Indian Relocation 0 0 0

Office of Special Counsel NR NR NR

International Development Finance Corporation 0 0 NR

Peace Corps 18 9 2

Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation 0 0 0

Postal Regulatory Commission 0 0 0

Presidio Trust 0 4 4

Railroad Retirement Board 0 1 0

Securities and Exchange Commission 0 0 0

Selective Service System NR NR NR

Small Business Administration 2 0 2

Smithsonian Institution 36 5 11

Social Security Advisory Board 0 0 NR

Trade and Development Agency 0 0 NR

Federal Employees Overseas

The Act, EO 12196, and 29 CFR § 1960 have no geographical limits; agencies must provide safe 
52

and healthful workplaces to all federal civilian employees, including those who work outside 

U.S. borders. OSHA asked agencies about the number of federal employees stationed overseas 

during CY 2022 and how they provided those employees with safe and healthful workplaces. 

According to agency reports, at least 121,571 employees from 31 agencies worked outside the 

borders of the United States during CY 2022. DoD (including civilians in the armed services) 

employed the largest overseas workforce – 56,453 employees and indicated that its OSH 

programs and coverage included those workers. It noted that it followed OSHA standards in all 

operations worldwide, where feasible. When compliance with OSHA standards was 

impracticable, infeasible, or inappropriate, DoD applied risk management procedures. Leaders 

and supervisors document and communicate the results of risk management decisions to all 

affected personnel. The Department of State established a comprehensive OSH policy and 

program document in its Foreign Affairs Manual (15 FAM 960), which incorporates the 

requirements of 29 CFR 1960. Many agencies use State’s OSH policies and programs for their 

overseas employees. 

Table 9: Number of Federal Civilian Employees in Overseas Locations by Department/Agency 

(CY 2019 – 2022) 

Department/Agency 2022 2021 2020 2019

Department of Agriculture 98 NR

No Data Requested*

999

Department of Commerce 217 212 252

Department of Defense 56,453 52,678 55,762

Department of Energy 25 19 50

Department of Health and Human Services 375 368 438

Department of Homeland Security 6,044 6,363 1,500

Department of the Interior 1,199 318 881

Department of Justice 1,061 1,122 1,062

Department of Labor 9 5 6

Department of State 52,546 58,997 NR

Department of Transportation 352 10 20

Department of Veterans Affairs 113 138 94

Department of the Treasury 35 39 41

Environmental Protection Agency 117 2 1,150

General Services Administration 23 22 24

National Aeronautics and Space Administration 7 8 8

African Development Foundation 0 NR 12

Agency for Global Media* 55 56 NR

Agency for International Development 0 6,417 1,399

American Battle Monuments Commission 43 40 38

Consumer Product Safety Commission 1 1 1

Export-Import Bank 0 NR 0

Millennium Challenge Corporation 24 NR NR

Nuclear Regulatory Commission 4 3 2

Overseas Private Investment Corporation 8 NR NR

Peace Corps 3,224 2,298 245
53

Department/Agency 2022 2021 2020 2019

Smithsonian Institute 372 429 NR

Trade and Development Agency 0 0 1

Total 129,334 63,985

* Given the pandemic-related fluctuations in the overseas federal workforce, in CY 2020 OSHA 

did not ask agencies to provide data on the numbers of workers employed outside U.S. borders. 

OSH Training and Resources

EO 12196 requires agencies to provide OSH training for all employees. Additionally, 29 CFR § 

1960, Subpart H, specifies the necessary OSH-related training for all levels of agency 

employees. OSHA requested that agencies report on the OSH-related training they provided to 

their employees.

Most agencies reported that that they provided OSH training to employees using conventional 

methods, such as virtual (26 agencies; 27 percent); online (50 agencies; 51 percent); and/or 

classroom training (31 agencies; 32 percent). Twenty-two agencies (22 percent) required 

practical exams or drills. The International Boundary Water Commission described an 

exemplary OSH training program. The Commission routinely identified OSH training needs, 

provided training, assessed competencies, and tracked the completion of training requirements. 

It was continually working to strengthen the training program. In 2022 it reported that it 

recorded multiple enrollments in an offered 101 safety-related courses. Of the responding 

agencies, 22 (22 percent) reported they did not conduct OSH training because most or all their 

employees continued to telework. However, Commerce noted that it continued to promote OSH 

training in CY 2022, and increased participation due to an online format and a maximal telework 

status. It noted that its employees could take job-related safety courses from the Skillsoft online 

catalog. 

 

As in prior years, OSHA asked about agencies’ OSH training for supervisors and newly hired 

employees. Most agencies reported that their new-hire orientation included information on 

agency-specific OSH policies, general safety and health rules, agency-specific hazards and 

protections, and emergency procedures. Supervisory training included a review of the topics 

covered in new-hire orientation, along with information on the requirements of 29 CFR § 1960 

and EO 12196. 

Whistleblower Protection Programs

As 29 CFR § 1960, Subpart G requires, agencies must ensure that employees are not subjected to 

restraint, interference, coercion, discrimination, or reprisal for filing a report of unsafe or 

unhealthy working conditions. In their CY 2022 reports, agencies included information on their 

whistleblower protection programs, any allegations of reprisal, and their responses to those 

allegations. Almost all agencies acknowledged their whistleblower responsibilities and reported 

having well-designed protection programs. Three agencies (DOJ, EPA, and NASA) reported 

investigating claims of reprisal during CY 2022. DOJ received two complaints from the U.S. 

Marshals Service (USMS) subagency. The USMS is still investigating both complaints. EPA 

conducted one investigation but due to confidentiality could not provide information on its

findings. NASA reported that it had three complaints filed; two of the investigations are 

ongoing. 
54

Product Safety Programs

In the CY 2022 information request to federal agencies, OSHA asked federal agencies to 

describe their compliance with the provisions of 29 CFR 1960.34, which addresses conflicts that 

may exist in standards concerning federal buildings, leased space, products purchased or 

supplied, and other requirements affecting federal employee safety and health. Specifically, 

OSHA asked each agency to address how it ensured that the products and services it procured 

complied with the product safety requirements of the standard, including the use of safety data 

sheets (SDSs), and how the agency responds to product recalls. While 68 agencies (69 percent) 

indicated they complied with the standard, several thought simply buying GSA products or 

having SDSs equated to full compliance. Thirty agencies (31 percent) indicated the absence of a 

product safety program and claimed they do not use chemicals or were totally teleworking. 

Some agencies apparently lacked understanding of the scope of “product safety”; compliance 

also requires such considerations as purchasing equipment that is ergonomically correct, free of 

electrical hazards, does not have sharp edges or other design flaws, does not introduce other trip 

or slip hazards, and multiple other issues. OSHA will continue to work with agencies that are 

not in compliance to ensure they understand their responsibilities in this area. 

 

Most agencies indicated that their product safety programs complied with safety and health 

requirements established under 29 CFR § 1960, Subpart E. For example, the Tennessee Valley 

Authority (TVA) provides access to an online Safety Data Sheet (SDS) software, MSDS Online, 

a subscription software which ensures 24/7 accessibility to current SDSs for chemicals at 

worksites. This facilitates access to critical safety information for proper risk assessments and 

hazard classifications. The SDSs provided are current and updated to the GHS format and 

OSHA Hazard Communication Standard. In 2022, TVA enhanced its chemical inventory list 

process for its non-nuclear locations by creating electronic inventories with associated SDSs by 

location in its online SDS subscription service. To date over 3,200 SDSs for 48 specific TVA 

locations can be found in the software more quickly and efficiently than before. In addition, 

TVA shared QR code posters with its locations for easier access to SDSs.

