Text Version
|
|
|
Foster Quality Workplaces that are |
Safe, Healthy, and Fair |
|
OUTCOME GOALS: |
- Reduce workplace injuries, illnesses, and fatalities
|
- Foster equal opportunity workplaces
|
- Increase availability and effectiveness of programs that
support a greater balance between work and family
|
- Reduce exploitation of child labor and address core
international labor standards issues
|
|
|
|
FY 2000 - $0.8 |
FY 2001 - $0.9 |
|
|
This strategic goal is aimed at guaranteeing every working American a
safe and healthful workplace with equal opportunity for all. Also, the
Department is committed to raising core international labor standards and
improving the working conditions of children throughout the world.
Department of Labor programs and agencies that support this strategic
goal include the Employment Standards Administration's Office of Federal
Contract Compliance Programs, the Employment and Training Administration, the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the Mine Safety and Health
Administration, and support agencies, including the Bureau of International
Labor Affairs, the Women's Bureau, the Office of the Solicitor, and the Office
of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management.
The Secretary of Labor's key priorities for this strategic goal are:
- International Labor Standards: The Department recognizes the
opportunity to lift billions of people into a worldwide middle class and a
decent standard of living in the new global economy. Raising global labor
standards and improving worldwide enforcement of labor laws is vital to this
effort. The Department proposes to support educational opportunities that not
only encourage the removal of children from abusive and dangerous working
environments, but provide them with real opportunities and real hope for a
better future. The Department will also continue its commitment to assist
countries to develop and administer labor standards and social safety net
programs.
- Equal Pay: The Department's Equal Pay initiative will train
women in nontraditional jobs in the high-tech industry and other skills
shortage industries, as well as furnish educational materials in One-Stop
Career Centers, develop service announcements on equal pay, and implement
industry partnerships in an effort to reduce the significant pay gap between
men and women in similar jobs. These new initiatives will complement already
existing programs that provide legal guidelines and industry best practices to
Federal contractors on equal pay issues.
- Workplace Safety: Consistent with the Department's commitment
to ensuring safe and healthful workplaces, DOL proposes to enhance the
comprehensive compliance assistance program to enable every OSHA office to
provide direct outreach and training assistance to employers and employee
groups, and to increase the number of training grants. Efforts to improve the
safety and health programs of high-hazard employers and those with the worst
safety and health programs will continue.
The FY 2001 outcome and performance goals for this strategic goal
follow. Detailed information on every performance goal, including indicator,
data source, baseline and explanatory comments, can be found in Appendix B
Text Version
|
A. |
Reduce the number of mine fatalities and
non-fatal injury rate to below the average for the previous five years |
B. |
Reduce by 5% the percentage of coal dust and
silica dust samples that are out of compliance for coal mines and metal and
nonmetal high risk mining occupations, respectively. |
C. |
Reduce three of the most significant types of
workplace injuries and causes of illnesses by 11%. |
D. |
Reduce injuries/illnesses by 11% in 5 industries
characterized by high-hazard workplaces. |
E. |
Reduce injuries and illnesses (LWDII) by 20% in
at least 75,000 workplaces where an intervention is initiated |
F. |
Decrease fatalities in the construction industry
by 11% by focusing on the four leading causes of fatalities (falls, struck-by,
crushed-by, and electrocutions and electrical injuries). |
G. |
Reduce injuries and illnesses by 15% at work
sites engaged in voluntary, cooperative relationships with DOL. |
|
|
|
Operating Agencies:OSHA, MSHA
Sustained Efforts in FY 2001:
- DOL will continue to conduct its mandated mine inspection program,
together with investigations prompted by accidents, safety, and discrimination
complaints, and identification of mine operators who demonstrate reckless
disregard for safety or health standards. (3.1 A & B)
- DOL will continue to assist the mining industry and labor to improve
safety and health conditions and practices, with an emphasis on: assisting mine
operators to solve difficult safety problems; providing education, training and
informational outreach programs; providing technical assistance; and approving
and certifying mining equipment, materials, and explosives. MSHA will expand
existing outreach efforts in the mining community to identify and to
communicate with historically non-participating audiences where intervention
could have a significant impact, specifically including new operators, new
miners, non-participatory operators, and contractors.
- (3.1 A & B) DOL will continue to award grant funds to
participating mining States, review existing mine regulations, develop and
promulgate mine safety and health rules and regulations, and assess civil
penalties for violations. (3.1 A & B)
- DOL will continue to develop cost-effective workplace standards
based on common sense, and to maintain a strong OSHA enforcement presence as an
appropriate response for employers who fail to meet their safety and health
responsibilities. OSHA enforcement will continue to feature innovations that
include site-specific programs, improved targeting, and an emphasis on results.
