DRAFT Bullets for 10/18/12 Training Committee FBPTA Report to FACOSH

   * A letter from Secretary Solis to GSA communicating the FACOSH FBPTA recommendations was sent on XXXXX  (Find out from OSHA)

   * GSA issued a single set of twelve "Core Competencies" for personnel performing building operations and maintenance, energy management, sustainability, water efficiency, safety (including electrical safety) building performance measures and design functions on June 14, 2012.   

   * Safety is competency #5 and includes four subcomponents:  Basic Requirements, Infrastructure, Contract Management, and Occupant Interface.

   * The Safety competencies were a big improvement from the previous version and do appear to address about 60-75% of the topics suggested by FACOSH.   For example, this version does address Life Safety, mold, PCBs, and asbestos awareness.  It does not explicitly address issues such as general facility safety and health management  or green roof and photovoltaic installation safety.  It is unclear if and how GSA considered the FACOSH comments and no formal or informal response was provided.

   * Additional implementation details are not clear to the FBPTA workgroup.  For example, because only one set of competencies were provided, we are uncertain which ones are intended for building operating engineers vs Facility Managers.  The intent may be for this to be done with input from supervisors.  The GSA lead for the project is leaving and a new person will be taking over but has not yet been announced. 

   * GSA announced the availability of a web tool on October 1, 2012. It is intended to allow users to develop a baseline, report training completed, and help show compliance with the law. 

   * GSA intends to work with industry, government, and academia to develop additional materials and guidance to assess skills and ensure knowledge levels.   GSA intends to update the Core Competencies in June 2013.

   * GSA has indicated that 10 and 30 hour OSH training materials might be suitable for FBPTA. Certified Safety Supervisor materials from the Board of Certified Safety Professionals were also identified as good candidates for FBPTA materials. 

   * It would be useful to further explore tailoring existing materials for a good fit with FBPTA safety competencies, and to expand on-line training options.   

   * A Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA) representative joined the workgroup and reported that DIA does have a small budget for helping to develop and package safety training materials for meeting FBPTA requirements.  This was seen as a good opportunity.  Identification, selection, and tailoring of training materials is an important topic but the workgroup does not have a sufficient number of training experts to take this on.  Working with GSA to address safety and health training needs is an issue worth additional discussions. 