The EPA surveyed its locations to determine if new chemicals were being evaluated for safety 

and health hazards before being brought into the facility, the OSH manager reviewed the 

chemical’s SDS, chemicals were properly labeled, employees were provided with necessary PPE

for handling hazardous chemicals and training on how to handle hazardous chemicals safely, and 

procedures were in place to remove a chemical from the inventory should it be recalled. Almost 

every location indicated that all these procedures were in place.

There were only a few agencies that mentioned evaluating equipment other than chemicals and 

their SDSs. The General Services Administration (GSA) stated that it requires products to meet 

applicable federal and non-government standards such as those of the EPA, Underwriters 

Laboratory (UL), and National Fire Protection Association. GSA also requires certain products 

to be UL-tested and -listed. This requirement has far reaching implications because numerous 

agencies indicated that their method of ensuring the purchase of safe equipment was to purchase 

off GSA’s purchasing list. 
55

Specific Agency Reporting Programs

Under 29 CFR § 1960, Subpart E, GSA and NIOSH must assist federal agencies with specific 

activities affecting safety and health conditions of federal employees. Each year, GSA and 

NIOSH provide details on these activities in their annual reports. In its annual report, GSA 

provided information on its programs for ensuring that federal facilities are designed, operated, 

and maintained in accordance with OSH requirements and best practices; that products and 

services offered to federal agencies complied with product safety requirements; how federal 

purchasers received information on the safe use of such products; and how it implemented safety 

recalls. NIOSH’s annual report detailed its Request for Technical Assistance program and 

included information on the assistance provided to federal agencies during CY 2022. 

General Services Administration 

GSA reported that it provided extensive information and guidance on protecting building 

occupants from COVID-19. It noted that it contracts most operations and maintenance (O&M) 

activities and that most contracts include safety and health clauses. GSA continued updating the 

safety and health requirements for all federally owned and commercially leased facilities in CY 

2022. 

GSA noted that if it receives information concerning a product recall in the commodity line it 

manages, it initiates a review of that line to determine if agencies received the recalled item. 

GSA immediately notifies suppliers to cease shipments of products associated with a recall, 

identifies customers that have ordered the item, and provides contact instructions concerning the 

recall. 

National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health 

NIOSH received 25 federal agency requests for health hazard evaluations4F

5 (HHEs) in CY 2022 

and completed 10. NIOSH also completed two requests from previous years. (See Appendix 2

for information on agencies’ assistance requests to NIOSH.) 

NIOSH did not perform any field investigations in CYs 2020 through 2022 but conducted six in

pre-pandemic 2019. It completed 12 desk investigations in CY 2022, eight desk investigations in 

CY 2021, 17 investigations in 2020, and 34 investigations in 2019. (See Appendix 3 for 

information on completed investigations.) 

Federal agencies asked for NIOSH’s help with both exposures and health problems; each 

completed request addressed multiple exposure groups and/or health issues. For the reporting 

period, the exposure group categories NIOSH evaluated were indoor environmental quality, 

5 NIOSH’s response to a federal agency’s Request for Technical Assistance usually involves an HHE: a workplace 

study to learn whether workers are exposed to hazardous materials or harmful conditions. Based on the information 

provided, NIOSH answers an HHE/technical assistance request in one of the following ways: in writing with 

pertinent information or a referral to a more appropriate agency, by telephone to discuss the problems and possible 

solutions, or with a visit to the workplace. During a visit, NIOSH will meet with the employer and employee 

representatives to discuss the issues and tour the workplace. During one or more visits, NIOSH may review 

exposure and health records, interview or survey employees, measure exposures, and perform medical testing. At 

the end of an evaluation, NIOSH will provide a written report to the employer and employee representatives. 

Depending on the type of evaluation, the final report may require a development time of a few months to a few 

years.
56

biological hazards, and chemical hazards; while health problems ranged from localized 

respiratory or nervous system effects to viral or bacterial systemic body issues. (See Appendix 4

and Appendix 5 for breakdowns of investigation exposure group and health problem categories, 

respectively.) 
57

APPENDICES 
58

Appendix 1: CY 2022 Active Field Federal Safety and Health 

Councils by OSHA Region

Region I (CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT) Region V (IL, IN, MI, MN, OH, WI)

Greater Boston FFSHC Chicago FFSHC

Detroit FFSHC

Duluth/Superior FFSHC 

Minneapolis FFSHC 

Region II (NJ, NY, PR, VI)

Greater New York FFSHC

Puerto Rico FFSHC 

Southern New Jersey FFSHC 

Western New York FFSHC

Hudson Valley FFSHC 

Region VI (AR, LA, NM, OK, TX)

Dallas/Fort Worth FFSHC

Oklahoma FFSHC 

South Texas FFSHC Region III (DC, DE, MD, PA, VA, WV)

Hampton Roads FFSHC

Metropolitan Washington, DC FFSHC Region VII (IA, KS, NE, MO) 

Region IV (AL, GA, FL, KY, MS, NC, 

SC, TN)

Greater Des Moines FFSHC

Greater Kansas City FFSHC

Greater Omaha FFSHC

Greater St. Louis FFSHC 

Atlanta FFSHC

Central Florida FFSHC

Coastal Empire FFSHC

Louisville Area FFSHC

Middle Tennessee FFSHC

Mississippi Gulf Coast FFSHC

North Carolina FFSHC 

South Florida FFSHC 

Region VIII (CO, MT, ND, SD, UT, WY)

Denver FFSHC

Region IX (AS, AZ, CA, GU, HI, MP, NV)

Phoenix FFSHC

San Francisco Bay Area FFSHC

Region X (AK, ID, OR, WA)

Mt. Rainier FFSHC
59

Appendix 2: NIOSH Requests & Investigations

Appendix 2a: Requests to NIOSH for Technical Assistance CY 2019 – 2022 

Requesting Department/Agency 2022 2021 2020 2019

Agriculture 1 0 0 0

Commerce 0 0 0 1

Defense 2 0 4 10

Energy 0 0 0 0

Environmental Protection Agency 1 0 0 0

General Services Administration 1 0 0 1

Health and Human Services 1 1 0 0

Homeland Security 1 1 1 6

Interior 0 0 0 2

Justice 6 0 0 4

Labor 2 0 0 0

Postal Service 2 1 3 9

Social Security Administration 1 0 0 0

State 0 0 0 0

Transportation 1 0 0 1

Treasury 0 2 0 1

Veterans Affairs 6 3 3 5

Total 25 8 11 40
60

Appendix 2b: Completed NIOSH Investigations by Type, CY 2019-2022

Investigation Type

Desktop Field

Requesting Dept./Agency 2022 2021 2020 2019 2022 2021 2020 2019

Agriculture 0 0 1 2 0 0 0 1

Commerce 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0

Defense 0 2 4 9 0 0 0 1

General Services Admin. 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 0

Health and Human Services 1 1 0 1 0 0 0 0

Homeland Security 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 2

Interior 0 0 1 1 0 0 0 1

Justice 1 0 1 3 0 0 0 1

Labor 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Social Security Admin 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Transportation 0 0 0 2 0 0 0 0

