Source: http://ecfr.io/Title-29/pt29.9.1960
Timestamp: 2019-10-13 20:07:17
Document Index: 124223376

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 1960', 'art 1960', 'art 1960', '§1960', '§1960', '§1960', '§1960', '§1960', '§1960', '§1960', '§1960', '§1960', '§1960', '§1960', '§1960', '§1960', '§1960', '§1960', '§1960', '§1960', '§1960', '§1960', '§1960', '§1960', 'art 101', '§1960', '§1960', 'art 101', '§1960', 'art 101', '§1960', '§1960', '§1960', 'art 1904', '§1904', '§1960', '§1960', '§1960', '§1960', '§1960']

[29 CFR 1960] Title 29 Part 1960 : Code of Federal Regulations ';
Title 29 Part 1960
Title 29 → Subtitle B → Chapter XVII → Part 1960
§1960.1 Purpose and scope.
§1960.2 Definitions.
§1960.16 Compliance with OSHA standards.
§1960.34 General provisions.
§1960.36 General provisions.
§1960.37 Committee organization.
§1960.38 Committee formation.
§1960.39 Agency responsibilities.
§1960.40 Establishment committee duties.
§1960.41 National committee duties.
§1960.46 Agency responsibility.
§1960.54 Training of top management officials.
§1960.55 Training of supervisors.
§1960.56 Training of safety and health specialists.
§1960.57 Training of safety and health inspectors.
§1960.58 Training of collateral duty safety and health personnel and committee members.
§1960.59 Training of employees and employee representatives.
§1960.66 Purpose, scope and general provisions.
§1960.78 Purpose and scope.
§1960.79 Self-evaluations of occupational safety and health programs.
§1960.84 Purpose.
Source: 45 FR 69798, Oct. 21, 1980, unless otherwise noted.
(a) Section 19 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act (the Act) contains special provisions to assure safe and healthful working conditions for Federal employees. Under that section, it is the responsibility of the head of each Federal agency to establish and maintain an effective and comprehensive occupational safety and health program which is consistent with the standards promulgated under section 6 of the Act. The Secretary of Labor (the Secretary), under section 19, is to report to the President certain evaluations and recommendations with respect to the programs of the various agencies, and the duties which section 24 of the Act imposes on the Secretary of Labor necessarily extend to the collection, compilation and analysis of occupational safety and health statistics from the Federal Government. The role of the General Services Administration in this area stems from its duties as the Government's principal landlord and from its specific safety and health responsibilities under 41 CFR part 101, subchapter D, Federal Property Management Regulations.
(b) Executive Order 12196, Occupational Safety and Health Programs for Federal Employees, issued February 26, 1980, prescribes additional responsibilities for the heads of agencies, the Secretary, and the General Services Administrator. Among other duties, the Secretary is required to issue basic program elements in accordance with which the heads of agencies shall operate their safety and health programs. The purpose of this part is to issue these basic program elements. Although agency heads are required to operate a program in accordance with the basic program elements, those elements contain numerous provisions which, by their terms, permit agency heads the flexibility necessary to implement their programs in a manner consistent with their respective missions, sizes, and organizations. Moreover, an agency head, after consultation with agency employees or their representatives and with appropriate safety and health committees may request the Secretary to consider approval of alternate program elements; the Secretary, after consultation with the Federal Advisory Council on Occupational Safety and Health, may approve such alternate program elements.
(c) Under Executive Order 12196, the Secretary is required to perform various services for the agencies, including consultation, training, recordkeeping, inspections, and evaluations. Agencies are encouraged to seek such assistance from the Secretary as well as advice on how to comply with the basic program elements and operate effective occupational safety and health programs. Upon the request of an Agency, the Office of Federal Agency Safety and Health Programs will review proposed agency plans for the implementation of program elements.
(d) Section 19 of the Act and the Executive Order require specific opportunities for employee participation in the operation of agency safety and health programs. The manner of fulfilling these requirements is set forth in part in these program elements. These requirements are separate from but consistent with the Federal Service Labor Management Relations Statute (5 U.S.C. 71) and regulations dealing with labor-management relations within the Federal Government.
(f) No provision of the Executive Order or this part shall be construed in any manner to relieve any private employer, including Federal contractors, or their employees of any rights or responsibilities under the provisions of the Act, including compliance activities conducted by the Department of Labor or other appropriate authority.
(g) Federal employees who work in establishments of private employers are covered by their agencies' occupational safety and health programs. Although an agency may not have the authority to require abatement of hazardous conditions in a private sector workplace, the agency head must assure safe and healthful working conditions for his/her employees. This shall be accomplished by administrative controls, personal protective equipment, or withdrawal of Federal employees from the private sector facility to the extent necessary to assure that the employees are protected.
