Employees

Effective immediately, as set forth in the policy letter on the following page (see Exhibit 1), new procedures are established for the inspection of facilities with less than 100 work years of employment.

The Employee Labor Relations Manual (ELM), 824.331, requires your Facility Safety Coordinator (FSC) to conduct an annual Safety and Health Inspection of your facility. The FSC should lead the inspection team (ELM 824.332). The PC/District Safety staff members will provide technical assistance to you on request. You must take the following actions:

1. Complete the inspection using the hardcopy checklists from the Safety Resources Web page or enter the inspection findings into the Safety Toolkit Web application no later than February 28, 2006.

2. Use the safety and health inspection checklists that correspond to the number of work years at your facility. The inspection checklists are available on the Safety Resources Web page or in the Safety Toolkit Web application.

One union representative from the local safety and health committee may participate in the annual inspection of each installation with less than 100 work years of employment in the regular workforce where the committee exists in the installation being inspected. In those installations that do not have a safety and health committee, the inspectors afford the opportunity for a bargaining unit employee (from each union that represents employees in that installation) to accompany them during these inspections. If requested, these bargaining unit employees should be selected on a rotational basis by the various exclusive bargaining representatives in that installation (ELM 824.332).

When you have completed the inspection you must:

1. Provide a copy of the inspection report to the employee representative(s) and post a copy for employee review (ELM 824.426).

2. Establish a Hazard Abatement Committee within 5 working days of receipt of the inspection and meet to assign priorities and specific abatement dates within the limits set by the inspection team (ELM 824.52).

3. Notify the supporting Safety manager that the inspection has been performed by sending the manager a copy of the Safety and Health Inspection Certification Letter (see Exhibit 2 on page 2) before February 28, 2006. The FSCs that enter the inspection findings into the Safety Toolkit are not required to complete the Safety and Health Inspection Certification Letter.

4. Correct the serious deficiencies first, and all deficiencies as soon as possible. Keep records of the corrections of deficiencies in hardcopy or enter the correction dates (abatement dates) into the Safety Toolkit.

• If you can't correct the deficiencies in 20 days, prepare a Hazard Abatement Plan (HAP) and forward the plan to the district manager. Provide a copy of the plan to your supporting PC/District/Safety Office (ELM 824.532). The Safety Toolkit provides the HAP template for those inspections entered into the Safety Toolkit. The HAP can be completed in the Safety Toolkit, which will then produce the required HAP report.

• If you can't correct the deficiencies in 45 days, forward a copy of the HAP through management channels to the Vice President, Area Operations, with copies to the area Human Resources manager and PC/District Safety Office (ELM 824.533).

Exhibit 1

September 28, 2005

VICE PRESIDENTS, AREA OPERATIONS
MANAGER, CAPITAL METRO OPERATIONS

SUBJECT: Safety and Health Inspections

Safety Performance Management is modifying the procedures used to ensure that all facilities with less than 100 work years of employment in the regular workforce are inspected annually. This policy letter establishes the new procedures.

The Employee and Labor Relations Manual (ELM), 824.331, requires the collateral duty Facility Safety Coordinators (FSCs) to conduct annual safety and health inspections of each facility with less than 100 work years of employment in the regular workforce. The FSC must:

• Perform the inspection following the instructions in "Fiscal Year 2006 Safety and Health Inspection Instructions."

• Use the safety and health inspection checklists that correspond to the number of work years at the facility. The inspection checklists are available on the Safety Resources Web page or in the Safety Toolkit Web application.

• Complete the inspection using the hardcopy checklists (which also serve as the inspection report) from the Safety Resources Web page and submit the certification letter to your safety office no later than February 28, 2006. You may enter the inspection findings into the Safety Toolkit Web application instead of completing the inspection report in hardcopy. If you enter the inspection into the Safety Toolkit, record abatement of deficiencies in the Safety Toolkit.

The supporting Safety office will provide technical assistance, as needed, and will provide copies of the checklists to those FSCs that do not have access to a computer and the Safety Resources Web page. FSCs are encouraged to enter inspection findings into the Safety Toolkit.

I appreciate your support with this effort.

DeWitt O. Harris
Vice President
Employee Resource Management

— Safety Performance Management, Employee Resource Management, 10-27-05

Exhibit 2

PC/District Safety Office
Attn: Manager, Safety and Health

From: Postmaster,

Date:

Subject: Safety and Health Inspection Certification Letter FY 06

Deficiency Description:

*Imminent Danger (I) - a situation where there is a reasonable certainty that a danger exists that could cause death or serious physical harm immediately or before the danger can be eliminated through normal abatement procedures. Contact your supporting Safety manager before assigning a Hazard Classification of Imminent Danger.

*Serious Danger (S) - a situation in which there is substantial probability that death or serious physical harm could result.

*Non-Serious Danger (N) - a situation that does have a direct relationship to job safety and health but probably would not cause death or serious physical harm.

We have completed our annual Safety and Health Inspection. I have:

• Reviewed the inspection results.

• Attached a copy of the inspection report for your information.

• Provided a copy of the inspection to the employee representative(s).

• Posted a copy for employee review.

• Scheduled a meeting of our Hazard Abatement Committee.

The committee has met and assigned priorities for correction of the deficiencies found during the inspection.

I need your assistance in correcting the following deficiencies:

1.

2.

___________________________________

Postmaster's Signature and Printed Name