Treasury 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0

Veterans Affairs 4 2 5 3 0 0 0 0

Total 11 7 13 25 0 0 0 6
61

Appendix 2c: CY 2022 Completed NIOSH Investigations by Department/Agency 

and Exposure Group

Exposure Group*

Requesting Department/Agency

ChemicalBiologicIndoor Environmental QualityNoiseHeatStressRadiationErgonomics

Agriculture 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Commerce 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Defense 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Energy 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

General Services Administration 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Health and Human Services 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Homeland Security 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Interior 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Justice 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Labor 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

U.S. Postal Service 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0

Social Security 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Transportation 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Treasury 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

Veterans Affairs 1 0 2 0 0 0 0 0

Other 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total 3 1 3 0 0 0 0 0

* A Request for Technical Assistance, also known as a Health Hazard Evaluation request, may 

involve an investigation under more than one exposure group category, as seen with VA’s 

single request to investigate two exposure groupings: “Chemical,” and “Indoor Environmental 

Quality.” The request may also come in due to a poorly characterized (unknown) exposure.
62

Appendix 2d: CY 2022 Completed NIOSH Investigations by Department/Agency 

and Health Problem

Health Problem*

RespiratoryViral/BacterialCancerMusculoskeletalMental/BehavioralSensorySkin DisorderNervous SystemNon-Specific

Requesting Department/Agency

Agriculture 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Commerce 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Defense 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Energy 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

General Services Administration 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

Health and Human Services 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Homeland Security 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

Interior 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Justice 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Labor 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

U.S. Postal Service 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Social Security 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1

Transportation 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Treasury 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Veterans Affairs 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3

Other 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Total 5 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 6

* An investigation may address more than one health issue; or may have no health effects listed or 

determined.
63

Appendix 3: Fatalities, Hospitalizations, and Amputations Reported in 

CY 2022 

Department of Agriculture 

Fatalities

• An employee lost control of a truck on a slick road and was struck by a second vehicle. 

Amputations 

• An employee tripped while walking and carrying a 12V battery. The battery landed on 

the employee’s left middle finger, cutting off the nail and tip of finger. 

• An employee was using a rope to tie up a horse, when the horse reared and caught the 

employee’s hand in the rope. The employee pulled their hand out of the rope, amputating 

the tips of two fingers and the thumb. 

Hospitalizations

• An employee suffered a broken leg while operating a snow machine. Hazardous snow 

conditions caused the employee to fall from the snow machine. 

• An employee suffered a blister to the palm of their hand while on a wildland fire.

• An employee was smoke jumping and suffered from a hard landing. 

• An employee participating in a backcountry ranger wilderness trip (working on trails and 

interacting with the public) spilled boiling water into his lap. 

• An employee participating in smokejumper training experienced elevated levels of 

fatigue and muscle cramping, exertional rhabdomyolysis. 

• An employee completing a Work Capacity Test (a test used to ensure that persons 

assigned to fire activities are physically capable of performing the duties of wildland 

firefighting) suffered from altitude sickness.

• An employee slipped and fell on a slope while operating a chainsaw and suffered from a 

laceration of the left wrist.

• An employee suffered from heat-related illness while managing a wildfire. 

• An employee suffered from a sprained ankle and lost consciousness due to heat 

exhaustion while training on uneven terrain. 

• A wildland firefighter contracted COVID-19, which was determined to be work-related.

• An employee was cutting a tree, when the tree fell and struck the employee on his back. 

• An employee was training for parachuting out of a plane to perform wildland fire 

operations when the employee sustained a hard landing. 

• An employee was performing the roadside removal of debris when the wheel loader the 

employee was operating struck an area of damaged pavement, which caused the 

employee to lurch forward into the steering wheel. 

• An employee experienced pain while participating in physical training/conditioning. 

• An employee experienced chest discomfort while performing an arduous work capacity 

test.

• An employee was poked in the leg by some briars while cutting trees.
64

• An employee struck his left hand on a stick while placing a water pump into a ditch to 

facilitate water removal.

• An employee suffered a heart attack while working outdoors in fire operations.

• An employee was on ski patrol when the employee’s ski got caught on a tree, which 

resulted in a knee injury.

Department of Commerce 

Fatalities 

• During demolition of a 2nd floor, an employee fell approximately 12' to the floor below 

and sustained fatal injuries.

Amputations (none)

Hospitalizations

• Two employees contracted COVID-19 from interviewing the public.

• An employee who had a flashing yellow left turn light, turned left into oncoming traffic 

and was hit by an oncoming car.

• An employee tripped in the parking garage.

• An employee suffers from combat related PTSD and the immediate supervisor created a 

hostile work environment.

Department of Defense

Fatalities

• Worker attempted to move a mattress, lost balance, and fell striking head on floor.

Amputations

• An employee was assessing why one of the push-arm mechanisms connected to the 

conveyor system was not working. While looking underneath the mechanism, the 

employee indicated to the assistant to flip the test button, not realizing their hand was still 

on the push-arm which resulted in their thumb being seriously injured.

• Employees were offloading military vehicles at the rail head dock. While holding the 

hook and sling steady, the employee had inadvertently curled their finger(s) around a 

hood latch sticking out from the vehicle (possibly trying to gain leverage as employee is 

only 5’2” tall). When tension was applied to the slings the employee got his finger(s) 

pinched between the latch and the top of the lifting hook.

Hospitalizations

• One employee hospitalized for COVID-19 after participating in an indoor casing of 

colors ceremony and an outdoor picnic. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 

(CDC) and Health Protection Condition (HPCON) guidelines were followed on the day 

of event. Two other people tested positive after the event.

• An employee was conducting an inspection in high heat and high humidity. During the 

inspection, the employee was sweating profusely and vomiting.

• An employee drove a forklift onto the end of a portable loading ramp, which caused the 

forklift to overturn.
65

• Employee suffered a medical emergency while operating a government vehicle and 

struck another vehicle, causing a three-car vehicle accident.

• Employee tried to lift heavy box and broke clavicle.

• Employee slipped and fell when on a wet ladder. 

• Employee suffered Guillain-Barre syndrome after receiving COVID-19 vaccine. 

• Employee slipped on wet surface of a covered walkway in a parking garage. The surface 

was wet due to a windy, rainstorm. 

• An employee developed COVID-19 while attending training hosted by another 

government agency. 

Department of the Air Force 

Fatalities (none)

Amputations

• An employee was manually maneuvering a golf course turf machine known as a top 

dresser, when the employee slipped resulting in a vehicle tow bar crushing their right ring 

finger.

Hospitalizations

• An employee was leaving their office building and slipped on ice, fracturing their left 

knee cap.

• An employee who was ascending the maintenance stand, tripped and fell from the stand 

under the handrail, falling approximately six feet.

• An employee walking to their car, tripped while stepping off the curb, resulting in an 

ankle fracture.

• An employee was performing exterior roof maintenance without necessary fall protection 

slipped and fell, fracturing their heel.

• An employee was walking on a catwalk with water samples in both hands, when the 

employee’s knee buckled, spraining the knee.

• An employee was carrying a piece of drywall up a stairway when the employee tripped 

and fell backwards striking their head. 

• An employee was attempting to free a jammed overhead door. The door suddenly 

moved, fracturing the employee’s arm and finger.

• An employee fell and struck the back of their head while descending stairs, resulting in a 

concussion. 