(3.1 C-G)
- DOL will continue to utilize a variety of OSHA compliance assistance,
outreach and cooperative approaches to contribute to reductions in injury and
illness rates through increased voluntary compliance. Approaches include the
Consultation and Voluntary Protection Programs, Susan Harwood Training Grants,
local partnership agreements, and enhanced OSHA field compliance assistance.
(3.1 C-G)
- DOL will continue to work with its state plan partners to support
the implementation of individual state strategic and annual performance plans
that target reductions in exposures and injuries, illnesses and fatalities.
(3.1 C-D, F-G)
Significant New or Enhanced Efforts in FY 2001:
- Strengthen MSHA's metal and nonmetal safety, health, and training
programs. Focus will be on meeting mandated inspection goals, conducting
systematic inspection of contractors working on mine property, ensuring that
all miners receive basic safety and health training, improving miners' health
protection, and providing compliance assistance. (3.1 A, B)
- Increase the audits of accident, injury and illness reporting of mine
operators. MSHA relies on this reported data to track, identify, and respond to
mine safety and health problems. Accurate and reliable data must be available
for MSHA to direct and use its resources effectively. Increased audits by MSHA
will improve injury and illness reporting compliance, which in turn will lead
to improving the Agency's ability to identify and target safety and health
hazards. (3.1 A, B)
- Enhance education and training assistance to miners through an
increase to State Grant funding to help reach miners affected under the new
training regulation. (3.1 A, B)
- Improve mine emergency operations to include installing a wireless
local area network on emergency response vehicles and upgrading the borehole
television system and seismic location system, (3.1 A)
- Support coal mine fire and explosion response requirements. The
rehabilitation/recovery of an underground coal mine after a mine fire or
explosion poses serious hazards to all personnel involved. MSHA closely
monitors this rehabilitation process and substantial costs are incurred for
mine rescue teams and supplies, analytical equipment and operators, technical
specialists, and overhead. (3.1B)
- Provide a chest x-ray screening program for underground and surface
coal miners over a 5-year period. This will help monitor the effectiveness of
the Agency's respirable dust-control measures in the battle against black lung
disease. The prevalence of occupationally-related lung diseases among coal
miners continues to be a devastating health problem. Concern over the existing
program to combat black lung disease has led MSHA to focus more resources on
its coal mine respirable dust program, and the Agency is implementing changes
that affect every aspect of the Federal dust program. (3.1 B) DOL will develop
a comprehensive approach to targeted interventions in workplace safety and
health by ensuring that sufficient resources are directed to those industries
and hazards identified as needing priority attention. OSHA's resources will be
directed to the most significant workplace injuries and most hazardous
industries and workplaces. (3.1 C-G)
- DOL will increase outreach, education and training efforts to
populations and hazards that represent emerging safety and health needs in the
21st century. OSHA will utilize a variety of tools to reach small businesses
and targeted audiences, including: on-site consultation, training grants,
distance learning, and partnerships. (3.1 C-G)
OSHA, the Solicitor's Office, and MSHA work together to ensure
consistency in regulatory actions that affect workers in both OSHA and MSHA
jurisdictions, including areas such as respirator regulations, Permissible
Exposure Limits for toxic chemicals, and record keeping requirements. They also
support each other in other programmatic areas. MSHA, for example, provides
expertise on evaluating laboratories under OSHA's certification program of
National Recognized Testing Laboratories and gives technical support to OSHA in
accident investigations, while OSHA performs asbestos analysis for MSHA. OSHA
also works cooperatively with ESA and other DOL agencies to support their
programs, including the targeting of worst offenders of labor laws (e.g.,
textile sweat shops) and improving working conditions for migrant farm workers.
MSHA and OSHA work closely with the National Institute for Occupational
Safety and Health (NIOSH), which is responsible for conducting research on
occupational safety and health issues. OSHA's Priority Planning Process, which
identifies safety and health hazards that pose a serious risk to workers, is
developed in coordination with NIOSH's National Occupational Research Agenda so
that the government's research and regulatory efforts are mutually supportive.
MSHA and NIOSH have developed working relationships in several areas, including
respirator performance, explosives research, and medical research.