(a) The term Act means the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (84 Stat. 1590 et seq., 29 U.S.C. 651 et seq.).
(c) The term agency liaison means an agency person appointed with full authority and reponsibility to represent the occupant agency management with the official in charge of a facility or installation such as a GSA Building Manager.
(d) The term building manager means the person who manages one or several buildings under the authority of a Federal agency. For example, a building manager may be the GSA person who manages building(s) for GSA.
(e) As used in Executive Order 12196, the term consultation with representatives of the employees thereof shall include such consultation, conference, or negotiation with representatives of agency employees as is consistent with the Federal Service Labor Management Relations Statute (5 U.S.C. 71), or collective bargaining or other labor-management arrangements. As used in this part, the term representative of employees shall be interpreted with due regard for any obligation imposed by the aforementioned statute and any other labor-management arrangement that may cover the employees involved.
(f) The term Designated Agency Safety and Health Official means the individual who is responsible for the management of the safety and health program within an agency, and is so designated or appointed by the head of the agency pursuant to §1960.6 and the provisions of Executive Order 12196.
(g) The term employee as used in this part means any person, other than members of the Armed Forces, employed or otherwise suffered, permitted, or required to work by an agency as the latter term is defined in paragraph (b) of this section.
(h) The term establishment means a single physical location where business is conducted or where services or operations are performed. Where distinctly separate activities are performed at a single physical location, each activity shall be treated as a separate establishment. Typically, an establishment as used in this part refers to a field activity, regional office, area office, installation, or facility.
(i) The term uniquely military equipment, systems, and operations excludes from the scope of the order the design of Department of Defense equipment and systems that are unique to the national defense mission, such as military aircraft, ships, submarines, missiles, and missile sites, early warning systems, military space systems, artillery, tanks, and tactical vehicles; and excludes operations that are uniquely military such as field maneuvers, naval operations, military flight operations, associated research test and development activities, and actions required under emergency conditions. The term includes within the scope of the Order Department of Defense workplaces and operations comparable to those of industry in the private sector such as: Vessel, aircraft, and vehicle repair, overhaul, and modification (except for equipment trials); construction; supply services; civil engineering or public works; medical services; and office work.
(j) The term incidence rates means the number of injuries and illnesses, or lost workdays, per 100 full-time workers. Rates are calculated as
EH = total hours worked by all employees during a month, a quarter, or fiscal year.
(k) The term inspection means a comprehensive survey of all or part of a workplace in order to detect safety and health hazards. Inspections are normally performed during the regular work hours of the agency, except as special circumstances may require. Inspections do not include routine, day-to-day visits by agency occupational safety and health personnel, or routine workplace surveillance of occupational health conditions.
(m) The term representative of management means a supervisor or management official as defined in the applicable labor-management relations program covering the affected employees.
(n)-(p) [Reserved]
(q) The term Safety and Health Inspector means a safety and/or occupational health specialist or other person authorized pursuant to Executive Order 12196, section 1-201(g), to carry out inspections for the purpose of subpart D of this part, a person having equipment and competence to recognize safety and/or health hazards in the workplace.
(r) The term Safety and Health Official means an individual who manages the occupational safety and/or occupational health program at organizational levels below the Designated Agency Safety and Health Official.
(s) The term Safety and Health Specialist means a person or persons meeting the Office of Personnel Management standards for such occupations, which include but are not limited to:
Air Safety Investigation Officer GS-1815
Aviation Safety Specialist GS-1825
(t) The term workplace means a physical location where the agency's work or operations are performed.
(u) The term imminent danger means any conditions or practices in any workplace which are such that a danger exists which could reasonably be expected to cause death or serious physical harm immediately or before the imminence of such danger can be eliminated through normal procedures.
(v) The word serious as used in serious hazard, serious violation or serious condition means a hazard, violation or condition such that there is a substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result.
(w) The term certified safety and health committee means an agency safety and health committee that meets the provisions of section 1-3 of Executive Order 12196 and of this part, as listed and attested to by the head of each agency in writing to the Secretary.
(x) The term reprisal as used in this part means any act of restraint, interference, coercion or discrimination against an employee for exercising his or her rights under Executive Order 12196 and this part, or for participating in the agency's safety and health program.