• An employee was assisting two delivery personnel to handle an oversized parcel. The 

parcel slipped and landed on the employee’s legs.

• An employee was moving a table, tripped over another object, fell, and suffered multiple 

rib fractures.

• An employee strained/ruptured a bicep while removing the kink from a 5-foot fire hose. 

• An employee tripped on a curb and injured their knee while using a string trimmer. 

• Two contractors were injured when an inadvertent explosion occurred during a 

demilitarization process.

• An employee strained their back while moving a 25-pound bucket of paint. 
66

• An employee was operating a grader that struck a boulder just below the site surface, 

resulting in the employee suffering a sprained neck.

• An employee was using a punch press when a metal particle chipped off and hit

employee’s eye.

• An employee pulled on the steering wheel to enter a vehicle. The steering wheel 

unexpectedly turned and the employee suffered a torn rotator cuff.

• An employee was conducting canine obedience training. The canine lunged at a toy in 

the employee’s hand and bit the hand instead of the toy.

• An employee stood up from a chair, lost balance, fell, and injured their knee.

Department of the Army

Fatalities

• An employee operated a power washer in an enclosed area, introduced carbon monoxide 

when working, and succumbed to exposure. The employee was found the following day. 

• A tanker truck loaded with fuel hydroplaned and lost control. A dump truck driven by 

the employee impacted the tanker truck, igniting the fuel. 

Amputations

• An employee was attempting to correct a range target mover when he lost balance and 

fell with his hand onto the mover rail, cutting his left pinky finger. 

• An employee was opening a retractable shelving unit on a new fire truck when an 

unsecured self-contained breathing apparatus rack shifted, struck, and amputated 

employee's finger. 

• An employee’s right little finger was crushed between a crane drive sling hook and the 

hull of a vehicle being worked on, amputating the right little finger. 

• An employee was lowering a security gate arm and crushed their finger at the gate’s 

hinge. 

• Employees loaded item into equipment container and when the clamp was closed, an 

employee’s left middle finger was caught between the clamp and the equipment 

container, amputating the finger. 

Hospitalizations

• An employee was diving and overexerted himself during the inspection process while in 

the water.

• An employee struck their head against a low hanging pipe resulting in head and neck 

injuries.

• An employee was driving down a main post road and ran into a security barrier that had 

been activated.

• An employee conducting maintenance on guide wall repairs suffered heat stroke.

• An employee stepping out of a truck loaded on a lowboy trailer his lost footing, causing 

him to fall backwards and hit his head on the concrete floor.

• An employee fell off the back of a an open-sided vehicle and struck their head on 

concrete, fracturing their skull.
67

• An employee was troubleshooting a leaking hydraulic hose on a vessel’s crane (3-4 k

PSI). On system startup, the injured employee’s right ring finger was over the hole in the 

line causing an embolism.

• An employee was blasting a miter gate for structural inspection and repainting. The 

employee was working stooped over in a tight position. When the employee lost his 

footing and lost control of the blasting wand, the wand directed the blast across his knee, 

causing a laceration.

• An employee had an unspecified injury and was hospitalized.

Department of the Navy

Fatalities

• An employee drowned at a public boat launching facility. 

Amputations

• An employee was using his right hand on the head of the fastener to manipulate it when 

the fastener popped out, causing the mechanic’s finger on the lower end of the hatch to 

follow the fastener into the pinch point. The hatch pivoted, amputating the left index 

finger at the first knuckle.

• An employee cutting wood on a table saw cut off their right fingertip.

• An employee was rotating an onboard fire pump that was suspended by a chain. The 

employee’s left thumb was pinched between the pump and the handrail.

• An employee was injured while deploying emergency equipment from a fire truck.

• An employee was working on a forklift when the employee’s finger was pinched between 

a dumpster's top edge and the fork of the forklift. When the forks were coming down to 

adjust a cable for loading, an argon bottle on the hook caused a partial fingertip 

amputation.

Hospitalizations

• An employee was performing abrasive blasting when the pressurized blast grit struck

another employee in the right side of his face and head.

• An employee was unloading and delivering several items when the employee fell at the 

curb and injured their ankle.

• An employee stepped out of a pickup truck along unimproved roadway and sustained an 

injury.

• An employee was installing communications equipment on the mast of a ship trailered on 

land. The employee was not using fall protection equipment and fell approximately 20 

feet to the ground.

• An employee was attempting to fill an abrasive blasting pot. The hatch cover swung 

open on its hinges and the pressure release and abrasive blast grit carried by it struck the 

mechanic in the face (including the eyes).

• An employee received an insect/arachnid bite on the right thigh while working near 

overgrown brush barricading the front door of a bunker.

• An employee was reporting to the Branch Clinic for a scheduled physical and tripped on 

a one-inch chain approximately knee high to the employee. The employee fell, struck

their elbow and broke their arm.
68

• An employee was driving a rental cart. As the employee was exiting the building, the 

employee struck the back of their head and broke their jaw.

• An employee carrying a corn-hole game set in each hand caught a foot on uneven ground 

and fell. 

• An employee slipped on an engine stand while guiding the camshaft through the cam 

bore. 

• An employee was carrying recycled bags on a dolly. The employee tripped on the dolly 

and landed on their left hand. 

• An employee walking up the stairs heard a popping noise and felt pain in their right knee. 

The employee suffered a complete quadriceps tendon rupture in the right knee. 

• An employee was injured when the vehicle they were riding in, to attend off-site training, 

collided with another car. 

• An employee was walking back into the shop when some recently replaced tiles of the 

raised floor collapsed under him, causing him to fall and break his leg. 

• An employee riding a motorcycle struck a car which resulted in multiple injuries. 

• An employee felt dizzy while performing operational checks on boiler system. The 

employee asked for some water and appeared to try and take a step but fell and hit their 

head. A pre-existing medical condition caused the dizziness. 

Department of Health and Human Services 

Fatalities (none)

Amputations (none)

Hospitalizations

• An employee was placing a subculturing venting unit into a sharps container, pushed the 

unit in with force, and punctured finger with the sharp end. 

• An employee was injured while using a skid steer and bucket to clear snow from the 

maintenance yard when the bucket struck a crack on the surface, abruptly stopping the 

skid steer.

• An employee fell on a wet floor at a hospital during cleaning activities. 

• An employee received the influenza vaccine and had a delayed adverse reaction.

• An employee reporting to work was struck by a vehicle while in the crosswalk. 

• An employee was hospitalized for an unidentified reason. 

Department of Homeland Security 

Fatalities 

• An officer tested positive for COVID, was hospitalized, and subsequently died.

• An agent had a vehicle rollover while patrolling. The Agent was ejected and the vehicle 

rolled over on him. 

• A trainee was running the final physical fitness test. The trainee collapsed during the last 

lap, lost consciousness, and had a temperature of 104; the employee was put in an ice 

bath when their temperature was 102; EMS took the employee to the hospital. The 

employee was dehydrated, tested positive for COVID, and died three days later.
69

• A Training Agent was shot accidentally by another Agent during a training exercise. 

• An Air and Marine Operations agent was intercepting a target vessel and was shot. The 

employee died from the wound. 

• An agent patrolling the international boundary in an ATV was tracking a group of illegal

border crossers and was involved in an accident. The employee died from his injuries. 

• An employee was performing an administrative process and physically detained a noncitizen. The employee tested positive for COVID-19 on three separate occasions during 

her hospitalization and also had double pneumonia. The employee died from her 

illnesses. 

