- PARTNERS
The partners to this Agreement are:
- The U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA)
- The U.S. Department of the Army (Army).
- PURPOSE / SCOPE
In the fall of 2003, the Army approached OSHA with a desire to use a proactive
approach to aggressively improve Army civilian workforce safety and health at
their installations. The Army recognized that OSHA had valuable expertise in
workplace safety and health, and could offer useful tools, such as
participation in the Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP), and OSHA Challenge,
to help achieve the goal of improved safety and health at Army Installations.
In return, OSHA recognized that a partnership with the Army allows the
partners to focus on a diverse spectrum of workplace safety and health
management system processes, hazards, challenges, and best practices. OSHA
also recognized that it could share knowledge gained from an Army Partnership
with its own staff, and with other employers and industries. Additionally, the
lessons learned from the Partnership could be used to further improve safety
and health at non-partner Army installations.
The Army and OSHA entered into their first Partnership Agreement on 15 October
2004. By continuing this relationship, the Army and OSHA formalize their
commitment to continue improving safety and health by reducing occupational
injuries and illnesses at Army Installations. This agreement supports the
goals of the President’s Safety, Health, and Return-to-Employment (SHARE)
initiative.
This agreement in no way supersedes OSHA’s authority with respect to Federal
agencies under Executive Order 12196, nor will the partnership collect
illness, injury or other data related to Soldiers in order to determine VPP
status.
- PARTICIPATION GOALS
The Army and OSHA will work in partnership to accomplish the following goals:
- Reduce civilian and contractor workforce fatalities, injuries, and
illnesses at each participating Army installation by at least 3% each year
consistent with SHARE goals.
- Expand awareness of the value of effective safety and health management
systems.
- Expand the Army’s participation in VPP.
- Share best practices and successes with non-partner Army installations
and others with similar safety and health issues or concerns.
- Convey civilian workforce safety and health best practices and
injury/illness reduction lessons learned to Soldiers where appropriate.
The Partnership will achieve these goals using the strategies and
measurements listed in Appendix A, thereby improving the safety and health
environment so that OSHA, Army, and employees’ representatives can work
together to reduce illnesses and injuries on Army installations.
- PARTNER ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES
The Army and OSHA agree to work in partnership to improve safety and health
performance at Army installations participating in the OSHA Strategic
Partnership.
The Army agrees to:
- Identify Army installations to participate in the Partnership and VPP.
- Promote the establishment and/or improvement of safety and health
management systems, and the integration of those systems into the overall
business management system.
- Conduct employee surveys to measure levels of safety and health
awareness.
- Identify and promote avenues for increased employee involvement in
Safety and Occupational Health (SOH) management systems.
- Promote the benefits of VPP and support Partnership installations
working towards OSHA VPP recognition.
- Support Army employees in the performance of activities similar to those
performed by Special Governmental Employees (SGEs) participating in OSHA’s
SGE Program, such as participation on OSHA VPP Onsite Evaluation Teams.
- Support an overall workplace culture that values safety and health as a
part of daily business operations.
- Share baseline and ongoing measurement data with OSHA developed in
accordance with Appendix A.
- Solicit OSHA participation in Army-sponsored safety and health training
events.
- Facilitate communication among all Army Partnership installations/sites
to share best practices and lessons learned.
- Serve as the OSHA Challenge Administrator for the Army.
OSHA agrees to:
- Work cooperatively with the Army to provide safety and health
information, technical assistance, and training (as resources allow), to
facilitate improvements in safety and health management systems.
- Ensure that affected OSHA staff, including Compliance Assistance
Specialists and Compliance Safety and Health Officers, is familiar with
Partnership requirements and objectives, and encourage them to provide
assistance as requested by the Army.
- As resources allow, participate in Army conferences and professional
functions.
- Establish an OSHA partnership contact for each Partnership Army
installation or organization to enhance the local working relationship
between OSHA and the Army.
- Facilitate mentoring support between Partnership Army installations.
- Facilitate communication with participating OSHA field staff to resolve
issues and share partnership results.
- Support Partnership goals through the use of OSHA Challenge, the SGE
Program, and other cooperative strategies.
