News Update
October 27, 2021
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When Safety Is My “Other” Job
by Ken Cushman
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It wouldn’t be going too far out on a limb to say that most of the people reading this are at least somewhat interested in the realms of Safety & Occupational Health (SOH). Many of you are probably employed by a construction company or other business entity that has managed to take a bit of overhead, or profit, to carve out the funding for an individual, or perhaps a team, to handle compliance issues surrounding the work being done. There is, after all, data that helps prove a payoff in doing so, as non-compliance and mishaps are far more brutal to the bottom line than the planned expenditures for these personnel.
What happens if there is no overhead account or profit margin to pillage, as you would find at a government agency. How do they deal with compliance? “Collateral duty personnel” refers to ‘a duty that is secondary and supplemental to the primary duty of the employee’ that is typically used by the federal government and in most cases involves the employee spending up to 20% of their time on the secondary duty. Government agencies use collateral duty personnel to augment or even replace a full-time or part-time person in their SOH program, often giving someone with little understanding of safety and health the reins to the program.
So, are government agencies excluded from complying with OSHA or other compliance agencies? In a word, no. There are provisions within the OSH Act of 1970 that delegate OSHA jurisdiction over state and local government employees down to the states, with many states creating their own programs that cover both private and government employers alike. This means that government employees do have to follow the same industry standards written in the CFR or equivalent state-level regulations as other businesses.
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Formerly OSHA 6000, this course provides the federal employee the opportunity to learn basic safety and health hazard recognition for the workplace. This course introduces federal agency collateral duty safety & health personnel to the OSH Act, Executive Order 12196, 29 CFR 1960 and 29 CFR 1910.
The training enables federal agency collateral duty safety and health personnel to effectively assist safety and health officers with inspection and abatement efforts.
November 15-18 VILT via Zoom
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If you’d like to learn more about Part 1960 and get some practical insight into building a safety program as a part-time, or Collateral Duty Safety Officer, consider signing up for OSHA #6005-Collateral Duty Course for Other Federal Agencies. This course is taught from the perspective of a federal safety professional, and focuses on the basic elements needed to get a new safety program off the ground or pick up one that has been flailing.
Instructor: Ken Cushman
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Ken Cushman has nearly 30 years of safety and occupational health experience beginning with 8 years in the US Air Force, and now has over 20 years as an instructor. Ken has taught courses in Electrical Safety, Accident Investigation, LOTO, Confined Space, Machine Guarding, Safety and Health Programs, Hazardous Materials, Construction Standards, and Collateral Duty Safety among others. He has held safety certifications from the BCSP as an Occupational Safety & Health Technologist, ANSI as a Safety & Health Management Professional, and a Safety Management Certificate from ASSE. Most of Ken’s time is spent as a regional manager responsible for overseeing health, safety, and environmental programs for a federal research agency in 8 western states and running his small construction company.
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Region 9 OTI Education Centers Sign
Alliance Agreement with OSHA
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The OSHA Training Institute Education Centers in Region 9 have signed an Alliance Agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) to formally recognize the regional education centers as collaborative partners with the federal agency. The virtual signing took place on October 21, 2021, and included representatives from OSHA’s San Francisco Regional Office and OSHA Training Institute Education Centers at Chabot-Las Positas Community College District (CLPCCD), Arizona State University, California State University Dominguez Hills, and the University of California, San Diego.
“The OSHA Training Institute Education Center at Chabot-Las Positas Community College District is excited to formalize our already close working relationships through this Alliance,” says Assistant Director Cari Elofson-Callahan. “We look forward to expanding OSHA outreach, education and training, and assistance programs throughout our communities and the workforce.”
OSHA’s Alliance Program enables the agency to develop voluntary, collaborative working relationships with organizations committed to workplace safety and health. Through the Alliance Program, OSHA works with organizations to share information about the agency’s initiatives and offers compliance assistance resources to help educate workers and employers about their rights and responsibilities and to prevent workplace fatalities, injuries, and illnesses.
OSHA Region 9 covers California, Nevada, Arizona, Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa, and the Northern Mariana Islands.
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The National Safety Council (NSC) is working to increase female participation in the safety industry. The NSC Women’s Initiative provides recognition, scholarship opportunities and events to support women in safety and educate all safety professionals on issues that disproportionately affect the female workforce. Learn More
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Northern California Facilities Expo Features OTIEC Instructor Richard DeBusk speaking on Electrical Safety |
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The Northern California Facilities Expo takes place on October 27-28, 2021, at the Santa Clara Convention Center. The Expo provides valuable learning and networking opportunities and brings together the facilities engineering, MRO and green building communities. The Expo attracts a diverse audience from a wide variety of industries, including food processing, government, healthcare, manufacturing, education, wineries, utilities and others.
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OTIEC instructor Richard DeBusk will present Electrical Safety Fundamentals on Thursday, October 28, 2021, 1:00 PM - 2:00 PM. Richard will review electrical terminology and systems, then address some of the hazards associated with electrical work. The workshop will culminate in a job hazard analysis of several typical work situations involving electrical hazards. Participants will have the opportunity to work together to determine how to do these jobs safely and meet OSHA and other safety regulations. Learn more about the Northern California Facilities Expo.
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In-Person Classes: Physical distancing and other safety guidelines are followed in all In-Person classes, and class sizes are reduced. |
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In Region IX OSHA numbered Virtual, Instructor-Led classes offered via Zoom are only available to participants located in California, Arizona, Nevada, Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa and the Northern Mariana Islands. Contact us if you are unsure if this applies to you. |
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5860 Owens Drive
3rd Floor
Pleasanton, CA 94588
Phone: 866-936-6742
Fax: 925-460-0133
E-Mail
Website
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We are available to respond to your inquiries at otc@clpccd.org or 866-936-6742.
The recommendations in this newsletter are advisory in nature, informational in content, and intended to assist employers in providing a safe and healthful workplace.
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