[45 FR 69798, Oct. 21, 1980, as amended at 49 FR 3078, Jan. 25, 1984; 50 FR 40269, Oct. 2, 1985; 51 FR 28378, Aug. 7, 1986; 69 FR 68804, Nov. 26, 2004; 78 FR 47190, Aug. 5, 2013]
Each agency head shall comply with all occupational safety and health standards issued under section 6 of the Act, or with alternate standards issued pursuant to this subpart. In complying with section 6 standards, an agency may, upon prior notification to the Secretary, prescribe and enforce more stringent permissible exposure levels or threshold limit values and may require more frequent monitoring of exposures without recourse to the approval procedures for alternate standards described in §1960.17. In addition, after consultation with employees and safety and health committees and prior notification to the Secretary, an agency may utilize the latest edition of a reference standard if it is more stringent than the section 6 standard. After notification, the Secretary may require the use of the approval procedures for alternate standards for any of the situations described in this paragraph.
An agency head may apply an alternate standard where deemed necessary, and shall, after consultation with employees or their representatives, including appropriate occupational safety and health committees, notify the Secretary and request approval of such alternate standards.
(a) Any request by the head of the agency for an alternate standard shall be transmitted to the Secretary.
(b) Any such request for an alternate standard shall not be approved by the Secretary unless it provides equivalent or greater protection for affected employees. Any such request shall include:
(1) A statement of why the agency cannot comply with the OSHA standard or wants to adopt an alternate standard;
(2) A description of the alternate standard;
(3) An explanation of how the alternate standard provides equivalent or greater protection for the affected employees;
(4) A description of interim protective measures afforded employees until a decision is rendered by the Secretary of Labor; and
(5) A summary of written comments, if any, from interested employees, employee representatives, and occupational safety and health committees.
(a) In addition to complying with emergency temporary standards issued under section 6 of the Act, an agency head shall adopt such emergency temporary and permanent supplementary standards as necessary and appropriate for application to working conditions of agency employees for which there exists no appropriate OSHA standards. In order to avoid any possible duplication of effort, the agency head should notify the Secretary of the subject matter of such standard when the development of the standard begins.
(b) The agency head shall send a copy of the final draft of the permanent supplementary standard to the Secretary prior to official adoption by the agency, along with any written comments on the standard from interested employees, employee representatives, and occupational safety and health committees. If the Secretary finds the permanent supplementary standard to be adopted inconsistent with OSHA standards, or inconsistent with OSHA enforcement practices under section 5(a)(1) of the Act, the Secretary shall have 15 working days in which to notify the head of the agency of this finding. In such a case, the supplementary standard shall not be adopted, but the agency will be afforded an opportunity to resubmit a revised standard that is designed to provide adequate protection and is consistent with OSHA standards. Upon request of the agency head, the Secretary shall offer to the agency technical assistance in the development of the supplemental standard.
(a) In order to assist agencies in carrying out their duties under section 19 of the Act, Executive Order 12196, and this part, the Administrator or the Administrator's designee shall:
(1) Upon an agency's request, furnish for any owned or leased space offered to a Federal agency for occupancy:
(i) A report of a recent pre-occupancy inspection to identify serious hazards or serious violations of OSHA standards or approved alternate standards, and
(ii) A plan for abatement of the hazards and violations discovered;
(2) Provide space which:
(i) Meets any special safety and health requirements submitted by the requesting agency, and
(ii) Does not contain either serious hazards or serious violations of OSHA standards or approved alternate standards which cannot be abated;
(3) Repair, renovate, or alter, upon an agency's request, owned or leased space in a planned and controlled manner to reduce or eliminate, whenever possible, any hazardous exposure to the occupant agency's employees;
(4) Accompany, upon request, the Secretary or the Secretary's designee on any inspection or investigation of a facility subject to the authority of the General Services Administration. Requests made for this purpose shall, whenever possible, be made at the GSA regional level in order to facilitate prompt assistance;
(5) Investigate, upon an official agency request, reports of unsafe or unhealthful conditions within the scope of GSA's responsibility. Such investigation, when requiring an on-site inspection, shall be completed within 24 hours for imminent danger situations, within three working days for potentially serious conditions, and within 20 working days for other safety and health risk conditions;
(6) Abate unsafe or unhealthful conditions disclosed by reports, investigation or inspection within 30 calendar days or submit to the occupant agency's designated liaison official an abatement plan. Such abatement plan shall give priority to the allocation of resources to bring about prompt abatement of the conditions. (GSA shall publish procedures for abatement of hazards in the Federal Property Management Regulations—41 CFR part 101);
(7) Establish an occupancy permit program which will regulate the types of activities and occupancies in facilities in order to avoid incompatible groupings, e.g., chemical or biological laboratories in office space. GSA shall seek to consolidate Federal laboratory operations in facilities designed for such purposes;
(8) Ensure, insofar as possible, that agency safety and health problems still outstanding are resolved, or otherwise answered by acceptable alternatives prior to renegotiation of leases; and
(9) Ensure that GSA or other Federal lessor agencies' building managers maintain a log of reports of unsafe or unhealthful conditions submitted by tenants to include: date of receipt of report, action taken, and final resolution.
