Occupational Safety and Health Protection For Employees of the Department of Agriculture |
The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, Executive Order 12196 and 29 CFR 1960 require the heads of Federal agencies to furnish to employees places and conditions of employment that are free from job safety and health hazards. |
Responsibilities of Your agency 1. General Requirements The Secretary of Agriculture and each USDA agency head will
furnish USDA employees places and conditions of employment
that are free from recognized on-the-job safety and health hazards
that are causing or likely to cause death or serious physical harm. 2. OSHA Regulations All USDA agencies will comply with applicable regulations of the Occupational Safety and Health Administration and the Department of Agriculture. 3. Reporting Hazards USDA will respond to employee reports of hazards in the
workplace within 24 hours for imminent dangers, 3 days for
serious conditions, and 20 days for others. A log of such reports
will be maintained by each USDA agency. 4. Workplace Inspections USDA will insure that each workplace is inspected at least annually by a qualified safety and health inspector for hazardous conditions. More frequent inspections will be conducted where there is an increased risk of accident, injury, or illness due to the nature of the work performed. USDA will post Notices of Unsafe or Unhealthful Working Conditions found during the inspections for a minimum or three working days, or until the hazard is corrected, whichever is later. 5. Correction of Unsafe Conditions USDA will take prompt action to assure that hazardous conditions are eliminated. Imminent danger conditions will be corrected immediately. 6. Safety and Protective Equipment USDA will acquire, maintain and require use of appropriate
protective and safety equipment. 7. Safety and Health Training USDA will provide occupational safety and health training for employees. |
8. Reporting Accidents, Injuries and Occupational Illnesses Supervisors must submit a supervisor's report of work-related accidents, occupational illnesses experienced
by employees under their supervision. Each USDA
establishment or other central employee reporting site will
maintain a log of accidents, injuries and illness for that
location. USDA agencies may form safety and health committees
that include both management and employee representatives. 10. Employee Responsibilities A. Compliance with Standards Employees shall comply with all OSHA and approved USDA
occupational safety and health standards, policies and
operating procedures. B. Safety and Protective Equipment Employees shall use appropriate protective and safety
equipment provided by USDA. 11. Rights of Employees and Their Representatives A. Participation in Safety and Health Program Employees and their representatives shall have the right to
participate in the USDA Safety and Health Program.
Employees shall be authorized official time for these activities. B. Access to Records and Documents Employees and their representatives shall have access to
copies of applicable OSHA and other recognized standards
and regulations; USDA agency safety and health policies
and directives; and accident, injury and illness statistics of
the USDA. C. Reporting Hazards Employees and their representatives shall have the right to report unsafe or unhealthful working conditions to appropriate officials and to request an inspection of the workplace. The name of the employee making the report will be kept confidential if requested. |
12. Responsible Officials
The Safety and Health Designee for this workplace is:
and may be contacted at
The Designated Agency Safety and Health Official (DASHO) for this workplace is:
and may be contacted at:
The USDA Headquarters Director, Safety and Health Management Division may be contacted at: (202) 720-8248
This notice highlights the USDA
employee job safety and health program.
More information about your agency
program or its standards and procedures
may be obtained from the workplace
Safety and Health Designee. Washington, D.C. 1999 Secretary, US Department of Agriculture AD 1010 ![]() |