- BENEFITS
OSHA will offer the following benefits to participating Army installations:
- OSHA will maximize the resolution of complaints received against
participating Army installations through the use of phone and fax consistent
with OSHA’s Field Instruction Reference Manual (FIRM) and Complaint Policies
and Procedures Directive (CPL 02-00-140).
- OSHA will recognize Army achievements at participating installations in
working toward the Partnership goals.
- For hazards not citable as serious, a notice will not be issued if the
hazard is abated during any enforcement inspection.
- A six-month deferral from targeted enforcement inspections. For initial
participating installations, the deferral shall begin with the effective
date of the partnership (also referred to as the “kick-off visit”).
Deferrals for additional installations shall begin on the date they are
formally added to the Partnership.
- VERIFICATION
OSHA will review, at least annually, documentation to determine whether
partners are implementing the provisions of the OSP agreement. The
documentation selected for review should relate to the goals, objectives, and
stated measures of the OSP agreement as determined by the PMT. Examples
include illness and injury data, VPP gap analyses, training course agendas, or
results of self-audits. This verification will be performed offsite. Once an
Army Partnership site has achieved VPP status, they will be removed from the
Partnership. Army Partnership sites will remain subject to OSHA enforcement
inspections and sanctions except as specified under Section V (Benefits) of
this agreement.
- PARTNERSHIP MANAGEMENT
A partnership Management Team (PMT) will facilitate the direction and
management of the Partnership. The PMT will consist of the following Army and
OSHA representatives:
- OSHA National Office representation from the Directorate of Cooperative
and State Programs and the Directorate of Enforcement Programs.
- OSHA Regional and/or Area Office staff.
- Headquarters, Department of the Army representation; ordinarily this
will be from the Office of the Deputy Assistant Secretary of the Army for
Environment, Safety and Occupational Health.
- Army representation from installations participating in the Partnership.
The PMT will perform a variety of activities to facilitate the success of
the Partnership, including:
- Determine Partnership procedures.
- Hold meetings and/or conference calls as circumstances require.
- Validate and prioritize Army sites/installations preparing for VPP
recognition/participation for OSHA.
- Track, analyze, and share information on Partnership activities and
results.
- Meet at least annually to jointly evaluate the effectiveness of the
Partnership. The evaluation will be due annually on the effective date of
the Partnership and will follow the written format listed in the Directive
on OSHA Strategic Partnerships, Appendix C.
- Ensure that issues and concerns, as well as best practices and
successes, are appropriately communicated.
- EMPLOYEE AND EMPLOYER RIGHTS
This partnership does not preclude employees and/or employers from exercising
any right provided under the OSH Act (or, for federal employees, 29 CFR1960),
nor does it abrogate any responsibility to comply with rules and regulations
adopted pursuant to the Act.
- FUNDS
It is not anticipated that any funding will be transferred between OSHA and
the Army as a result of this Partnership. Each Partner shall fund its own
participation in this Partnership Agreement, and each Partner’s participation
shall be subject to the availability of appropriated funds.
- TERMINATION AND MODIFICATIONS
This agreement will terminate 3 years from the later date of the signature of
the Partners. Either the Army or OSHA may withdraw from participation in the
Partnership prior to the established termination date by providing written
notice of the intent to withdraw to the other Partner. The agreement will be
terminated upon receipt of the written notice by the other Partner.
Modification or amendments to this Agreement may be made at any time by
written Agreement of the Partners.
- SIGNATORIES
| ________________________________ |
|
________________________________ |
|
Edwin G. Foulke, Jr.
Assistant Secretary of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health
Administration |
|
Keith E. Eastin
Assistant Secretary of the Army
(Installations and Environment)
Designated Agency Safety and Health Official
|
| Date: _________________________ |
Date: ____________________________ |
Appendix A – Goals, Strategies, and Objectives
| Goals |
Strategies |
Measures |
| 1) Reduce civilian & contractor workforce fatalities, injuries, and illness at
participating Army installations by at least 3% per year consistent with SHARE
goals. |
a) Identify top injury, illness and fatality causal factors at each
OSPP installation through review of injury/illness data and other supporting
documentation.
b) Develop a protocol to address top causal factors, hazard identification, and
hazard abatement. |
i) Total Case Incidence Rate (TCIR).
ii) The Days Away, Restricted, Transferred Case Incidence Rate (DART).
