Federal Advisory Council on Occupational Safety and Health

(FACOSH)

December 1, 2011 Meeting

Briefing Materials PacketTABLE OF CONTENTS

SECTION I: Meeting Overview   

      

       Tentative
Agenda…………………………………………………………
………………………………………………  1

SECTION II: FACOSH Activities

A: Old Business 

FACOSH Meeting Materials for June 7, 2011
………………………………………………….  2

PELs Subcommittee Report and
Recommendations……………………………………….  2

Status of Training Subcommittee
Recommendations……………………………………..  3

Program Updates from the Office of Federal Agency
Programs………………………  4

B:  New Business

Issue Identification and Strategic
Planning……………………………………………………….
 6

SECTION III: Attachments 

     Attachment A – Federal Advisory Council on Occupational Safety
and Health (FACOSH)   

                                   Committee Charter

     Attachment B – Federal Advisory Council on Occupational Safety
and Health (FACOSH)  

                                  Member List

     Attachment C – Federal Advisory Council on Occupational Safety
and Health (FACOSH) 

                                  June 7, 2011 Meeting MINUTES	

     Attachment D – Recommendations for Consideration by the U.S.
Secretary of Labor on the 

                                  Adoption and Use of Occupational
Exposure Limits by Federal Agencies 

     Attachment E – Approved Recommendations on Occupational Safety
and Health Training  

                                  and Education Requirements for Various
Federal Government Personnel

     Attachment F – The Office of Personnel Management (OPM),
Development of Qualification                  

                                  Standards

     Attachment G – Federal Agency Targeting Inspection Program
(FEDTARG) Summary   

                                   Inspection Data, Fiscal Year (FY)
2008-2011

     Attachment H – Federal Agency Training Week (FEDWEEK) 2011 Course
Information

     Attachment I – Field Federal Safety and Health Council (FFSHC)
Directory

     Attachment J – Field Federal Safety and Health Council (FFSHC)
National Office Award   

                                 Recipients, Calendar Year (CY) 2010

Federal Advisory Council on Occupational Safety and Health

(FACOSH)

December 1, 2011 Meeting

Tentative Agenda

Welcome by FACOSH Chair Dr. David Michaels

Member Introductions

Administrative Items

Old Business

FACOSH Meeting Materials for June 7, 2011

PELs Subcommittee Report and Recommendations

Status of Training Subcommittee Recommendations

Protecting Our Workers and Ensuring Reemployment (POWER) Program Update

Program Updates from the Office of Federal Agency Programs

New Business

Issue Identification and Strategic Planning

Next Meeting

Closing Remarks

SECTION II

FACOSH Activities

A.  Old Business

FACOSH Meeting Materials for June 7, 2011 

Meeting materials for the June 7, 2011 FACOSH General Meeting are
available through the   HYPERLINK "http://www.regulations.gov" 
www.regulations.gov  website by entering docket number
“OSHA-2011-0061” into the key word search field.  During this
meeting, FACOSH deliberated upon and voted to accept the Training
Subcommittee’s reports and recommendations.  FACOSH also received
briefings on several topics, including initiatives on Distracted
Driving, Prevention of Heat-related Illness, and Indoor Air Quality. 
See Attachment C for the meeting minutes from the June 7, 2011 FACOSH
meeting.

Emerging Issues Subcommittee: Permissible Exposure Limits (PELs)

Labor Co-Chair:	William “Chico” McGill

International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW)

Management Co-Chair:	Donald Bathurst (Resigned position)

U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS)

Update since the June 7, 2011 FACOSH Meeting:

Members of the PELs Subcommittee have completed their research and their
findings are contained in the report, Recommendations for Consideration
by the U.S. Secretary of Labor on the Adoption and Use of Occupational
Exposure Limits by Federal Agencies.  See Attachment D for the final
report containing the three (3) recommendations. 

Required Vote:  FACOSH will deliberate upon and vote to accept or reject
the report and its recommendations.

Training Subcommittee

Labor Co-Chair:	William Kojola

American Federation of Labor and Congress of Industrial Organizations
(AFL-CIO)

Management Co-Chair:	Dennis Bushta

U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)

Update since the June 7, 2011 FACOSH Meeting:

Secretary Solis has approved the Council’s recommendations and, as a
result, OSHA is working to convene three workgroups to address the
training issues identified by FACOSH as requiring OSHA action (See
Attachment E).  In response, OSHA has reached out to the National
Institute of Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), the Office of
Personnel Management (OPM), and the OSHA Directorate of Training and
Education to request their participation in workgroup discussions.  OSHA
will be contacting other Federal agencies and departments, trade and
professional organizations, and OSHA Alliance Program participants. 
Workgroup participants will: (1) develop a model career management plan
for Federal employees in the GS-0018 job series; (2) develop safety and
health training guidelines for all Federal employees; and (3) assist the
General Services Administration (GSA) in the development of Federal
Buildings Personnel Training Act of 2010 (FBPTA) requirements.

OPM has been advised of FACOSH’s recommendations for improving the
qualifications standard for the Safety and Occupational Health
Management job series.  OPM will review the recommendations which
require its action, and develop an action plan and timeline for
evaluating the GS-0018 job series recommendations.  OPM has provided
Council members with its procedural requirements for evaluating the
qualification standard of a job series (See Attachment F).  To continue
an open dialogue on the subject, OSHA will continue to work with OPM
regarding the Council’s recommendations.  OPM has agreed to provide
the Council with updates on its progress periodically.

