Safety 917

The importance of correcting safety hazards on the work floor cannot be emphasized enough. With every hazard comes the risk of injury to someone. It would only be a matter of time before an employee is injured when hazards go unabated.

Each and every one of us has a responsibility to identify hazards and take appropriate actions to correct them. As employees on the work floor, you are the ones in the best position to notice hazards when they occur. You are the ones directly affected by the hazard.

Upon noticing a hazard or unsafe condition, you should report it to your supervisor immediately. If you or your supervisor can correct the condition then do so. If the hazard requires maintenance attention, the supervisor will arrange it. If the hazard cannot be corrected, you may file a 1767 to document the condition. The following actions should take place.

2. By the end of the tour, the supervisor should return your blue copy with the action taken. At that time, they will forward the white copy to the next level manager and the pink copy to the Safety Office.

3. The next level manager will investigate the hazard and have corrective action taken. They should provide a written response to the employee within fifteen days if no hazard exists. If maintenance work orders are required, they will request them and provide a written response upon completion.

4. The supervisor will investigate and monitor the completion of the abatement of the hazard. As of January 5, 2006, “the supervisor must verbally inform the employee as to the abatement status at the end of each 7-day interval.”

If for any reason you, as the employee reporting the hazard, do not see corrective action being taken, you may address this through your supervisor. If at any time action has still not been taken, you may address the situation with the next level manager. If no results are attained, please forward it directly to the Safety Office.

Remember, you have the option of submitting 1767 forms anonymously to the Safety Office.

Directions for the processing of PS Form 1767 are provided for on the reverse side of the forms.

Boise P&DC is the first USPS facility to win the highest rating in the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)’s new Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) Corporate program since the Postal Service became the first federal agency accepted into the corporate pilot last month.

Corporate programs to promote outstanding workplace safety and health management have long been recognized by VPP. OSHA created the VPP Corporate pilot program to streamline the recognition process for individual facilities.

In awarding “Star” status to the Boise plant, OSHA noted four areas of excellence — craft and management safety leadership, ergonomics, emergency preparedness and electrical safety.

Philadelphia BMC has become the first bulk mail center — and the largest USPS facility — to be awarded the VPP Corporate Star. Peter Brown of OSHA says thanks go in large part to employee support for the initiative. “We could feel the trust in this facility as soon as we walked in,” Brown said. “The most rewarding part was the solid union support.”

Union officials, in turn, had high praise for BMC manager Florence Spady, citing her ‘open-door’ policy and style of trust and commitment to the well-being of her employees as the reason for the program’s success.

From left; DeWitt Harris, Vice President Employee Resource Management; Pat Donahoe, Deputy Postmaster General & Chief Operating Officer; Doug Tulino, Vice President, Labor Relations; Jonathan Snare, Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health; John Hegarty, Postal Mail Handlers Union President; Sam Pulcrano, USPS Safety Performance Manager; William Burrus, American Postal Workers Union President; Tony Vegliante, Chief Human Resources Officer and Executive VP, and Jack Potter, Post Master General, Chief Executive Officer, at OSHA VPP Corporate ceremony.

Today, during a ceremony at USPS Headquarters, the Postal Service became the first federal agency accepted into the Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (OSHA) new Voluntary Protection Program (VPP) Corporate pilot. The VPP program emphasizes cooperative efforts by management, craft employees and union representatives to identify and eliminate unsafe working conditions and practices to reduce the number and severity of job-related injuries and illnesses.

“Safety and health add value to our lives, to our workplace and to our business,” said Postmaster General Jack Potter. “It’s a triple win: Our employees benefit, the organization benefits and the country benefits.” He said the VPP Corporate pilot initiative is a driving force for the continued safety and health of the more than 700,000 career postal employees working at more than 37,000 facilities nationwide.

Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Jonathan Snare said USPS was accepted to VPP Corporate after a comprehensive evaluation of its safety and health management systems at its headquarters in Washington, D.C. The Postal Service currently has 20 work sites participating in the VPP program and expects to add 65 more by the end of fiscal year 2005.

n Safety Toolkit — a comprehensive online safety information, management and tracking system.

n National Performance Assessment, which includes a safety performance scorecard.

n Performance Evaluation Guide, which evaluates and tracks worksite safety and health improvements.

American Postal Workers Union President William Burrus, commenting on the cooperative spirit of the VPP program said, “We all have the same objectives — we want employees to leave work in the same physical and mental condition as when they arrived. This program gives us another opportunity to keep that promise. Safety is a concern to all of us.”

National Postal Mail Handlers Union President John Hegarty agreed, “We’re pleased that the program will be streamlined to get it out to the field quicker. We’ve broken new ground in providing a safer workplace. By continuing to work together, we move even closer to an injury-free workplace.”

Since 2001, successful USPS safety leadership efforts have resulted in a 36% reduction in the total number of OSHA reportable injuries and illnesses. In fiscal year 2004, total OSHA illnesses and injuries were reduced by 17% compared to the previous year — a reduction of more than 8,000 illnesses and injuries

U.S. Postal Service Named First Federal Agency in OSHA's 'VPP Corporate' Pilot Program

6/21/2005 4:06:00 PM

To: National Desk

Contact: Bill Wright of the U.S. Department of Labor, 202-693-1999

WASHINGTON, June 21 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) today approved the United States Postal Service (USPS) as the first federal organization in OSHA's "Voluntary Protection Programs (VPP) Corporate" pilot program.

The Voluntary Protection Programs recognize and promote outstanding workplace safety and health management. USPS joins Georgia-Pacific Corporation as the first two organizations to be formally accepted in the VPP Corporate pilot program, which streamlines the application and onsite evaluation processes for corporations that have made a commitment to VPP.

"The U.S. Postal Service has been a strong partner with OSHA in a variety of cooperative initiatives, and has been an active participant in VPP since 2001," said Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Jonathan L. Snare during ceremonies at USPS Headquarters in Washington. "The continued commitment to the safety and health of the entire USPS workforce is truly exemplary and worthy of emulation by other corporate entities. We are proud to recognize that commitment and we applaud your willingness to continue to work with us for even safer and healthier workplaces."

Postmaster General John E. Potter said that the VPP Corporate Pilot initiative is a driving force for the continued safety and health of the more than 700,000 career postal employees at more than 37,000 facilities nationwide. Potter said, "We are committed to working with our partners to achieve safety and health excellence. This initiative is a triple win; our employees benefit, the organization benefits and the country benefits."

USPS now has 17 worksites actively participating in the VPP. About 100 USPS worksites are expected to apply for VPP designation in 2005, due largely to their commitment to two initiatives launched last year: "OSHA Challenge" and "VPP Corporate." USPS was a charter "Challenge" participant and in April became the first federal organization to successfully complete an evaluation under the VPP Corporate pilot program. The evaluation included key aspects of USPS' safety and health policies, programs and records, as well as interviews with senior managers and executives and labor officials.

USPS visits 142 million homes and businesses every day and is the only service provider delivering to every address in the nation. USPS delivers more than 46 percent of the world's mail volume, and serves seven million customers each day.

Employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthful workplace for their employees. OSHA's role is to assure the safety and health of America's workers by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach, and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual improvement in workplace safety and health. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.

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