iii) Number of civilian or contractor fatalities compared to the OSP baseline.
iv) Number and analysis of near-misses. |
| 2) Expand awareness of the value of effective safety and health management
systems. |
a) Complete a baseline assessment for each installation using OSHA’s Challenge
tool and/or the VPP Gap Analysis tool developed by the DoD VPPCX.
b) Conduct employee awareness surveys (baseline and after one year).
c) Expand and improve tools to promote safety & health and share best practices
(i.e., VPP website, meetings, etc.
d) Increase training/events to promote safety & health. |
i) Number of sites completing baseline assessments.
ii) Number/percentage of sites using OSHA Challenge and the data reflecting the
status of their participation.
iii) Level of safety awareness as rated by employee surveys. |
| 3) Expand the Army’s participation in VPP |
a) Facilitate the use of mentors to help participating sites to achieve VPP
status.
b) Use the OSHA Challenge tool and/or the DoD VPPCX VPP Gap Analysis Tool to
identify areas for improvement at participating sites and track progress towards
achieving VPP recognition. |
i) Number or percent of sites using mentors.
ii) Number/percent of sites/installations who have applied for or been approved
to VPP.
iii) Number of employees covered at sites participating in VPP. |
| 4) Share best practices and successes with other Army installations and similar
worksites in other industries. |
a) Use OSHA and DoD VPPCX websites to highlight best practices and successes.
b) Develop and/or expand internal methods for Army to share best practices and
successes with non-participating Army installations. |
i) Number of best practices and successes identified and/or posted on the web.
ii) Number/percent of non-partner Army sites incorporating best practices at
their installations.
iii) Web hits on the DoD VPPCX website. |
| 5) Convey civilian workforce safety & health best practices and injury/illness
reduction lessons learned with Soldiers where appropriate. |
a) Use DoD VPPCX website and Army newsletters to promote best practices. |
i) Number of best practices identified and shared.
ii) Number of newsletter articles generated.
iii) Summary of feedback from DoD VPPCX website. |
Appendix B
Army Partnership Installations/Organizations/Sites
Working Towards VPP Recognition/Participation
| OSHA Region |
Army Installation |
| 2 |
United States Military Academy, West Point, NY
U.S. Army Garrison – Fort Drum, NY
Waterviliet Arsenal, NJ |
| 3 |
U.S. Army Garrison - Fort Belvoir, VA
U.S. Army Garrison - Fort Indiantown Gap, PA
U.S. Army Garrison – Fort Meade, MD
U.S. Army Garrison – Fort A.P. Hill, VA
U.S. Army Engineer District – Baltimore, MD
U.S. Army Garrison – Fort Lee, VA
U.S. Army Garrison – Fort Eustis, VA
Quartermaster School & Army Management Staff College – Fort Lee, VA
Transportation Center & School – Fort Eustis, VA |
| 4 |
Blue Grass Army Depot, KY
U.S. Army Garrison - Fort Bragg, NC
U.S. Army Garrison - Fort Jackson, SC
U.S. Army Engineer District – Louisville, KY
U.S. Army Garrison – Fort Campbell, KY
Anniston Army Depot, AL |
| 5 |
Crane Army Ammunition Plant
Rock Island Arsenal, IL |
| 6 |
Corpus Christi Army Depot, TX
McAlester Army Ammunition Plant, OK
Pine Bluff Arsenal, AR
Red River Army Depot, TX
White Sands Missile Range, NM
Military Training Area Camp Robinson, AR
U.S. Army Garrison – Fort Hood, TX |
| 7 |
U.S. Army Garrison - Fort Riley, KS
U.S. Army Garrison - Fort Leonard Wood, MO
Chemical, MP, Engineer and Drill Sergeant Schools – Fort Leonard Wood, MO |
| 8 |
Tooele Army Depot, UT
Camp Grafton Training Center, Devils Lake, ND |
| 9 |
Sierra Army Depot, CA |
| 10 |
U.S. Army Engineer District – Portland, OR
Bonnevile Powerhouse & Dam, Portland Engineer District, Portland, OR
Other U.S. Army Garrison – Grafenwoehr (Germany)
U.S. Army Garrison – Kaiserslautern (Germany) |
|
Back to Top
Printing Instructions