[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 234 (Thursday, December 5, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66664-66665]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-26275]
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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE
Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers
Occupational Safety and Health Programs for Federal Employees
AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.
ACTION: Notice; request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Safety and Health
Requirements Manual (EM 385-1-1) is the gold standard for Safety and
Occupational Health regulations. The manual holds a long history dating
back to 1941 and is designed to facilitate the standardization of all
safety programs. The EM 385-1-1 prescribes the safety and health
requirements for all Corps of Engineers activities and operations. The
USACE is soliciting comments on the proposed revisions to EM 385-1-1.
DATES: Consideration will be given to all comments received by January
30, 2020.
ADDRESSES:
Electronic: You may submit comments concerning the EM 385-1-1
electronically by accessing the USACE Safety and Occupational Office
website at the following location: https://www.usace.army.mil/missions/safety-and-occupational-health/next-gen-em385-1-1/. Follow the
instructions at the listed website where comments will be collected and
reviewed.
Mail/Hand Delivery/Courier: Due to security requirements and
tracking, we will not accept or receive comments by hand delivery or
courier. Comments for considerations will only be accepted by
electronic submission.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steven Washington, Headquarters, U.S.
Army Corps of Engineers, Safety and Occupational Health Office, in
Washington, DC at 202-761-7678.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Executive Order (E.O.) 12196, Occupational
Safety and Health Programs for Federal Employees, was issued in 1980
and directed agencies heads to (1) Furnish to employees places and
conditions of employment that are free from recognized hazards that are
causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm; (2)
Operate an occupational safety and health program in accordance with
the requirements of this order and basic program elements promulgated
by the Secretary. DoDI 6055.1 was issued in 2014 (incorporated changes
in 2018) and the DoD policy. Following issuance of DoD Safety and
Occupational Health (SOH) Program DODI 6055.01; the AR-385-10, Army
Safety Program implements the requirements of the Occupational Safety
and Health Act of 1970 as implemented in E.O. 12196; 29 CFR 1960; DODI
6055.1; DoDI 6055.4; and DoDI 6055.7. Following the issuance of the AR-
385-10; the EM 385-1-1 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Safety and Health
Requirements Manual prescribes the safety and health requirements for
all Corps of Engineers activities and operations. The manual applies to
Headquarters, US Army Corps of Engineers (HQUSACE) elements, major
subordinate commands, districts, centers, laboratories, and field
operating activities (FOA), as well as USACE contracts and those
administered on behalf of USACE. Applicability extends to occupational
exposure for missions under the command of the Chief of Engineers,
whether accomplished by military, civilian, or contractor personnel.
USACE intends to update the manual within two years, and periodically
thereafter, to reflect such public input, experience, and innovation.
The agency will address significant comments received in the next
revision of this manual. All comments are welcomed and encouraged for
any section of the EM 385-1-1, Safety and Health Requirements Manual.
All suggestions such as additions, deletions, or revisions will be
considered and reviewed by established EM 385-1-1 Rewrite PDT for
adjudication. A process was created to clarify the information needed
to make a suggestion and to minimize the burden of the information
collected. The goal of the collection notice is to notify all external
stakeholders that the USACE Safety and Health Requirements Manual is
under review. In addition, the Corps created an inclusive process that
will allow stakeholders to provide comments and recommendations that
will be considered in the updated version of the manual. All input and
comments received will help improve the overall quality of the EM 385-
1-1 which will prevent injuries and save lives.
Instructions for Providing Comments
USACE is requesting assistance in the form of data, comments,
literature references, or field experiences, to help clarify the policy
requirements for implementing Safety and Occupational Health activities
for both Corps and contractor personnel. The current version of the
Safety and Health Requirements Manual (EM 385-1-1, Nov 2014) is
available for review on the USACE Publications website https://www.publications.usace.army.mil/Portals/76/Publications/EngineerManuals/EM_385-1-1.pdf). Additionally, a series of questions
has been provided for reviewers to consider as they evaluate the
document. While USACE welcomes any and all feedback on this Engineering
Manual, detailed responses to the questions provided will be
particularly helpful to USACE in clarifying, revising, adding, or
deleting information in a particular area/section/chapter. The most
useful comments will be derived from on-the-job experiences that are
covered within the topics of the manual. Commenters should use their
knowledge of working with USACE on various types of federal actions as
well as their understanding of consensus standards and other federal
Safety and Health regulations.
Comments and responses based on the current version of the Safety
and Health Requirements Manual (EM 385-1-1, Nov 2014) and the guiding
questions are being accepted through the website only. Literature
citations, experiential references, data, and other relevant reports
may be uploaded on the website with all comments prior to submission.
All comments will be compiled and sent to the EM 385-1-1 Rewrite PDT
for their consideration.
Future Actions
Feedback and comments provided through this notice will be
considered and the current version of the Safety and Health
Requirements Manual (EM 385-1-1, Nov 2014) will be updated as
appropriate. When the manual is finalized and published, a notice will
be placed in the Federal Register, on the
[[Page 66665]]
USACE Safety and Occupational Health Office website, and the document
itself will be made available through the typical publication process.
Dated: November 26, 2019.
R.D. James,
Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works).
[FR Doc. 2019-26275 Filed 12-4-19; 8:45 am]
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