BREAKING NEWS

The Department of Labor has published the Safety, Health, and Return to Employment (SHARE) scorecard for FY 2008. The Department of the Interior (DOI) earned two green dots in Lost Time Case Rate (LTCR) and Timeliness of filing claims. DOI received red dots in Total Case Rate (TCR) and Lost Production Days (LPD).

The SHARE initiative was launched in 2004 by the Department of Labor with the purpose of reducing occupational injuries, illnesses and fatalities within the Federal government. The initiative established four goals in the critical areas of safety, health and injury case management, with performance measured based on improvement from a baseline of FY2003:

Reduction of total case rates for injuries and illnesses by at least 3% per year;
Reduction of case rates for lost time injuries and illnesses by at least 3% per year;
Increase in the timely filing of injury and illness notices by at least 5% per year;
Reduction of the rates of lost production days due to injuries and illnesses by at least 1% per year.

Welcome to SafetyNet

SafetyNet is the one-stop safety and health information source for the Department of the Interior (DOI). SafetyNet promotes safety awareness within the DOI community, and acquaints managers, employees, volunteers and safety and health professionals with the DOI Safety and Occupational Health Program’s (SOHP) objectives and how to achieve them.

Protecting life and property through the incorporation of safety into the Department’s and bureaus’ core management systems is the fundamental tenet of the DOI SOHP. SafetyNet is one tool, and DOI safety managers are one asset available to managers to help reduce the risks their employees face every day on the job.

IN FOCUS

Nominations are being requested for three prestigious safety awards presented by the Department of the Interior: the Award of Excellence, the Organizational Award of Merit, and the Organizational Achievement Award. Learn more about the Awards in the Award pages of SafetyNet. Contact your bureau or office safety manager for information on submitting a nomination.

ANNOUNCEMENTS

The DOI Safety and Health Council met in Arlington, Virginia

The DOI Safety and Health Council (SHC) met in Arlington, Virginia the week of November 17, 2008. The Council tacked several difficult issues including:

The outcome of the joint DASHO?SHC meeting
Behavior-based safety
Safety Week 2009
The 2010 Safety Conference
Safety and Health Awards

OI to reexamine safety and health awards.

The DASHO Council will be assembling a committee of safety, health, human resource, award coordinators, and others to reexamine safety and health awards. The committee will be charged with developing a more tiered approach to recognizing achievements in the areas of safety and health. The Office of Strategic Development of Human Capital offered to chair the committee.

The DOI Office of Occupational Health and Safety looses one of its finest.

The DOI Office of Occupational Health and Safety will sadly be loosing Jim Meredith to the Bureau of Reclamation (BOR). Sometime in January Jim will be assuming his new role as the BOR Safety and Health Program Manager. Over the last several years Jim has done an outstanding job shepherding SMIS and providing wise counsel to folks in the bureaus and offices. He will be missed at the Department; however, everyone is looking forward to working with him in his new role. Congratulations Jim.

GAO Report - Confirmation of Political Appointees (Nov 24)

The General Accounting Office (GAO) released its report to Congress on: CONFIRMATION OF POLITICAL APPOINTEES; Eliciting Nominees’ Views on Management Challenges within Agencies and Across Government. The list of issues/concerns regarding the Department of the Interior identified by GAO can be viewed at: http://www.doi.gov/safetynet/information/general/index.html#memos. This publication provides an understanding of the challenges congress sees DOI facing, which is useful for program planning purposes.