WASHINGTON (Feb. 11, 2009) – With its own employees and contractors exposed to hazards every day, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers keeps workplace safety as a top priority.
The USACE Office of Safety and Occupational Health has released a new edition of the Corps’ Safety and Health Requirements Manual, EM 385-1-1, that streamlines information for easier access and quicker use.
“This updated manual has become a job enhancer, a tool to help in the safe performance of any task,” said Maj. Gen. Merdith W.B. “Bo” Temple, deputy commanding general for civil and emergency operations. “It helps our folks get the job done without being an obstacle.”
The safety manual is a major key to the success of the USACE safety program. The 1,050-page book is used during construction, operations, maintenance, research and development, and other daily operations by all USACE employees and contractors.
“The Safety Office worked hard to make the new manual focused and well organized with a logical sequence of topic material,” said Ellen Stewart, senior safety engineer and program manager for the safety manual in the Headquarters Safety Office. “Primarily, EM 385-1-1 is much clearer and more concise. Many of the appendices were put right into the text to minimize cross-referencing.”
The manual was last revised in 2003, and the 2008 version parallels Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations and other national standards. It deviates from these standards only when research and/or accident experience deem it necessary.
The new manual went into effect Jan. 12 and can be downloaded free from the USACE Web site. It is also available in bid packages and from the Government Printing Office for about $27 a copy.
Improvements in formatting and layout allow users of the manual to move through it with relative ease. For example, crane requirements are clearer, up to date, and most importantly, centrally located in one section, including information that was located in appendices in past editions. In the same way, all fall-protection requirements are now contained in Section 21 instead of scattered throughout the manual.
The teams that revised the new safety manual wanted to increase efficiency and production, and strove to set the safety standard for their profession, Stewart said. One goal of the updated safety manual is to improve the level of worker training on construction sites. After recent, highly visible construction accidents across the nation (not on USACE projects), the Safety Office wanted to place emphasis on the importance of a trained workforce from top to bottom.
With an organization as far-reaching as USACE, revising the safety manual was no small task. This was one of the largest revisions since the manual’s original production, and has taken nearly two-and-a-half-years.
Stewart led a collaborative effort that involved many federal and non-federal organizations and relied heavily on feedback from those working in the field. The Safety Office received more than 4,000 comments during the manual’s revision.
“This manual is the product of those who use it daily, from contractors, industry, and our employees on every level up to and including our commanders,” she said. “It’s based on their contributions, their problems, their suggestions, and their questions, all valuable input that makes our requirements relevant to the hazards they face every day at their jobsites. That’s buy-in, and we believe that’s what makes the USACE safety and health program so successful.”
The new safety manual’s clear, concise format makes it user friendly, but if any questions arise regarding EM 385-1-1, tools will be available on the Safety Office Web site at www.usace.army.mil/CESO/pages/home.aspx. Checklists, an index of changes, templates, training options, PowerPoint presentations, interpretations, and FAQs can all be found on the Web site. These tools will assist with implementing and understanding the new safety manual.
“We already have a very good safety program, however, we are always striving for improvement,” said Richard Wright, chief of the Office of Safety and Occupational Health. “This manual will assist us in getting to that next level of success. This improved tool will continue to focus our efforts to move our safety program from good to great!”