1.1 Authority.
A. Public Law 91-596, “Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970,” Sections 6 and 19.
B. Executive Order 12196, “Occupational Safety and Health Programs for Federal Employees.”
C. Title 29, CFR, Part 1960, “Basic Program Elements for Federal Employee Occupational Safety and Health Programs and Related Matters.”
D. 43 U.S. Code Section 1457 (refers to public safety).
1.2 Purpose. To set forth the policy for the implementation and administration of the Safety and Occupational Health Program (Program) for the Department of the Interior (Department or DOI) and U.S. Geological Survey (Bureau or USGS).
1.3 Policy. It is the policy of the Department and the USGS to:
A. Provide safe and healthful working conditions to protect personnel and the visiting public from injuries/illnesses and property from accidental damage.
B. Include safety and occupational health as an integral part of every operation.
C. Hold managers and supervisors accountable and provide them recognition for implementation and management of the Program within their scope of authority and responsibility.
D. Establish and maintain a staff of safety and occupational health professionals, and collateral-duty safety and environmental program coordinators at appropriate levels within the organization, to advise management in the development and implementation of an effective safety and occupational health program.
E. Require that no personnel be subjected to restraint, interference, coercion, discrimination, or reprisal for filing a report of an alleged unsafe or unhealthful working condition or otherwise participating in the Program.
F. Provide personnel the supervision, knowledge, and skills necessary to safely perform their assigned tasks.
G. Require personnel and supervisors to identify and correct unsafe and unhealthful conditions and to know and follow safe and healthful work rules and practices.
H. Use safety and health committees, where appropriate, to enhance the Program (see Chapter 9).
I. Comply with applicable Program requirements of Executive Order 12196, 29 CFR 1960, Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), and adopted national consensus standards.
J. Promote off-the-job safety and health of personnel through on-the-job safety and health activities.
K. Incorporate and enforce appropriate safety and health performance clause(s) in contracts with concessionaires and contractors.
L. In addition to DOI 352/485/515/518, Safety and Environmental chapter requirements, and general referenced requirements herein, it is the USGS policy to additionally comply with the following program elements:
(1) Organizational Policies and Administration: Develops organizational policy, plans, programs, directives, and rules and interpretation of safety and health policy and procedures to include management and personnel accountability, establishment of councils, committees and working groups that address safety, health, and environmental issues and the designation of appropriate personnel and financial resources for program implementation.
(2) Standards and Promotion: Ensures personnel awareness of and accessibility to applicable policy, documents, codes, regulations, and program standards.
(3) Safety and Environmental Program Assessments/Program Planning: Evaluates program elements annually, inclusive of personal and financial resources, for the purpose of providing management with information on program effort and effectiveness and establishing short and long-term goals for program enhancement and implementation.
(4) Inspections: Conducts operational and facility surveys, inspections, evaluations and staff visits for the purpose of identifying hazards within the workplace and determine the level of organizational compliance with standards.
(5) Hazard Identification and Abatement: Reports and corrects unsafe and unhealthful working conditions and identifies/corrects workplace hazards through job hazard analysis (JHA).
(6) Accident/Incident Investigation, Reporting, and Analysis: Investigates, reports, and analyzes accidents, providing recommended corrective actions and tracking corrective measures through abatement to prevent recurrence.
(7) Training: Identifies, develops, coordinates, schedules, and conducts required training and target audiences and professional development of personnel.
(8) Promotion and Awareness: Develops Standard and Regulatory compliance assistance, awards and recognition programs, and safety and health promotion/awareness plans.
(9) Industrial Hygiene/Occupational Medicine: Includes hearing conservation, respiratory protection, personal protective equipment, and laboratory safety.
(10) Fire Protection, Prevention, and Response. Ensures USGS facilities and operations are compliant with established fire safety practices and policies.
(11) Environmental Safety: Includes “Greening the Government” Management/Compliance, hazardous waste removal, and facility compliance with Federal, State, and local environmental laws and regulations.
(12) Motor Vehicles and Motorized Equipment: Ensures that operators of motorized vehicles are identified and trained and that equipment is maintained in safe working condition.
(13) Contractor, Concessionaire, Volunteer, Public, and Off-the-Job Safety: Provides equivalent safety protections for subject personnel.
(14) Specialized Program Assistance/Coordination: Includes aviation, radiation, firearms, diving, and watercraft activities.
(15) High Hazard Operations: Includes blasting safety, confined space entry, electrofishing, rocket netting operations, electrical safety, and field safety.