Text Version
Outcome Goal 3.2 Foster Equal Opportunity Workplaces |
FY 2001 Performance Goals |
|
|
A. |
Increase by 5% (over FY 2000 performance) the
number of Federal contractors brought into compliance with the EEO provisions
of federal c ontracts via OFCCP's compliance evaluation procedures. |
B. |
To increase compliance with the equal employment
opportunity requirements among Federal contractors, establish a baseline by the
end of FY 2001 to measure the effectiveness of OFCCP's education, technical
assistance and outreach efforts. |
C. |
To narrow the wage gap for protected groups
within the Federal contractor reporting community, establish a baseline by the
end of FY 2001 to identify wage disparities |
D. |
All DOL national and state level programs
financially assisted under the Workforce Investment Act (WIA) are in compliance
with all applicable civil rights laws and regulations |
|
|
|
Operating Agencies: ESA, WB, ETA
Sustained Efforts in FY 2001:
- DOL will continue implementing a tiered compliance evaluation
strategy that increases the number of contacts with Federal contractors, and
allows the flexibility to tailor reviews to focus on indicated possible
problems without conducting a full investigation in every case. (3.2 A, C)
- DOL will fully implement an electronic Equal Employment Opportunity
Survey. The use of this Survey advances electronic submission of
compliance-related data by Federal contractors and electronic analysis of that
data by OFCCP, thereby increasing OFCCP's compliance monitoring efficiency and
effectiveness. (3.2A, C)
- DOL will continue technical assistance training sessions for
organizations, employers, minority organizations, service organizations,
disability rights organizations, and allied groups to disseminate publications,
guidebooks, studies, and Internet communications on key issues. (3.2B)
- DOL will continue promotion of industry best practices in affirmative
action and anti-discrimination programs by acknowledging employer efforts with
the Exemplary Voluntary Efforts (EVE) Award, the Opportunity 2000 Award, the
Exemplary Public Interest Contribution (EPIC) Award, and the Industry Group
Award. (3.2B)
- DOL will promote voluntary compliance by conducting targeted reviews
and expanding outreach and technical assistance activities. ETA will also
conduct follow-up reviews for entities found in non-compliance to verify that
compliance is achieved. DOL will expand outreach and technical assistance
training sessions for organizations, employers, grantees, youth, veteran
service organizations, disability rights organizations, and allied groups to
disseminate publications, guidebooks and studies (in print and on the
Internet). (3.2 D)
Significant New or Enhanced Efforts in FY 2001:
- Based on lessons learned in FY 2000, DOL will further refine its
analysis of data received from the Equal Opportunity Survey to improve
targeting of contractor establishments with possible compensation problems.
- (3.2A, C) DOL will develop and deliver training courses for ESA's
compliance officers focusing on the assessment and evaluation of Federal
contractors with respect to equal pay. (3.2A, C)
- DOL will publish a summary report on the results of its Corporate
Management Reviews conducted from FY 1998 FY 2000, including a summary
of best practices gathered from these Fortune 1000 firms. (3.2A, B)
- DOL will improve its identification and dissemination of model
employer recruitment practices on the Internet and will assist contractors in
identifying resources for recruiting qualified individuals with disabilities,
protected veterans, women, and minorities. Such resources may include, but not
be limited to, America's Job Bank and the nationwide network of One-Stop Career
Centers established by the Workforce Investment Act. (3.2B)
- DOL will increase outreach, education, and technical assistance to
Federal contractors on equal pay issues by providing guidelines and industry
best practices. (3.2A, B, C)
- DOL will implement an equal pay-industry partnership initiative
designed as a collaborative effort between ESA's OFCCP and Federal
contractors/contractor organizations. The results will be used to help
determine the industries and geographic locations where OFCCP's technical
assistance efforts are most needed. The results will also be used to develop
"best practices" guidelines. (3.2A, B, C)
- DOL will provide interactive technical assistance through web
technology, providing clear guidance on regulatory requirements relating to
Vietnam Era Veterans, disability, gender, and race discrimination. (3.2B)
- DOL will continue outreach efforts such as corporate management
reviews as well as technical assistance and educational brochures. Educational
materials will be translated into different languages to keep the public
informed regarding the EEO requirements of Federal contractors. (3.2A, B, C)
- DOL will enhance enforcement of applicable disability laws by
conducting compliance reviews and providing technical assistance and training
to stakeholders. Enforcement efforts will focus on fostering universal access
and pay equity for persons with disabilities, women, and minorities
participating in DOL financial assistance programs within the One-Stop delivery
and Job Corps programs funded and authorized under the Workforce Investment Act
(WIA). (3.2D)
ESA/OFCCP is a key player on a team assembled by the Secretary to
develop innovative, cooperative programs and policies to foster and implement
the Administration and Secretary's Equal Pay initiative. The interagency team
unites ESA/OFCCP with the Women's Bureau, ETA, MSHA, OSBP, PWBA, and other
agencies in this effort. ESA/OFCCP has established a Memorandum of
Understanding(MOU) with the ESA/Wage and Hour Division to facilitate
information exchange and effective enforcement of the Family and Medical Leave
Act. An MOU with the DOL Veterans' Employment and Training Service provides for
coordinated public outreach efforts and information sharing regarding covered
veterans.
