Effective November 22, 2007, the Employment and Labor Relations Manual (ELM) 812.5 is revised to include a requirement for supervisors to use two new Postal Service™ forms. PS Form 4588, Observation of Work Practices — Delivery Services, and PS Form 4589, Observation of Work Practices — General, will be used by supervisors to document their observations of employees’ work practices.
Employee and Labor Relations Manual (ELM)
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8 Safety, Health, and Environment
810 Occupational Safety and Health Program
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812 Management Responsibilities
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[Revise title and text of 812.5 as follows:]
812.5 Supervisors’ Responsibilities
812.51 General
Supervisors are responsible for identifying and correcting physical hazards, investigating and reporting accidents, administering OSHA-mandated written programs, conducting accident prevention activities, training employees, developing job safety analyses, and enforcing safe work practices.
Supervisors are encouraged to attend annual safety and health training.
812.52 Observation of Work Practices
Supervisors will observe employees’ work practices to ensure that they are working safely. Supervisors will document their observations on PS Form 4588, Observation of Work Practices — Delivery Services, or PS Form 4589, Observation of Work Practices — General, whichever is appropriate. When used correctly, these forms can help the supervisor and the employee to identify and eliminate work practices that could lead to accidents and injuries. Use of these forms also gives the supervisor an opportunity to recognize and reinforce safe work practices.
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We will incorporate this revision into the next printed version of the ELM and into the next online update, available on the Postal Service™ PolicyNet Web site:
(The direct URL for the Postal Service PolicyNet Web site is http://blue.usps.gov/cpim.)
The ELM is also available on the Postal Service Internet:
- Go to www.usps.com.
- Click on About USPS & News, then Forms & Publications, then Postal Periodicals and Publications, and then Manuals.
— Safety and Environmental Program Management,
Employee Resource Management, 11-22-07
