NASA Procedures and Guidelines
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NPR 8715.1A Eff. Date: March 05, 2012 Cancellation Date:	NASA Occupational Safety and Health Programs
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Chapter 1. General

1.1 Background

1.1.1 It is NASA policy to implement a comprehensive Occupational Safety and Health Program consistent with the following Federal requirements:

a. The OSH Act of 1970, as amended, 29 U.S.C. 651 et.seq. which requires the development and enforcement of standards to ensure safe and healthful working conditions for employees in the private sector and contains provisions applying to Federal agencies and their employees. Section 19 of the OSH Act requires Federal agencies to have a comprehensive occupational safety and health program consistent with the standards authorized by Section 6 of the OSH Act.

b. Executive Order 12196 which directs Federal agencies to implement effective occupational safety and health programs provides for the evaluation of Federal agency programs by the Department of Labor (DOL) and also provides for the transmittal of these evaluations to the President.

c. 29 C.F.R. pt. 1960 which provides basic elements for Federal employee occupational safety and health.

Note: NPR 1800.1, paragraph P.1.b, states that it is NASA policy to follow the most protective/conservative standard that applies.

1.2 Leadership Responsibilities and Requirements

1.2.1 The NASA Administrator is the senior NASA official responsible for Agency-wide safety and health.

1.2.2 The Agency Mission Support Council serves as the executive board responsible for addressing the NASA occupational safety and health program (see 29 C.F.R. § 1960.36).

1.2.3 The NASA Designated Agency Safety and Health Official (DASHO) is responsible for assuring that 29 C.F.R. pt. 1960 requirements at the Agency level are fulfilled and implemented (see 29 C.F.R. § 1960.6).

Note: At NASA, the DASHO is the Chief Health and Medical Officer (see NPD 1000.3 paragraph 4.16).

a. The DASHO serves as the Agency coordinator for submitting requests on behalf of NASA for approval by the Secretary of Labor for waivers to OSHA requirements (aka: OSHA variance) and approval of alternate or supplemental standards.

Note: 29 C.F.R. § 1960.17 and 29 C.F.R. § 1904.38 (for variances from record keeping) and 29 C.F.R. pt. 1905 (for variances from rules of practice) provide the requirements for requesting variances to OSHA requirements.

1.2.4 The safety and health functions at NASA are administered by two separate functional offices. The safety function is managed by the Office of Safety and Mission Assurance (OSMA), and the health function is managed by the Office of the Chief Health and Medical Officer.

Notes: 1) OSMA is responsible for the management, direction, and policy, and oversight of the specific elements of 29 C.F.R. pt. 1960 pertaining to Agency safety. OSMA is responsible for participating in reviews and evaluating NASA activities for conformance with prescribed safety polices, standards, and procedures and recommending necessary corrective action to obtain conformance when discrepancies are identified.

2) Within the Office of the Chief Health and Medical Officer, the Director, NASA Occupational Health is responsible for the management, direction, policy, and oversight of the specific elements of 29 C.F.R. pt. 1960, pertaining to occupational health for the Agency.

3) The Office of the Chief Health and Medical Officer, Environmental Health Officer is responsible for participation in reviews and evaluating NASA activities for conformance with prescribed occupational health policies, standards, and procedures and recommending necessary corrective action to obtain conformance when discrepancies are identified.

1.2.5 The Chief/SMA, in conjunction with the DASHO, shall:

a. Lead the safety and health training program throughout NASA (Requirement).

b. Maintain liaisons with other Government and industry training organizations for the purposes of sharing best practices and lessons learned (Requirement 31593).

1.2.6 29 C.F.R. § 1960.17 and § 1960.18 provide the authority and requirements for NASA to produce standards to implement and supplement the requirements in 29 C.F.R. pt. 1960.

Notes: 1) NASA may develop alternate standards or accept non-NASA consensus standards to provide equivalent or greater protection for affected employees.

2) If there are NASA operations that are not covered by OSHA standards, OSHA requires NASA to develop a supplementary standard to provide protection to employees.

3) Preparation of NASA standards to implement and supplement the requirements in 29 C.F.R. pt. 1960 requires close coordination between the Chief Health and Medical Officer and Chief/SMA.

4) The Secretary of Labor is required to concur on any NASA standards that implement and supplement the requirements in 29 C.F.R. pt. 1960 require (see paragraph 1.2.3.a).