Outside the Department, ESA/OFCCP's MOU with the Department of Justice's
(DOJ) Office of Special Counsel provides for referral of complaints involving
national origin discrimination, information sharing, and coordinated public
outreach efforts. An MOU with DOJ's Immigration and Naturalization Service
(INS) allows for prompt referral to INS of all suspected violations concerning
employment of unauthorized workers. ESA/OFCCP's MOU with the Equal Employment
Opportunity Commission (EEOC) provides procedures for the coordinated
collection, sharing, and analysis of data regarding individual or class
complaints of discrimination on the basis of race, gender, national origin, or
disability status. ESA coordinated and finalized another MOU with EEOC. Other
MOUs were initiated with the Department of Transportation and the General
Services Administration. ESA/OFCCP participated in meetings convened by the
White House and the Civil Rights Working Group to discuss implementation of OMB
guidance on how race and ethnicity data are to be submitted for the 2000
Census. ESA/OFCCP has been tracking this issue and examining the impact on its
enforcement efforts.
Similar to OFCCP, the Civil Rights Center works closely with DOL
agencies, other federal agencies such as Justice, EEOC, HHS, and the U.S.
Commission on Civil Rights to ensure equal opportunity compliance. In addition,
the Civil Rights Center has membership on the Council of Federal Sector EEO and
Civil Rights Directors as well as ongoing relationships with the Interstate
Conference of Employment Security Agencies, and the National Association of
Cities and Counties, the Interstate Association of Personnel in Employment
Security to enhance its enforcement and civil rights compliance efforts.
Text Version
Outcome Goal 3.3 Support a Greater Balance
between Work and Family |
FY 2001 Performance Goals |
|
A. |
By 2001, the number of states with registered
child care apprenticeship programs will increase to 49 and the number of new
child care apprentices will increase by 20% over FY 2000 |
B. |
Increase by 50% the number of small and mid-sized
employers who made their work places family-friendly. |
|
|
|
Means and Strategies
Operating Agencies: ETA, WB
- Sustained Efforts in FY 2001: DOL will increase the availability and
use of child care by: (1) facilitating the development of States' consortia of
representatives from the child care industry, government entities and community
based organizations, (2) providing consultative and technical assistance in the
development, maintenance, and expansion of Statewide systems for child care,
including the exchange of the most current information, and, (3) maintaining,
improving, and sustaining collaborative relationships, including cross-cutting
linkages. (3.3A)
- DOL will improve the planning and management of the Registered
Apprenticeship System by: (1) arranging for stakeholder service input, (2)
assisting the reconstituted Federal Committee on Registered Apprenticeship in
the accomplishment of their mission, and, (3) improving the capacity to gather
and analyze accurate, consistent, timely and high-quality information in
support of child care registered apprenticeship programs. (3.3A)
- DOL will continue to research and promote best practices in the
workplace to increase public awareness of issues around balancing work and
family needs by expanding its Internet web site, preparing resource kits, and
conducting regional forums and conferences. (3.3 B)
- DOL will establish a network referred to as the Work and Family
Exchange to serve as a vehicle for helping employers learn how to make their
workplaces family-friendly. The Exchange will bring together employers who (1)
have recently implemented family-friendly options and need minimal technical
assistance to help them succeed, and (2) seek to voluntarily mentor other
employers on how to make their workplaces family-friendly. The Exchange will
also serve as an outreach vehicle to employers for educating employees using
available literature on work and family issues and approaches to supporting
their employees' work and family needs. Such information will also be
accessible on the Internet. (3.3.B)
In developing policies and programs that
affect working women and their families, the Women's Bureau provides leadership
and assistance to other agencies within the Department and to other federal
agencies, such as SBA, DOT and HHS, and to private sector entities, various
non-governmental organizations, and state and local governments. An example of
these cooperative efforts includes the partnerships with the Bureau of
Apprenticeship and Training and child care stakeholders, such as HHS's
Administration for Children and Families and USDA's Office of Community
Development, to plan regional activities promoting the provision of child care
by businesses. The Bureau is also a member of the Interagency Forum on Child
and Family Statistics which, in response to a Presidential Executive Order,
will develop an annual compendium of the most important indicators of the
well-being of the Nation's families. The Women's Bureau is also working with
SBA, the Department of Commerce, U.S. Chamber of Commerce and private employer
entities to reach out to businesses in order to promote a family friendly work
environment.
