The purpose of routine safety and health program evaluations is to:
- Measure the effectiveness of the Postal Service’s safety and health program at each organizational level,
- Ensure OSHA compliance, and
- Promote a model for effective safety and health programs.
A program evaluation must include compliance with the program elements included in this chapter and other Postal Service policy and procedure documents, including handbooks, manuals, and management instructions.
Headquarters is responsible for the following:
- Defines performance metrics,
- Identifies facilities to be evaluated,
- Establishes and interprets program criteria,
- Assesses overall program performance, and
- Conducts safety and health program evaluations at various organizational levels when deemed appropriate.
Areas conduct safety and health program evaluations at various organizational levels when deemed appropriate or in response to OSHA compliance activity. Vice presidents of Area Operations review district safety and health program evaluations and monitor performance. In accordance with 810, these evaluations are to be considered in evaluating the individual performance of managers in the area.
Districts must conduct annual safety and health program evaluations. Personnel performing the program evaluation must use the most recent Program Evaluation Guide contained in the Safety Toolkit, and enter the program evaluation findings into the Safety Toolkit. If a Headquarters or area-sponsored program evaluation is conducted during the fiscal year, it fulfills the annual requirement. Program evaluations are not required at administrative facilities regardless of the work years of employment in the regular workforce. However, if these sites are going to apply for OSHA’s Voluntary Protection Program, a program evaluation is required. Administrative facilities include stand-alone District Offices, stand-alone Area Offices, and Remote Encoding Centers.
Annual program evaluations must be conducted by the district safety staff or plant safety specialists.
District and subordinate installations with more than 50 but less than 100 work years must have annual program evaluations. Usually, they are conducted by the facility safety coordinator (FSC), but the supporting manager, Safety, may elect to conduct the annual program evaluation in some instances. A program evaluation conducted by the supporting Safety Office fulfills the annual evaluation requirement.
- District or plant safety specialists must perform all National Performance Assessment (NPA) program evaluations at facilities with 100 or more work years.
- District safety specialists or members of trained District or Area teams may perform NPA program evaluations at facilities with 50 to 100 or less than 50 work years.
- It is recommended that safety personnel and FSCs do not perform NPA program evaluations at their own facilities. However, it is permissible if time, budget or resource constraints are an issue.
The procedure for reporting on a program evaluation includes the following steps:
- The evaluator(s) will hold an opening and closing conference with the installation head.
- The lead evaluator will enter the facility program evaluation record into the Safety Toolkit and use the reports module to produce a draft score sheet for discussion with the installation head at the closing conference.
- At the closing conference, the lead evaluator will present the findings and allow the installation head to present additional information that may impact the score.
- Once the closing conference is completed, the lead evaluator cannot consider any additional information provided by the installation head.
- The lead evaluator will make any necessary adjustments to the findings and score immediately following the closing conference and provide a copy of the draft score sheet to the installation head.
- The lead evaluator will finalize the evaluation in the Safety Toolkit within 5 calendar days of completion of the closing conference. Managers, Safety must send the final report to the Postmaster or plant manager, with copies to the appropriate manager, Post Office Operations, or lead plant manager.
- If any PEG criteria are not met, the installation head must complete an Action Plan in the Safety Toolkit. The Action Plan explains specific actions to be taken to eliminate program deficiencies. All actions outlined in the Action Plan must be fully implemented within 30 days from the date the PEG is finalized.
- The supporting manager, Safety, will monitor completion of Action Plans and report noncompliance through channels to the manager, Post Office Operations, or plant manager at least once a quarter. The Safety Toolkit Evaluation Reports Module will generate the noncompliance report.
