OSHA is continuing its nationwide program
to emphasize workplace safety and
health for federal workers and for those
contractors whose work is supervised on a
daily basis by federal agency personnel.
The Federal Agency Targeting Inspection
Program (FEDTARG09) directive
provides the procedures OSHA
field staff must follow when conducting
safety inspections at some of the
most hazardous federal workplaces.
The federal agencies targeted have experienced
a large number of lost time
injuries based on data from their fiscal
2008 Office of Workers’ Compensation
Programs reports.
“OSHA’s mission of protecting worker
safety doesn’t begin and end with private
industry,” said acting Assistant Secretary
of Labor for OSHA Jordan Barab. “It also
extends to those who work in federal
agencies. This directive is part of OSHA’s
continued efforts in assuring that the men
and women who work to improve the
lives of American citizens are provided
safe working environments.”
This targeted inspection program was
developed in 2008 in response to a Government
Accountability Office audit report.
Field inspectors conducted 109 inspections
of high hazard federal worksites during
2008 and found multiple violations of
OSHA safety and health standards.
FEDTARG09 continues OSHA’s commitment
to inspect the occupational safety
and health programs of federal organizations.
For more information on the directive, visit
http://www.osha.gov/OshDoc/Directive_pdf/
FAP01_09-04.pdf.
OSHA’s Office of Federal Agency Programs
(FAP) serves as the point of contact
for the federal sector regarding
occupational safety and health issues. The
FAP’s purpose is to ensure that each federal
agency is provided with guidance for
implementing an effective occupational
safety and health program. In addition, the
FAP provides the president with progress
reports on the safety and health programs
of federal agencies.
OSHA Back In Business of
Enforcement, Unveils Texas Safety Plan
The Dept. of Labor and OSHA are back
in the enforcement business, Labor Secretary
Hilda Solis told the 3,000 safety engineers
attending the ASSE Safety 2009
Professional Development Conference’s
general session in San Antonio late June.
In her first official visit to Texas, Solis
unveiled a Texas construction safety initiative.
Beginning in July, Solis said
OSHA would increase the number of inspectors
in Texas for a concentrated effort
to prevent injuries and fatalities at
construction sites.
“The Texas construction industry experiences
too many fatalities,” she said.
“There have been 145 fatalities since
2007,” Solis said, and Hispanic fatalities
continue to rise, with a 125 percent
increase in fatalities since 1992.
“Texas has the dubious distinction of
having more workers die than in any other
state. We will increase protections for a
greater number of workers.
“When these inspectors observe unsafe
scaffolds, fall risks, trenches or other hazards,
they are empowered to launch an immediate
investigation,” said Solis, the
daughter of immigrant union workers. “As
I have said since my first day on the job,
the U.S. Department of Labor is back in
the enforcement business.”
She said her commitment to worker
safety can be seen in her 2010 budget request,
which includes $1.7 billion for
worker protection programs. She will add
nearly 670 additional investigators and
inspectors to improve compliance in low
wage industries, focusing on reducing
repeat violations.
Saying she is committed to a greater
federal role, Solis said she believes in
good jobs for everyone, describing a good
job is safe and secure with decent wages
and good benefits.
“Government has a fundamental responsibility
to protect workers,” she said.
“We will focus on workers and not voluntary
protection programs. The Department
of Labor is back in the enforcement
business. It’s not an issue of workers
against business. No business is too small
to protect its workers. Safe workers are
healthy, productive workers.”
‘Shaping Destiny,’ ASSE
Signs MOU with ILO
Also at the conference, ASSE signed a
Memorandum of Understanding with the
International Labour Organization, agreeing
to work together to prevent workplace
injuries and illnesses.
A Geneva, Switzerland based agency of the United Nations, the ILO works
to bring together governments, employers
and workers of its member states to
promote decent work throughout the
world.
The MOU states that ASSE and the
ILO will work together towards the common
objective of preventing illness and
injuries in the workplace across all industry
sectors through advocacy, promoting
awareness, knowledge development,
information dissemination and the application
of relevant standards and industry
best practices in the community and
workplace.
“As there are no global marketplace
boundaries today, and with a large number
of our 32,000 occupational safety, health
and environmental professional members
continuing to work in countries and on
projects around the world, this agreement
will help us move forward in preventing
injuries and illnesses worldwide,” said
ASSE President Warren K. Brown, CSP,
ARM, CSHM. “This agreement also reflects
the value of the SH&E profession
and ASSE’s growth.”
The MOU is an example of ASSE’s
goal of expanding its outreach to other
safety, health and environmental organizations,
said Dennis Hudson, ASSE’s
director of Professional Affairs.
“Sound occupational safety and health
programs that implement best strategies
are the grease for the machinery of powerful
economic engines,” said Ilise L.
Feitshans, JD, ScM, who is coordinating
the 5th edition of the ILO Encyclopedia
of Occupational Safety and Health.
“Without the information we provide
through these workplace safety and
health programs, no employer can survive
because accidents and disease are
not simply expensive, but wasteful.”
Feitshans said the agreement will help
workers and employers by providing a
network of experts that fosters knowledge
sharing. “This sharing will include information
on international standards, national
legislation, technical guidance,
methodologies, accident and disease statistics,
best practices, educational and
training tools, research and hazard and
risk assessment data.”
A 90-year-old organization formed at
the Treaty of Versailles, the ILO does the
same work as ASSE, said Feitshans, “exporting
safety and health information that
could save many lives.”