• An employee died but no details were provided. 

Amputations (none)

Hospitalizations 

• Eighteen employees contracted COVID and were hospitalized. 

• An agent fell off his ATV and the ATV fell on top of him. The agent was hospitalized 

and treated for rhabdomyolysis. 

• An agent was involved in a two-vehicle accident. The agent sustained multiple spinal 

fractures and injuries to the right arm. 

• An officer contracted meningitis and was hospitalized. 

• An agent was performing his duties on ATV patrol when he was hit by a SUV. The 

agent sustained two broken ribs and a ruptured spleen. 

• An agent began to feel ill during his shift with numbness to his face and arms. The agent 

was transported to a medical facility where he was hospitalized due to a stroke. 

• An agent was pursuing an individual illegally entering the US at a point of entry. The 

agent fell during the pursuit and broke his right femur. 

• An officer suffered a heart attack on duty. 

• An agent was thrown from his ATV during the Basic Rider Program and suffered a 

broken clavicle.

• An officer experienced chest pains during his shift and required medical assistance. The 

officer was transported to a medical facility where he was admitted and taken into 

surgery. 

• An agent sustained a neck injury while working his shift. 

• An agent was involved in an accident and was thrown from his ATV. The agent suffered 

13 rib fractures and a broken clavicle.

• An agent lost control of the vehicle due to low visibility and rolled it multiple times. The 

agent suffered a fractured ankle, knee contusions, and a concussion. 

• An agent was pursuing suspects, when the agent fell and broke their left femur. 

• An employee was repairing a motorcycle and fell while test driving the motorcycle. The 

employee suffered six broken ribs, a broken clavicle, a cracked scapula, and a possible 

punctured lung. The employee underwent surgery. 

• An officer working their shift was hospitalized with a near syncopal episode with 

gastrointestinal hemorrhage. 

• A Border Patrol Agent (BPA) slipped and fell down an embankment, resulting in a 

broken tibia and fibula. 
70

• A BPA was involved in a single vehicle ATV accident. The agent rolled the ATV and 

suffered a broken femur.

• An officer experienced chest pains with a high fever and rapid pulse during his shift. 

• A BPA was thrown from a horse during patrolling duties. The BPA was hospitalized 

with a broken pelvis and torn ligaments in his pelvic area. 

• A BPA was thrown from an ATV and suffered from a compressed spine. 

• A BPA felt ill during their shift, was taken to the hospital, and was positive for 

encephalitis and meningitis. 

• A BPA working at a security checkpoint was struck by a motorcycle. The BPA suffered 

multiple skull fractures and internal bleeding. 

• A employee was found unresponsive on the floor near their workstation. 

• An officer was dressed in tactical gear, when their weapon discharged without being 

manipulated by the employee. 

• An employee slipped off their chair when sitting down and suffered a loss of 

consciousness due to head trauma. 

• An employee tripped while crossing a roadway. 

• Two Air and Marine Operations agents were intercepting a target vessel and were shot. 

The agents were hospitalized for their injuries. 

• Am employee was hospitalized but no details were provided. 

Department of the Interior 

Fatalities 

• An employee, while working a fire line, was struck by a hemlock tree that was knocked 

over by another tree. 

• A wave threw an employee against rocks and then dragged them out to sea. 

Amputations 

• While lifting an air compressor, the employee’s finger was severed on a sharp edge. 

• An employee was installing a water turnout gate. As the employee was replacing bolts, 

the employee suffered a crush injury which resulted in surgical amputation of the left 

thumb from the tip to first knuckle.

• An employee sustained an injury (amputation of the right arm) from the cable/guy wire 

when it became tangled in the mower. 

Hospitalizations

• An employee rolled a GSA vehicle in snowstorm. 

• An employee was involved in a head on collision. 

• An employee tested positive for COVID-19 and required hospitalization. 

• An employee was medevacked due to severe abdominal pain. 

• An employee received a 120V electric shock when re-establishing a line to the junction 

box of a residence.

• An employee’s feet got tangled in a tow strap while rescuing a stranded vehicle. 

• An employee, while climbing down the ladder on a heavy fire engine, missed a step and 

fell four feet to the ground. 
71

• After two consecutive days of rookie smokejumper training, two employees experienced 

cramps, weakness, overall fatigue, and disorientation.

• A Type “1 “helicopter dropped a tank of water directly over the firefighter crew. The 

water impacted the fire fighter.

• An employee, fighting a wildland fire, passed out from internal bleeding.

• An employee was performing the Work Capacity Test (WCT) and started to feel chest 

discomfort with difficulty breathing.

• A volunteer at a greenhouse tripped over some boards on arrival, and suffered six broken 

ribs and a broken wrist.

• An employee was bitten by a rattlesnake.

• An employee tripped and fell while walking alone.

• An employee fell on loose terrain while hiking in the backcountry.

• An employee was found leaning over the steering wheel of service truck.

• An employee was traveling in a government vehicle when it left the pavement and struck 

trees, totaling the vehicle.

• An employee was performing roadside trash pickup when the driver drove off the road.

• An employee was applying herbicide and fell into a small hole containing boiling water.

• An employee suffered from a seizure while at work.

• An employee experienced a second round of COVID as well as an infection.

• While on official travel, an employee tripped over someone's extended feet in the 

terminal of the airport. The employee fell to the floor (concrete covered in light carpet),

hit their knee, and broke their tibia.

• An employee tested positive for COVID and was released the next day with instructions 

to quarantine.

• An employee was participating in staff training and lost consciousness.

• An employee had a seizure while working in the laboratory.

• An employee was stapling tags on site posts and was bitten on chest by an American Dog 

Tick.

• An employee, descending steps, missed a step and fell approximately four to five feet 

hitting their face and head on the concrete sidewalk below.

• A volunteer tripped in high grass just off the trail and hit their head on one of the 

permanent metal interpretive signs, resulting in a bleeding head wound.

• An employee, participating in multiple intensive physical training exercises, was 

admitted to the hospital with rhabdomyolysis.

• An employee, participating in warm-up exercises prior to the crew run, experienced 

cramping, shortness of breath, and sharp chest pain.

• An employee was driving to their assigned duty location, when the truck left the road,

drove through two gullies, and came to a stop.

• A volunteer suffered from a seizure while changing campground placards.

• An employee, mowing along a road, felt sick and began feeling weak. The employee was 

taken to the ER and treated for a blockage in one of the main cardiac vessels.

• A volunteer was helping visitors view a small group of elk from a distance when the 

volunteer tripped on the exposed side of the road.
72

• An employee, moving materials at a jobsite, attempted to dislodge a tamper attachment 

from a jackhammer head. As the employee struck the attachment with a hammer, the 

metal fragmented and struck the employee in the left forearm, penetrating the skin.

Department of Justice

Fatalities 

• An employee was participating in approved fitness time at a gym. After the workout, the 

employee sat down and became unresponsive.

Amputations

• Three inmate employees cut off the tip of their fingers with a meat slicer blade.

• An employee was operating a manually operated shear cutter when the blade caught the 

employee’s left thumb.

• An inmate employee suffered a crushing injury to his foot as a result of it being pinned 

between a pallet and a battery-operated pallet jack.

• An employee unintentionally discharged their weapon and caused a traumatic injury to 

their finger.