(b) Product safety. Agencies such as GSA, DOD, and others which procure and provide supplies, equipment, devices, and material for their own use or use by other agencies, except for the design of uniquely military products as set forth in §1960.2(i), shall establish and maintain a product safety program which:
(1) Ensures that items procured will allow user agencies to use such products safely for their designed purpose and will facilitate user compliance with all applicable standards.
(2) Requires that products meet the applicable safety and health requirements of Federal law and regulations issued thereunder;
(3) Ensures that hazardous material will be labelled in accordance with current law or regulation to alert users, shippers, occupational safety and health, and emergency action personnel, and others, to basic information concerning flammability, toxicity, compatibility, first aid procedures, and normal as well as emergency handling and disposal procedures;
(4) Ensures availability of appropriate safety rescue and personal protective equipment to supply user agencies. The writing of Federal procurement specifications will be coordinated by GSA with OSHA/NIOSH as needed to assure purchase of approved products;
(5) Ensures that products recalled by the manufacturer, either voluntarily or by order from a regulatory authority, are removed from inventory. Each recall notice or order shall be forwarded to all agencies which have ordered such product from or through the procuring/supplying Federal agency, e.g., GSA, DOD, etc.;
(6) Includes preparation of FEDSTD 313, Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS), involving all interested agencies in review to keep the standard current. MSDS provided by agencies or contractors shall meet the requirements of FEDSTD 313 and be furnished to DOD for filing and distribution.
(c) In order to assist agencies in carrying out their duties under section 19 of the Act, Executive Order 12196, and this part, the DOD operates and maintains an automated system to receive, file, reproduce, and make available MSDS data to other Federal agencies through the Government Printing Office or the National Technical Information Services.
(d) All Federal agencies shall use MSDS either provided by DOD, or acquired directly from suppliers, when purchasing hazardous materials (as defined in FEDSTD 313) for local use. These data will be used to develop detailed procedures to advise employees in the workplace of the hazards involved with the materials and to protect them therefrom.
(e) Safety and health services. GSA will operate and maintain for user agencies the following services:
(1) Listings in the “Federal Supply Schedule” of safety and health services and equipment which are approved for use by agencies when needed. Examples of such services are: Workplace inspections, training, industrial hygiene surveys, asbestos bulk sampling, and mobile health testing; examples of such equipment are: personal protective equipment and apparel, safety devices, and environmental monitoring equipment;
(2) Rules for assistance in the preparation of agency “Occupant Emergency Plans” (formerly called “Facility Self-Protection Plans”), to be published by GSA at 41 CFR part 101;
(3) An effective maintenance program in the Interagency Motorpool System which will ensure the safety and health of Federal employees utilizing the vehicles. Critical items to be included are: Exhaust systems, brakes, tires, lights, steering, and passenger restraint or other crash protection systems; and
(4) A rapid response system whereby agencies can alert GSA to unsafe or unhealthful items purchased or contracted for by GSA, which in turn will evaluate the reports, initiate corrective action, as appropriate, and advise use agencies of interim protective measures.
(a) The Director of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) shall, upon request by the Secretary, assist in:
(1) Evaluations of Federal agency safety and health programs;
(2) Investigations of possible safety and health hazards and
(3) Inspections resulting from employee or committee reports of unsafe or unhealthful working conditions.
(b) The Director of NIOSH shall provide a Hazard Evaluation (HE) program for Federal agencies. This program shall be designed to respond to requests for assistance in determining whether or not safety or health hazards are present in a Federal workplace. Requests for such Hazard Evaluations may be submitted to the Director by:
(1) The Secretary of Labor;
(2) The Head of a Federal agency;
(3) An agency safety and health committee if half the committee requests such service; and
(4) Employees who are not covered by a certified safety and health committee.
(c) The Director of NIOSH may assist agencies by providing hazard alerts, technical services, training materials and conducting training programs upon request by an agency and with reimbursement.
(a) The occupational safety and health committees described in this subpart are organized and maintained basically to monitor and assist an agency's safety and health program. These committees assist agencies to maintain an open channel of communication between employees and management concerning safety and health matters in agency workplaces. The committees provide a method by which employees can utilize their knowledge of workplace operations to assist agency management to improve policies, conditions, and practices.