Program Updates from the Office of Federal Agency Programs (OFAP)

For detailed information on the individual programs below, please
consult the briefing materials from the June 7, 2011 FACOSH meeting.  

FY 2011 Annual Report Request for Federal Agencies

The FY 2011 Annual Report request was sent out to the agencies on August
17, 2011.  As in previous years, the agencies have been asked to submit
their responses by January 1, 2012.  To date, one agency, U. S.
Commission on Civil Rights, has submitted its response.

Similar to last year’s report, the FY 2011 report includes information
on injury and illness rates, fatalities and/or catastrophes, and
employee training.  This year, however, the annual report request seeks
more information on the management of agencies’ OSH programs.  Some of
the new information requested in this year’s report includes:

Information on agencies’ use of social networking in promoting higher
standards of workplace safety and health; 

Information on efforts agencies have taken to recognize and address
ergonomic hazards, including any processes each agency has adopted to
reduce ergonomic exposures.  

The tools and procedures each agency’s OSH program has in place to
address psychosocial risks.

The risk assessment policies, guidance and checklists that each agency
has in place for teleworkers.

Information on the Occupational Exposure Limits (OELs) each agency uses
for hazardous chemicals and the person within that agency who is
responsible for determining which OELs are used.  

Agencies with Certified Safety and Health Committees are required to
complete an additional appendix on this topic.  

Federal Agency Targeting Inspection Program (FEDTARG) - FEDTARG12

The FEDTARG 2011 directive is available at the following web address:  
HYPERLINK
"http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=DIRECTIVE
S&p_id=4695" 
http://www.osha.gov/pls/oshaweb/owadisp.show_document?p_table=DIRECTIVES
&p_id=4695 .  Although the 2012 directive has been approved, OFAP is
awaiting the authority to issue the directive to the field.

Attachment G summarizes FEDTARG inspection data from FY 2008 thru FY
2011.  The FEDTARG 2011 program resulted in 130 inspections with 677
total violations (of which 456 were serious violations).  The most
frequently cited violations were for hazards associated with blood-borne
pathogens, electrical safety, fire/egress, hazard communications, and
housekeeping standards.

Federal Agency Training Week (FEDWEEK) 2011

FEDWEEK 2011 was held at the OSHA Training Institute (OTI) in Arlington
Heights, Illinois, from August 2 – 4, 2011.  To enhance the OSH
knowledge and skills of Federal agency personnel, a series of half-day
seminars were offered on topics ranging from distracted driving and
pandemic influenza to ergonomics and fire protection.  A total of 116
Federal employees, representing 35 Federal agencies, attended the
three-day event.  Attachment H provides information on course attendance
and overall agency participation in the FEDWEEK event.

Field Federal Safety and Health Councils (FFSHCs)

Currently, there are 38 active FFSHCs operating across the country (See
Attachment I for the complete list of FFSHC locations).  Federal agency
personnel interested in participating in or establishing a FFSHC should
contact the Federal Agency Program Officer in their Region.

FFSHC Awards

This year, the National Office awarded 11 FFSHCs for their efforts in
promoting improvements in Federal workplace safety and health programs
during Calendar Year 2010 (See Attachment J).  

The Secretary of Labor’s Report to the President on Federal Department
and Agency Occupational Safety and Health Program Activity

According to data from OPM, in FY 2010, the total Federal civilian
workforce (less the US Postal Service, USPS) increased by 6.9% from
2,045,142 to 2,185,568 employees.  OSHA statistics demonstrated that
total injury and illness cases for FY 2010 increased approximately 3.4%
(from 65,767 to 67,996); but, due to the increase in employment, there
was a 3.4% decrease in the total case rate.  At the same time, the
number of lost time cases increased by 5.1% (from 30,360 to 31,915),
representing a 1.4% decrease in the lost time case rate.  Agencies
reported that a total of 53 Federal civilian workforce fatalities
occurred during FY 2010.  Per the Office of Workers Compensation
Programs, workers compensation costs for all of the Federal Government
(less the USPS) were nearly $1.6 billion in chargeback year (CBY) 2010,
a 1.1% decrease compared to CBY 2009.

In FY 2010, OFAP engaged in a wide range of activities to assist Federal
agencies in improving their OSH programs, including the compilation of
agencies’ annual reports into a large summary report to the President
that describes the agencies’ OSH-related activities during the fiscal
year.  This year’s report was sent to the President and will be
provided to Executive Branch agencies as well as being available on
OSHA’s website.

SECTION II

FACOSH Activities

B.  New Business

Issue Identification and Strategic Planning

An issue identification and strategic planning session will be conducted
during the meeting.  FACOSH members will discuss the OSH issues
affecting Federal agency operations or workers.  As part of this
discussion, members should identify unresolved existing issues and
possible emerging issues impacting Federal agency workplaces.  To
develop a strategic plan for the Council, FACOSH members should consider
the following question:  What OSH related issues would you like to see
FACOSH address?

 PAGE   ii 

i

 PAGE   1 