• An employee removing protective gear from the secured truck vault in his government 

issued vehicle amputated a fingertip while closing the drawer to the vault.

Hospitalizations

• An employee was exposed to COVID in their work area.

• An inmate employee operating a lathe was struck in the eye by the stock that was ejected

and suffered a fracture.

• An employee was burned while operating a propane grill.

• An inmate employee’s hand was caught between two trash carts, amputating the inmate 

employee’s fingertip.

• An employee suffered an arc flash from open electrical switchgear.

• An inmate employee suffered from several fractured ribs and a collapsed lung after an 

agitated bull pinned the inmate employee against a fence.

• An employee fell on their side while walking between desks, fracturing their femur.

• Employee landed very hard and injured their hips and back during a work-related 

parachute jump.

• An employee was exercising and started convulsing due to rhabdomyolysis.

• An employee was shot in the abdomen during a community event.

• An employee was participating in high intensity training and developed rhabdomyolysis.

• An employee was participating in SWAT selection and developed rhabdomyolysis.

• An employee was participating in parachute training, when the employee landed on a 

rock injuring their leg.

• An employee was participating in training when an explosive device accidentally 

detonated, resulting in an acute punctured eardrum.

• An employee qualifying for quarterly firearms use developed an anaphylaxis response.

• An employee was conducting physical fitness activities and experienced amnesia.

• An employee was participating in a physical fitness test and began to experience blurry 

vision, dehydration/acute kidney injury, and hypoxia.
73

• An employee participating in a physical fitness test began to experience shortness of 

breath, a high heart rate/altitude sickness, and mild dehydration.

• An employee was serving a federal arrest warrant on a wanted fugitive. After breaching 

the resident, the fugitive ambushed the deputies with a shotgun.

Department of State

Fatalities

• An employee was participating in a training exercise when their gun discharged.

Amputations

• An employee installing an A/C unit at a government residence got their index finger 

caught on the drill and amputated the distal phalange. 

• An employee was moving and closing a manhole lid, when their fingers got caught in the 

manhole lid, amputating the distal phalanges of the pinky fingers.

Hospitalizations

• An employee fell from a ladder resulting in a muscle strain.

• An employee working in the automotive shop was struck by the rim of a tire.

• An employee slipped and fell to the ground at a public car wash.

• An employee tripped and fell while walking up steps.

• An employee fell to the ground while on outdoor steps.

• An employee hit their head against the locking mechanism from the rear door while in 

the airport parking lot.

• An employee was operating a forklift when it rolled over.

• An employee ingested a chemical liquid dispensed in a bottle of water.

• An employee was working at a government residence when the employee contacted

electrical current or static.

• An on-duty employee fell over an object while walking. 

• An employee was working in the maintenance shop troubleshooting equipment when the 

employee was struck by a flying object.

• An employee fell on steps during an evacuation drill.

• An employee working in the mailroom tripped, fell, and struck a stationary object.

• A pedestrian was struck by a government vehicle while crossing the road.

• An employee working at a government residence fell and fractured an ankle.

• An employee working at a government facility fell from a ladder.

• An employee working in an office fell and fractured an ankle.

• An employee working at a government facility on drill guard duty jumped from an 

elevation and fractured an ankle.

• An employee working at a government facility stumbled and fell from the mail truck 

while unloading packages injuring their elbow and arm.

• An employee working at the security barrier outside of a government facility amputated

the left thumb while performing routine barrier system maintenance.

• An armed guard accidentally shot their foot while unslinging their weapon.

• An employee working at a government facility was struck by a moving vehicle and 

suffered a chest injury and multiple fractures.
74

• An employee’s hand became caught in a moving gate, fracturing the right index finger.

• An employee’s hand became caught in a hammer drill, amputating the employee’s right 

index finger.

• An employee’s hand became caught in a power drill, twisting the employee’s right hand 

fracturing a metacarpal.

• An employee slipped and fell on a wet indoor walking/working surface, tearing knee 

ligaments.

• An employee slipped and fell on an outdoor walking/working surface, breaking an arm. 

• An employee slipped and fell on a wet road during a heavy rain, fracturing the left knee.

• An employee running toward their vehicle in the rain slipped and fell, and tearing a

meniscus.

Department of Transportation 

Fatalities (none) 

Amputations (none)

Hospitalizations

• Two employees were exposed to COVID-19 and hospitalized. 

• An employee was reinstalling paneling at an enclosed workstation and started to breathe 

heavily. 

• An employee went to open an entry gate and fell on an uneven part of the pavement. 

• An employee on official travel walked to the baggage claim area and felt her feet 

sticking. 

• An employee on official travel had a seizure in the hotel lobby. 

• Two employees sustained burns from an arc flash event while closing the door of a 

transient voltage surge suppressor. 

Department of the Treasury 

Fatalities (none)

Amputations

• An employee working in the print shop caught a hand between a forklift and roll paper. 

Hospitalizations (none)

Department of Veterans Affairs 

Fatalities

• Four employees tested positive for COVID-19 and passed away. 
75

Amputations (none) 

Hospitalizations

• A resident stood up from the dining room table, turned around, lost their balance, and fell 

on top of a claimant. 

• Sixteen employees tested positive for COVID-19 and were hospitalized. 

• An employee suffered from a fever with a temperature above 101 degrees, tachycardia, 

and hypotension. 

• An employee slipped on wet grass and fractured their left leg. 

• An employee tripped and fell onto the floor, resulting in a hip fracture. 

• An employee slipped on ice in the gutter. 

• An employee was working in their office. The employee was using the overhead cabinet 

when the cabinet door closed on the employee’s head. 

• An employee was exiting an air handling unit when they fell approximately 3 feet. 

• An employee attempted to stand up from a chair and chair rolled back on concrete floor. 

Employee fell, bruising the left wrist, left palm and right knee. 

• An employee slipped on ice on sidewalk and fell, fracturing ribs and requiring 

hospitalization. 

• A nurse experienced a popping sensation in her right knee and subsequent swelling, 

which resulted in hospitalization. The employee experienced right leg spasms after being 

on her feet for hours. 

• An employee experienced stomach pain and discomfort while pushing food carts to 

numerous locations and being on feet all day. 

• An employee tripped on a cord extension used to charge an electric vehicle next to the 

closed roll up door in the garage. 

• An employee was walking back to the building and was struck by a motor vehicle. 

• An employee fell while descending the stairs.

• An employee was struck by another driver who ran a red light, while driving for work 

visits. The employee went to the ER and was hospitalized overnight. 

• An employee was detailed to the basement to load vinyl panels. The load, which 

contained one large box of vinyl panels weighing between 300-400 lbs, shifted and fell 

directly onto the employee. The employee suffered from lower back fractures.
76

Environmental Protection Agency 

Fatalities 

• Employee suffered a fatal heart attack while delivering a presentation to her staff and 

managers.

Amputations (none) 

Hospitalizations (none)

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

Fatalities (none)

Amputations 

• NASA reported one amputation but provided no details.

Hospitalizations

• NASA reported six hospitalizations but provided no details.

Nuclear Regulatory Commission

Fatalities (none)

Amputations (none)

Hospitalizations

• NRC reported one hospitalization but provided no details.

Peace Corps

Fatalities (none)

Amputations (none)

Hospitalizations

• An employee was lifting/loading furniture onto a vehicle and sustained a back injury.

• An employee lost her balance and sustained a left knee injury (ACL tear of the left knee).