(b) Agencies may elect to establish safety and health committees meeting the minimum requirements contained in this subpart. Where such committees are not established or fail to meet the minimum requirements established by the Secretary, the Secretary is authorized by section 1-401(i) of Executive Order 12196 to conduct unannounced inspections of agency workplaces when the Secretary determines them necessary.
(a) For agencies which elect to utilize the committee concept, safety and health committees shall be formed at both the national level and, for agencies with field or regional offices, at appropriate levels within the agency. To realize exemption from unannounced OSHA inspections, an agency must form a committee at the national level and at any establishment or grouping of establishments that is to be exempt, keeping the Secretary advised of the locations and activities where such committees are functioning.
(1) The principal function of the national level committee shall be to consult and provide policy advice on, and monitor the performance of, the agency-wide safety and health program.
(2) Committees at other appropriate levels shall be established at agency establishments or groupings of establishments consistent with the mission, size and organization of the agency and its collective bargaining configuration. The agency shall form committees at the lowest practicable local level. The principal function of the establishment (or local) committees is to monitor and assist in the execution of the agency's safety and health policies and program at the workplaces within their jurisdiction. Any dispute over the meaning of the term “appropriate levels” shall be resolved by the Secretary.
(b) Committees shall have equal representation of management and nonmanagement employees, who shall be members of record.
(1) Management members of both national level and establishment level committees shall be appointed in writing by the person empowered to make such appointments.
(2) Nonmanagement members of establishment level committees shall represent all employees of the establishment and shall be determined according to the following rules:
(i) Where employees are represented under collective bargaining arrangements, members shall be appointed from among those recommended by the exclusive bargaining representative;
(ii) Where employees are not represented under collective bargaining arrangements, members shall be determined through procedures devised by the agency which provide for effective representation of all employees; and
(iii) Where some employees of an establishment are covered under collective bargaining arrangements and others are not, members shall be representative of both groups.
(3) Nonmanagement members of national level committees shall be determined according to the following rules:
(i) Where employees are represented by organizations having exclusive recognition on an agency basis or by organizations having national consultation rights, some members shall be determined in accordance with the terms of collective bargaining agreements and some members shall be selected from those organizations having consultation rights, and
(ii) Where employees are not represented by organizations meeting the criteria of paragraph (b)(3)(i) of this section, members shall be determined through procedures devised by the agency which provide for effective representation of all employees.
(c) Committee members should serve overlapping terms. Such terms should be of at least two years duration, except when the committee is initially organized.
(d) The committee chairperson shall be nominated from among the committee's members and shall be elected by the committee members. Management and nonmanagement members should alternate in this position. Maximum service time as chairperson should be two consecutive years.
(e) Committees shall establish a regular schedule of meetings and special meetings shall be held as necessary; establishment level committees shall meet at least quarterly and national committees shall meet at least annually.
(f) Adequate advance notice of committee meetings shall be furnished to employees and each meeting shall be conducted pursuant to a prepared agenda.
(g) Written minutes of each committee meeting shall be maintained and distributed to each committee member, and upon request, shall be made available to employees and to the Secretary.
(a) Upon forming such committees, heads of agencies shall submit information to the Secretary concerning the existence, location, and coverage, in terms of establishments and population, of such committees, certifying to the Secretary that such committees meet the requirements of this subpart. The information submitted should include the name and telephone numbers of the chairperson of each committee, and should be updated annually as part of the annual report required by §1960.74 to reflect any changes that may have occurred.
(b) If, upon evaluation, the Secretary determines that the operations of a committee do not meet the requirements of this subpart, the Secretary shall notify the agency and identify the deficiencies to be remedied. If the agency does not satisfy the Secretary within 90 days that the committee meets the requirements of this subpart, the committee shall not be deemed a committee under Executive Order 12196 and this part.
[45 FR 69798, Oct. 21, 1980; 45 FR 77003, Nov. 21, 1980, as amended at 49 FR 3080, Jan. 24, 1984]
(a) Agencies shall make available to committees all agency information relevant and necessary to their duties, except where prohibited by law. Examples of such information include, but are not limited to: The agency's safety and health policies and program; human and financial resources available to implement the program; accident, injury, and illness data; epidemiological data; employee exposure monitoring data; Material Safety Data Sheets; inspection reports; reprisal investigation reports; abatement plans; NIOSH hazard evaluation reports; and internal and external evaluation reports.
(b) Agencies shall provide all committee members appropriate training as required by subpart H of this part.
(a) The safety and health committee is an integral part of the safety and health program, and helps ensure effective implementation of the program at the establishment level.