DOL will continue to work with HHS on Head Start and child care issues;
with USDA and HUD to promote the Step Up program; with Job Corps coordinators
on efforts to establish child care facilities at Job Corps Centers; with the
Women's Bureau to tap its child care expertise; and with SBA to encourage
program graduates to become independent providers of child care.
To increase the number of states with child care apprenticeship
programs, DOL will lead efforts that coordinate closely with the National
Association of State and Territorial Apprenticeship Directors. DOL, through its
interagency leadership in School-to-Work and Welfare-to-Work programs, will
continue to provide opportunities for child care experience and training. DOL
also will coordinate with state education and health and human service agencies
in states that have adopted child care apprenticeship programs.
Text Version
Outcome Goal 3.4 Reduce Exploitation of Child Labor and
Address |
Core International Labor Standards Issues |
FY 2001 Performance Goals |
|
A. |
Progressively reduce exploitative child labor
worldwide by increasing international support and funding the most promising
programs and projects in targeted countries |
B. |
Raise workers' protection and the safety of work
places in selected countries by improving core labor standards and social
safety net programs. |
|
Operating Agencies: ILAB
Sustained Efforts in FY 2001:
- Through IPEC, DOL will continue to provide support for innovative
projects, including large programs within a clearly defined time frame (e.g. 5
to 10 years); statistical development and monitoring of child labor trends;
responding to requests from countries with demonstrated commitment; and
advocating and enhancing the worldwide movement against abusive child labor.
Activities will reinforce the ILO's campaign to prioritize action against the
worst forms of child exploitation. (3.4 A)
- DOL will continue to conduct research and publish reports dealing
with child labor exploitation and techniques to reduce its incidence around the
world to educate the public and policy makers. (3.4 A) DOL will work with
countries that recognize the child labor issue to develop programs that can
help reduce its incidence around the world and to educate the public and policy
makers. (3.4 B)
- Support increased supervision and implementation of core labor
standards by the International Labor Organization, including implementation by
the ILO of a convention on the Worst Forms of Child labor and declaration and
follow up mechanism to enhance the ability of the ILO to encourage member
states to implement the core labor standards which are inherent in ILO
membership. (3.4 A & B)
- Significant New or Enhanced Efforts in FY 2001: DOL will focus U.S.
supported projects on the most intolerable forms of child labor, which will
require the ILO to commit additional staff and administrative support to
effectively administer the program and to challenge other countries and the
private sector to match DOL's contributions. (3.4 A & B)
- DOL support will allow IPEC to add approximately 10 new countries to
their program. To better measure progress in reducing child labor exploitation,
DOL will fund IPEC's new Statistical Information and Monitoring Program on
Child Labor. IPEC will collect comprehensive and reliable quantitative and
qualitative statistical data on child labor in approximately 40 countries, as
well as establish the first-ever international data bank on child labor
information. This will allow the ILO and IPEC countries to measure progress
made in program implementation--with the ultimate goal of eliminating
exploitative child labor. (3.4 A & B)
- DOL funds will also be used to expand IPEC's ability to create and
implement independent monitoring systems based upon successful models in
Bangladesh and Pakistan; develop and implement a series of projects on child
labor in Africa; develop additional direct action projects in various South
Asian countries aimed at removing children from hazardous work, including
forced child prostitution, and placing them in schools; and expand IPEC's
capacity to develop action programs against child labor through education and
training. Funds will also be used to establish a training course for persons
wishing to serve as independent child labor monitors; the training course will
rely on experience gained through existing IPEC monitoring projects funded by
DOL. (3.4 A & B)
DOL works closely with the Department of State, as well as USAID, the
U.S. Trade Representative, and the Departments of Commerce, Treasury, and
Education, to encourage countries to improve the implementation of core labor
standards.
The Department intends to take an integrated approach to advancing the
international commitment to core labor standards, including child labor
standards, with activities and resources coordinated by ILAB and supported by
the regulatory agencies, BLS, Women's Bureau, and SOL. By providing labor
standards assistance to our trading partners and thereby "leveling up" global
working conditions, DOL will not only support achievement of its international
goals, but will promote its goals of providing a secure workforce and quality
workplace in this country.
On child labor issues, DOL works closely with the ILO's International
Program for the Elimination of Child Labor (IPEC) to develop regional, country,
and sector specific projects to reduce the incidence of abusive child labor and
develop educational opportunities for children. In the development of certain
projects, SOL works with U.S. and foreign industry representatives and
non-governmental organizations to ensure that programs are effective and
credible.
|