• A Peace Corps Medical Officer contracted malaria. 

• An employee was entering the conference room for a meeting, missed a step, fell, and 

sustained a severe knee injury.
77

Small Business Administration 

Fatalities (none)

Amputations (none)

Hospitalizations

• An employee was hospitalized after contracting COVID.

• An employee was hospitalized due to a blood clot in their lung. 

Smithsonian Institute 

Fatalities (none)

Amputations (none)

Hospitalizations

• An employee responsible for the daily screening of museum visitors was out of work due 

to an illness.

• An employee was sitting in a conference room waiting for a meeting to start. The 

employee had a seizure from high blood pressure.

Tennessee Valley Authority 

Fatalities

• An employee fell from a 500kV transmission tower. 

Amputations

• An employee experienced the medical amputation of their pinky tip because it became

caught in between the pulverizer segment and the fabrication table. 

Hospitalizations (none)
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Appendix 4: Best Practices for Tracking Hazard Abatement

Some agencies elaborated on mechanisms for reporting and/or tracking workplace hazards and 

their abatement. This appendix lists some of those mechanisms.

American Battle Monuments Commission

1. Uses the “ABMC Safety and Health Inspection Checklist” and “Supervisor Incident 

Reporting Form (SIRF)” to perform inspections of work areas and operations. 

2. After conducting the inspection, the inspector submits a completed certification. 

3. Leadership then coordinates with cemetery operations to implement controls to reduce 

risk to an acceptable level. 

4. Cemetery Operations must approve all mitigation plans . OSH risk acceptance must be 

written and signed by the applicable acceptance authority prior to resuming related 

operational capability. 

5. When completed, the Superintendent signs the SIRF. In addition, a completed Hazard 

Abatement Plan is submitted that identifies deficiencies that cannot be corrected on the 

same day, or the correction is beyond the cemetery Superintendent’s control. 

Central Intelligence Agency

1. Environmental Safety Officers are responsible for collaborating with their site 

management in monitoring the progress and effectiveness of hazard abatement and 

controls implemented in their work areas. 

2. Environmental Safety Division uses Archibus – a commercial off-the-shelf workplace 

management system that includes safety and environmental management modules. 

3. It has improved documentation and tracking of incident investigations, and safety audit 

findings and corrections. 

4. The Archibus system issues scheduled reminders for upcoming correction dates. 

Defense Nuclear Facilities Safety Board

1. OSH Manager maintains a hazard tracking spreadsheet and updates and reviews the 

status of hazards monthly. 

2. If a hazard presents an immediate threat to safety, it is tracked daily until abated. 

Department of Commerce

1. DOC policy requires tracking hazards from identification through abatement but leaves 

the exact tracking mechanism up to the individual bureaus. Tracking mechanisms may 

be as simple as a work order log (for smaller bureaus) to custom information 

management systems (for larger bureaus). 

2. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA’s) facility and safety 

managers at all levels are responsible for developing and maintaining a 

Hazard/Deficiency Tracking Log to track and manage hazards and deficiencies. Hazards 

and deficiencies not resolved immediately must be logged, tracked, and managed using 

NOAA Form 64-5382, Hazard/Deficiency Tracking Log, or a locally developed record.
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3. National Institute of Standards and Technology records all formal inspection dates and 

findings, as well as all abatement actions and dates, in a single electronic information 

management system, the Workplace Inspection Recording System (WIRS). Inspectors 

record findings and recommend abatement actions in WIRS. WIRS automatically 

communicates a list of the findings to the supervisor of each workplace. For each finding 

in the list, the supervisor records both the interim and final abatement actions that were 

taken and their dates. WIRS sends monthly reminders to supervisors when findings 

remain uncorrected for more than 30 days. 

4. Census headquarters uses the Remedy System to report unsafe conditions or building 

problems that require repairs. Census facilities and safety specialists use the system to 

check on reported problems and corrective action status and generate reports useful in 

assessing trends of problems or hazards. The Administrative Customer Service Division 

also has a customer service center that centralizes the reporting, tracking, and resolution 

of facility-related issues in Remedy, such as hazardous conditions. The center’s goal is to 

consolidate reporting to make tracking easier and to ensure customers are informed once 

the reported condition is resolved.

5. At the Bureau of Economic Analysis (BEA), once hazards are identified the Safety and 

Health Coordinator will investigate and work with staff members to correct the issue as 

quickly as possible. The Safety and Health Coordinator maintains a detailed document of 

the deficiency, which lists the party assigned to correct the issue, the corrective action 

taken, and the completion date. BEA also conducts annual safety training and conveys 

safety guidance in its weekly newsletter, “The Bureau BEAT.”

6. The Bureau of Industry and Security Safety and Health Coordinator (BSHC) maintains 

logs and tracks abatement of hazards and other identified office space issues. The BSHC 

uses a spreadsheet to track abatement from start to completion date. The point of contact 

in each office receives notice via email of hazards identified during a safety and health 

assessment and has 45 days to correct the hazards. Each office point of contact receives 

written instructions for reporting hazards that require building management service that 

cannot be corrected within the 45 days. Points of contact must notify the BSHC of status 

two days prior to a deadline. 

Department of Energy

1. Hazards are either immediately corrected or entered into a database and scheduled for 

maintenance, according to their severity. 

2. The Office of Science reports that all accidents are entered into the DOE Computerized 

Accident Injury Reporting Systems database. FEOSH inspections are conducted 

annually, and a written checklist is used to document inspection results. Hazards and 

discrepancies identified during the inspections are tracked for correction through various 

management information systems. 

3. The abatement of hazards for DOE-SR and due dates are documented via the STAR 

database. Corrective actions are developed and approved by the applicable supervisors. 

Due dates are established and followed-up through completion. 

4. At NNSA, hazards that are not immediately addressed are logged into the local sites 

Issues Tracking System, scheduled for correction. Completion of corrective actions is 

specifically checked to ensure it was appropriately corrected as part of the next 
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inspection. Identified hazards and abatement are dispositioned and tracked through the 

locations’ facility support contracts.

Department of Health and Human Services

HHS Safety department tracks all injuries, investigations, and reports of hazards from discovery 

to abatement. Additionally, HHS Safety tracks any and all hazards identified in annual 

inspections to ensure timely and effective abatement. Corrective actions are assigned to specific 

persons, with target completion dates, and tracked until completion. 

Department of Homeland Security

Hazard abatement tracking is a component/agency-level function. 

1. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) issues inspection findings within 15 days of the 

inspection date and tracks findings in its Human Resources Business Engine – Safety 

Tracking and Reporting (HRBE-STAR) System. The Management Official in Charge 

has 30 days to correct the hazard and report the corrective action in HRBE-STAR. CBP 

also reports inspection results to the local safety and health committee and the union 

official that accompanied the inspector. The corrective actions are discussed at the next 

local safety committee meeting. CBP Health Physicists and Safety and Occupational 

Health Specialist monitor corrective actions and conduct follow up inspections as deemed 

necessary. Most hazards are corrected within 30 days. Repeat violations are rare. 

2. Federal Law Enforcement Training Center: Hazards identified during facility/building 

inspections are communicated to the assigned Building Manager and Facilities 

Management Division (FMD) through Web Total Maintenance Authority (WebTMA) 

and tracked to completion/abatement. The Safety Specialists and Building Inspection 

Program Manager have access to WebTMA and can daily track the progress/completion 

status of every work order submitted. 