(b) An establishment committee formed under this subpart shall, except where prohibited by law:
(1) Monitor and assist the safety and health program at establishments under its jurisdiction and make recommendations to the official in charge on the operation of the program;
(2) Monitor findings and reports of workplace inspections to confirm that appropriate corrective measures are implemented;
(3) When requested by the agency Safety and Health Official, or when the committee deems it necessary for effective monitoring of agency establishment inspection procedures, participate in inspections of the establishment;
(4) Review internal and external evaluation reports and make recommendations concerning the establishment safety and health program;
(5) Review, and recommend changes, as appropriate, to procedures for handling safety and health suggestions and recommendations from employees;
(6) When requested by the Designated Agency Safety and Health Official, or when the committee deems it necessary, comment on standards proposed pursuant to the provisions of subpart C of this part;
(7) Monitor and recommend changes, as required, in the level of resources allocated and spent on the establishment safety and health program;
(8) Review agency responses to reports of hazardous conditions, safety and health program deficiencies, and allegations of reprisal;
(9) Report their dissatisfaction to the Secretary if half a committee determines there are deficiencies in the establishment's safety and health program or is not satisfied with the agency's reports of reprisal investigations; and
(10) Request the Secretary to conduct an evaluation or inspection if half the members of record are not satisfied with an agency's response to a report of hazardous working conditions.
National committees established under this subpart shall, except where prohibited by law:
(a) Monitor performance of the agency safety and health program and make policy recommendations to the head of the agency on the operation of the program;
(b) Monitor and assist in the development and operation of the agency's establishment committees. As the committee deems appropriate, monitor and review: Reports of inspections; internal and external evaluation reports; agency safety and health training programs; proposed agency standards; agency plans for abating hazards; and responses to reports of hazardous conditions; safety and health program deficiencies; and allegations of reprisal;
(c) Monitor and recommend changes in the resources allocated to the entire agency safety and health program;
(d) Report their dissatisfaction to the Secretary if half a committee determines there are deficiencies in the agency's safety and health program or is not satisfied with the agency's reports of reprisal investigations; and
(e) Request the Secretary to conduct an evaluation or inspection if half the members of record are not satisfied with an agency's response to a report of hazardous working conditions.
(a) The head of each agency shall establish procedures to assure that no employee is subject to restraint, interference, coercion, discrimination or reprisal for filing a report of an unsafe or unhealthful working condition, or other participation in agency occupational safety and health program activities, or because of the exercise by such employee on behalf of himself or herself or others of any right afforded by section 19 of the Act, Executive Order 12196, or this part. These rights include, among other, the right of an employee to decline to perform his or her assigned task because of a reasonable belief that, under the circumstances the task poses an imminent risk of death or serious bodily harm coupled with a reasonable belief that there is insufficient time to seek effective redress through normal hazard reporting and abatement procedures established in accordance with this part.
(b) Based on the Secretary's evaluation of agencies' procedures for protecting employees from reprisal, the Secretary shall report to the President by September 30, 1982 his findings and recommendations for improvements in procedures for the investigation and resolution of allegations of reprisal.
Each agency shall keep occupational safety and health committees advised of agency activity regarding allegations of reprisal and any agency determinations thereof. Agency officials shall provide copies of reprisal investigation findings, if any, to the Secretary and to the appropriate safety and health committee.
Each agency shall provide top management officials with orientation and other learning experiences which will enable them to manage the occupational safety and health programs of their agencies. Such orientation should include coverage of section 19 of the Act, Executive Order 12196, the requirements of this part, and the agency safety and health program.
Source: 69 FR 68804, Nov. 26, 2004, unless otherwise noted.
Note to §1960.66: The recording or reporting of a work-related injury, illness or fatality does not constitute an admission that the Federal agency, or other individual was at fault or otherwise responsible for purposes of liability. Such recording or reporting does not constitute an admission of the existence of an employer/employee relationship between the individual recording the injury and the injured individual. The recording or reporting of any such injury, illness or fatality does not mean that an OSHA rule has been violated or that the individual in question is eligible for workers' compensation or any other benefits. The requirements of this part do not diminish or modify in any way a Federal agency's responsibilities to report or record injuries and illnesses as required by the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs under the Federal Employees' Compensation Act (FECA), 5 U.S.C. 8101 et seq.
Note to §1960.67: The requirement for certification of Federal agency injury and illness records in this section is necessary because the private sector position titles contained in 29 CFR part 1904 do not fit the Federal agency position titles for agency executives. The Federal officials listed in this section are intended to be the equivalent of the private sector officials who are required to certify records under §1904.32(b)(4).
Note to §1960.68: Section 11(c) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act only applies to private sector employers and the U.S. Postal Service. The corresponding prohibitions against discrimination applicable to Federal employers are contained in Section 1-201(f) of Executive Order 12196, 45 FR 12769, 3 CFR, 1980 Comp. p. 145.
Note to §1960.70: The requirements of this section are in addition to the requirements for reporting fatalities and multiple hospitalization incidents to OSHA under 29 CFR 1904.39.
(1) Each agency must submit to the Secretary by May 1 of each year a report describing the agency's occupational safety and health program of the previous calendar year and objectives for the current fiscal year. The report shall include a summary of the agency's self-evaluation finding as required by §1960.78(b).
(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 the OSHA Form 300, Log of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses (or equivalent); OSHA Form 301, Injury and Illness Incident Report (or equivalent); and OSHA Form 300A, Summary of Work-Related Injuries and Illnesses (or equivalent).
(c) Each agency must submit to the Secretary by May 1, 2014, a list of all establishments. The list must include information about the department/agency affiliation, NAICS code, a street address, city, state and zip code. Federal agencies are also responsible for updating their list of establishments by May 1 of each year when they submit the annual report to the Secretary required by §1960.71(a)(1).
(a) The purpose of this subpart is to establish a comprehensive program for the evaluation of Federal employee occupational safety and health programs. This subpart includes the responsibilities of agency heads in conducting self-evaluations of the effectiveness of their occupational safety and health programs, and the responsibilities of the Secretary in evaluating the extent to which each agency head has developed and implemented agency programs in accordance with the requirements of Executive Order 12196 and this part.
(b) Agency heads shall develop and implement a program for evaluating the effectiveness of their agency's occupational safety and health program. An annual summary report shall be submitted to the Secretary covering self-evaluations conducted during the previous year.
(c) The Secretary shall conduct a comprehensive evaluation of each Federal agency's occupational safety and health program. Evaluations shall be conducted on a regular schedule to determine the performance levels of each agency's program. The Secretary shall submit to the President each year: A summary report of the status of the occupational safety and health of Federal employees; Department of Labor evaluations, together with agency responses, of individual agency progress and problems in correcting unsafe and unhealthful working conditions, and recommendations for improving agency's performance.
Agency heads shall develop and implement a program of self-evaluations to determine the effectiveness of their occupational safety and health programs. The self-evaluations are to include qualitative assessments of the extent to which their agency safety and health programs are:
(a) Developed in accordance with the requirements set forth in Executive Order 12196 and this part and,
(b) Implemented effectively in all agency field activities.
Agencies needing assistance in developing a self-evaluation program should contact the Secretary.
(a) Executive Order 12196 provides that the Secretary shall “facilitate the exchange of ideas and information throughout the Government about occupational safety and health.”
(b) Consistent with this objective, the Secretary will continue to sponsor and/or provide guidance for those Field Federal Safety and Health Councils now established and in operation, and establish new field councils as necessary. The field councils will consist primarily of qualified representatives of local area Federal field activities whose duties pertain to occupational safety and health, and also of representatives of recognized local labor organizations, or other civilian employee organizations, at local area Federal field activities. For the purpose of this subpart the definition of field activity will be provided by each agency.
(a) The Secretary shall maintain liaison with agency heads to ensure that they encourage their field activities to participate actively in field council programs. To ensure maximum participation, the field councils' annual reports to the Secretary shall provide descriptions of the degree of management and employee participation by the defined Federal field activities. The Secretary shall annually furnish each agency head with a report consolidating the information received as to the participation of the agency's several field installations in field council activities.
(b) The Secretary shall provide leadership and guidance and make available necessary equipment, supplies, and staff services to the Field Federal Safety and Health Councils to assist them in carrying out their responsibilities. The Secretary shall also provide consultative and technical services to field councils. These services shall involve aid in any phase of developing and planning programs; and in sponsoring, conducting or supporting safety and health training courses.
The basic objective of field councils is to facilitate the exchange of ideas and information to assist agencies to reduce the incidence, severity and cost of occupational accidents, injuries, and illnesses. Field councils shall act on behalf of the Secretary or his designees on occupational safety and health activities in carrying out within their respective geographic areas the following functions:
(a) To act as a clearinghouse on information and data on occupational accidents, injuries, and illnesses and their prevention.
(b) To plan, organize and conduct field council meetings or programs which will give technical advice and information on occupational safety and health to representatives of participating agencies and employee organizations.
(c) To promote improvement of safety and health programs and organizations in each Federal agency represented or participating in council activities.
(d) To promote coordination, cooperation, and sharing of resources and expertise to aid agencies with inadequate or limited resources. These objectives can be accomplished in a variety of ways. For example, field councils could organize and conduct training programs for employee representatives, collateral duty and professional safety and health personnel, coordinate or promote programs for inspections, or, on request, conduct inspections and evaluations of the agencies' safety and health programs.