3. Immigration and Customs Enforcement tracks hazard abatement in CP Track (a 

contracted tracking system) by reporting the start and end dates. The CDSO sends an 

abatement plan. Minor hazards receive 30, 60, or 90 days for response based on the 

severity of the hazard. High priority (serious) issues are given 24/48 hours to be 

addressed. An OSH Safety Specialist contacts the CDSO with reminders to address/and 

or clear delinquencies in a timely manner for delinquencies that exceed the allotted time 

in CP Track.

4. TSA uses three main reports generated by the TSA Safety Information System (SIS) to 

track and adhere to correction dates: 1) Safety and Health Corrective Action Summary, 

2) Safety Trend and Analysis Report (STAR), and 3) Master Hazard List. In addition, 

TSA conducts an annual self-evaluation derived from “VPP Safety and Health 

Management System,” ANSI/AIHA Z10. CDSOs or Organizational OSH Specialists and 

Designated Occupational Safety and Health Officials (DOSHO) convert the Open TSA 

Form 2407 report to a TSA Form 2408, OSH Hazard Abatement Plan, monthly. The 

Safety Information System automatically emails the DOSHO and SIS Users when 

hazards exceed 30 days.

5. USSS: Contractors normally handle hazard abatements and provide all manifests to

facilities section for review and tracking.
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Department of Justice

DOJ components and offices use hazard abatement forms or logs to ensure implementation of 

corrective actions and adherence to abatement dates. In leased facilities, the lessor is responsible 

for facility related hazards.

1. Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms, and Explosives: The Supervisor and GSA 

receive notice of any office hazard discovered and documented during facility safety 

inspections that requires immediate attention. ESH typically performs follow up action at 

30-day intervals.

2. Bureau of Prisons: All hazards noted during inspections are routed to the supervisor 

responsible for the area and to the CEO. The supervisor of the area must document 

corrective action and send to the OSH department.

3. Executive Office for Immigration Review: Upon receipt of the inspection report, EOIR 

reviews all deficiencies, identifies the responsible party to correct each item, and works 

with the responsible party to ensure correction of all items by the deadlines outlined in 

the inspection report.

4. Executive Office for United States Attorneys: Hazard abatement is tracked via 

leadership, building maintenance, and GSA overviews, when necessary.

5. Executive Office for United States Trustees: EOUST works in conjunction with GSA 

and their private lessors on all safety issues. EOUST also works with onsite Managers 

and Supervisors to ensure issues are addressed and corrected.

6. Drug Enforcement Agency: When self-inspections are completed, a certification page is 

returned to HQ which verifies completion and when a potential hazard is identified that is 

expected to take longer than 30 days to correct the deficiency. An abatement form is 

attached with the certification page and the abatement form is reviewed and monitored 

until resolution is reported. 

7. Federal Bureau of Investigation requires at least annual inspections of all facilities and 

uses a hazard abatement log to track hazards and document corrective actions. The 

Bureau uses the Facilities Integration Tool (FIT) federally owned and operated facilities 

where ESH and facilities professionals can report potential hazards and track corrective 

action through work orders. Employees at these facilities may also report hazards and 

place work orders to correct them via the Building Operations Center telephone hotline 

and email address tracked in the FIT system. 

8. The United States Marshals Service (USMS) uses an application in SharePoint to timely 

track hazard abatement, with weekly tracking to identify hazard abatement. USMS 

District/Division management and EOSH coordinate using SharePoint, Teams, and 

Outlook to track abatement. Staff use Form USM-468 to track hazards; document all 

abatement notes, updates, and resolutions; and share the information with supervisors for 

immediate action and/or abatement. Managers must sign Form USM-468. 

Department of the Interior

1. Abatement tracking is decentralized in many DOI Bureaus/Offices. Most use 

spreadsheets or a database to track abatement of reported hazards and safety deficiencies. 

Bureau/Offices record status updates to inspection hazards and safety deficiencies at 

various intervals with quarterly updates being the most frequent. 

2. A few bureaus have developed a more comprehensive means to track abatement hazards. 
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a. Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) developed the Safety and Condition Assessment 

Portal (S&CAP) that lets BIA safety inspectors enter the results of several types 

of inspections into the Indian-Affairs Facilities Management System. S&CAP 

enables authorized users to create an abatement/correction plan for the inspection

that follows the hazard through the duration of the abatement process, begins after 

an inspection is final, and provides reminder emails to the Official-in-Charge until 

abatement. The system sends escalated emails to the Official-in-Charge and the 

respective program officials if hazards are not abated within 30 calendar days. 

The S&CAP module also includes a Risk Assessment Coding tool that typically

ranks safety and health findings by hazard severity, probability of occurrence, 

number of persons exposed, or amount of resource loss in the event of failure. 

Using risk assessment codes helps management prioritize resources to abate the 

most critical hazards or deficiencies in a timely manner.

b. The U.S. Geological Survey, Bureau of Land Management (BLM), and Bureau of 

Reclamation all use an electronic system (the Safety Management Information 

System’s Inspection and Abatement System) to create abatement plans that 

integrate Risk Assessment Codes (RACs) for all safety and health findings and 

those initially identified through condition assessments. All inspection findings 

not abated within 30 calendar days automatically transfer to the local 

organization’s hazard abatement log within the IAS. This system provides 

automated email notifications on the abatement status to both management and 

those responsible for the abatement. The status must be updated within IAS every 

90 calendar days until all inspection findings are abated. In addition to the SMIS 

IAS system, in CY 2022 BLM also used an additional electronic abatement 

tracking system known as the Compliance Assessment of Safety, Health, and 

Environment (CASHE) program that tracks abatement actions through 

completion. If abatement actions were not completed within required time 

periods and no abatement plan existed at the time of the CASHE status annual 

updates, offices were not rated in good condition. Open inspection findings are 

discussion update items during weekly management team meetings. When 

employees identified non-inspection findings, supervisors worked to address 

those hazards as quickly as possible. 

National Aeronautics and Space Administration

As noted in prior reports, NASA undertook development of an application tool to replace its

prior inspection database tool. Completed in the final quarter of CY 2022, most installation now 

use the new application, which CY 2022 is more aligned with a centralized agency approach to 

facilities funding. The System for Tracking Audits/Assessments and Reviews (STAR) is used at 

most Centers for tracking and correcting hazard situations found as part of annual safety 

inspections. Those centers not using STAR have a system with similar functionality. The 

application allows hazards or non-compliances safety and health inspectors have identified 

during routine and unannounced inspections to be coordinated with applicable personal (i.e., 

facility safety heads, building managers, system or facility managers, or employee supervisors) 

and tracked to closure. It also allows a set amount of time for incorporating the abatement plan

and assigns a fixed time period for final closure. Not achieving an end date generates an 
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automatic email to the safety professional who issued the finding along with the employee 

assigned to correct the finding until it is properly closed. 

Hazards identified due to a mishap or employee injury require immediate abatement to an 

acceptable level of risk. Final abatement is documented as part of a corrective action plan to 

prevent occurrence of similar work-related injury, property damage, or mission failure. 

Depending on the mishap classification, the tracking and completion of corrective actions is 

assigned to the appropriate management level. The NASA Mishap Information System (NMIS) 

tracks corrective actions until resolved and the appropriate SMA Engineer then reviews the 

actions and authorizes them as complete.