(e) To provide Federal Executive Boards, Federal Executive Associations, labor union organizations and other employee representatives with information on the administrative and technical aspects of safety and health programs.
(f) To evaluate the safety and health problems peculiar to local conditions and facilitate solutions to these problems through council activities.
(g) To develop a cooperative relationship with local community leaders by informing them of the existing functions and objectives of the council and by calling on them for support and participation in council meetings and activities.
(a) Each field council shall consist of the designated representatives of local Federal activities appointed by their respective activity heads, after consultation with appropriate employee representatives and appropriate certified safety and health committees.
(b) Federal agency heads should encourage each field activity having responsibility for the safety and health of agency employees to participate in the programs of these councils.
(c) Each activity head shall appoint an equal number of officially designated representatives (with designated alternates), from management and from nonmanagement employees, consistent with applicable collective bargaining arrangements.
(d) Representatives shall be selected from individuals in the following categories:
(1) Federal occupational safety and health professionals.
(2) Related Federal professionals, or collateral duty personnel. This includes persons employed in professions or occupations related to or concerned with safety and health of employees.
(3) Line management officials.
(4) Representatives of recognized Federal labor or other employee organizations.
(i) Where certified occupational safety and health committees exist, nonmanagement members of the committees shall be given the opportunity to select one individual for official appointment to field councils by the activity head.
(ii) Where employees are represented by collective bargaining arrangements, but no committee exists, nonmanagement members of field councils shall be selected from among those recommended by the exclusive bargaining representatives for official appointment to field councils by the activity head.
(iii) Where some employees in an activity are represented by collective bargaining arrangements and others are not, the agency head should solicit nominations for the agency's designated nonmanagement representative and alternate both from lawful labor organization(s) with collective bargaining status and from employees not represented through collective bargaining and should select from the nominees for official appointment as designated employee representatives on the field council.
(e) Representatives from non-Federal organizations. Associate membership may be granted to any non-Federally employed person who demonstrated interest in occupational safety and health. An associate member has no voting rights and may not hold any office.
(f) No maximum limitation shall be imposed by a council on itself, in regard to the numbers of personnel in any of the above categories that may attend meetings and/or participate in field council activities. An agency is free to have any number of individuals, in addition to the officially designated representatives participate in council activities.
(g) Only officially designated agency representatives or their alternates shall have voting privileges. All representatives and participants shall serve without additional compensation.
(h) Travel funds shall be made available equally to management and nonmanagement employee representatives.
(a) Field council officers shall include, as a minimum, a chairperson, vice chairperson, and secretary. Officers shall be elected for a one or two-year term on a calendar year basis by a majority vote of the designated representatives. Election of officers shall be held at least 60 days before the beginning of a calendar year. The election may be conducted at a regularly scheduled meeting or by letter ballot.
(b) Each council shall notify the appropriate OSHA Regional Office and the Office of Federal Agency Safety and Health Programs of the name, agency address, and telephone number of each newly elected official.
(c) Each council shall have an Executive Committee consisting of all elected officers, chairpersons of appointed committees and the immediate past chairperson of the field council.
(d) In addition to the Executive Committee, each council shall have either a membership committee, a program committee and a finance committee, or a council official designated responsibility in these areas. Additional committees may be appointed by the chairperson for specific purposes as warranted.
(a) The Executive Committee of each council shall meet at least 45 days before the beginning of each calendar year to approve an annual program for the council designed to accomplish the objectives and functions stated in §1960.87. In addition, the Executive Committee shall meet periodically to ensure that the meetings and other activities of the council are being conducted as outlined in the council schedule.
(b) The council program shall include at least four meetings or activities per year dealing with occupational safety and health issues.
(c) Each field council shall submit to the Secretary or his designee by March 15 of each year a report describing the activities and programs of the previous calendar year and plans for the current year. In addition, the report shall address the participation and attendance of designated representatives of the council. The Office of Federal Agency Safety and Health Programs, OSHA, shall furnish guidelines to field councils concerning the preparation of this report.
(d) Upon determination that a council is not operating in accordance with its charter and the provisions of this subpart, and after consultation with appropriate OSHA regional officials, the Secretary shall revoke the council's charter. Upon revocation of a charter, the council shall surrender all its government property to the appropriate OSHA regional official. Any continuing or future organization in the same geographical area shall not use the title Field Federal Safety and Health Council, or any derivation thereof, unless formally rechartered by the Secretary. Notification of revocation of a council's charter shall be sent to the chairperson, where identifiable, and to the appropriate OSHA Regional Office.