1.2.7 For any Presidential mandate requiring NASA to meet a set of OSHA and Federal Workers' Compensation metrics (e.g., Safety, Health And Return-to-Employment Initiative and Protecting Our Workers and Ensuring Reemployment Initiative), the Chief/SMA and the DASHO shall collaborate to establish internal Agency goals, track progress and identify trends, and provide input for the Agency's Annual OSHA Report.

1.2.8 29 C.F.R. § 1960.7 requires that the NASA budget include financial and other resources to effectively implement and administer the Agency's occupational safety and health program.

1.3 Employee Reports of Unsafe and Unhealthful Working Conditions

1.3.1 29 C.F.R. § 1960.28 specifies the process for employees to report unsafe or unhealthful conditions and for NASA to address and respond to these reports. At NASA, the following appeal route (in order of precedence) is available:

a. Supervisor.

b. Center or Component Facility Safety/Health Official(s), as appropriate.

c. Center Director or Manager.

d. Designated Agency Safety and Health Official (for unhealthful conditions) and/or Chief/SMA (for unsafe conditions).

e. NASA Safety Reporting System (NSRS).

f. Office of Federal Agency Safety and Health Programs (OSHA/DOL).

1.3.2 Complaints or grievances may also be registered through the NASA grievance procedures, through those procedures contained in agreements negotiated with recognized labor organizations, or through the NASA Office of Inspector General.

1.3.3 Center Directors shall establish systems to collect and address employee reports of unsafe or unhealthful conditions (Requirement).

1.4 Freedom From Reprisal

29 C.F.R. § 1960.46.(a), et al, states that no employee can be subject to restraint, interference, coercion, discrimination, or reprisal for filing a report of an unsafe or unhealthful working condition or for participating in the activities of the Agency occupational safety and health programs. (See paragraph 2.3.2 for more information on preventing reprisals.)

1.5 Safety and Health Training

1.5.1 29 C.F.R. § 1960.54-.60 provides requirements for required safety and health training to include who must be trained and minimum course content.

1.5.2 29 C.F.R. § 1910.1200 provides requirements for employee information and training regarding communication of hazards.

1.5.3 NPR 8715.3, Chapter 7, provides additional safety and health training requirements and requires annual review of training material.

1.5.4 NPR 1800.1, paragraph 1.4, provides NASA requirements for credentialing, education, and training of occupational health professionals.

Note: Status of NASA's safety and health training is reported annually to OSHA as part of the annual OSHA report.

1.6 Annual NASA Report to OSHA

1.6.1 29 C.F.R. § 1960.66-.71 and Exec. Order No. 12196 provide requirements for NASA recordkeeping and reporting to OSHA.

1.6.2 The Chief Health and Medical Officer and the Chief/SMA shall jointly prepare the annual NASA report to OSHA (Requirement).

Note: This report must be submitted by January 1 to cover the previous fiscal year unless previously coordinated with OSHA.

1.6.3 Each Center and Component Facility Director shall provide the data required in 29 C.F.R. § 1960.71 and Exec. Order No. 12196 and items listed in paragraphs 1.6.3.a through 1.6.3.h to the Chief Health and Medical Officer and Chief/SMA by November 1 each year (Requirement).

a. Annual Summary - Occupational Injuries/Illnesses (OSHA Form 300)

Note: Center establishment codes must match their Office of Workers Compensation Program (OWCP) identifier for electronic submission of OSHA 300 forms (See 29 C.F.R. pt. 1904).

b. A summary of all open abatement plans and a listing of those closed during the reporting period.

c. Center/Facility safety and health programs inspection/evaluation reports for the period.

d. A summary of the Center Executive Safety and Health Board meetings and actions.

e. A self-evaluation of the Center/Facility's compliance with 29 C.F.R. § 1960.79 and this NPR using the OSHA baseline questionnaire, which is based on 29 C.F.R. pt. 1960 requirements. The OSHA baseline questionnaire can be found at: http://www.hq.nasa.gov/office/codeq/doctree/oshaques.pdf

Note: NPR 1800.1 provides more details on the annual occupational health self-evaluation process.

f. Any information or evidence uncovered during accident investigations which would be of benefit in updating OSHA requirements.

Note: This information should be forwarded to the Chief Health and Medical Officer and Chief/SMA as soon as it is discovered so the process for updating the OSHA or NASA requirements may be commenced as soon as possible.

g. [Centers only] A listing of managers who directly report to the Center Director who have completed the required safety and health training, as required by 29 CFR § 1960.54.

h. [Headquarters only] A listing of managers who directly report to the NASA Administrator who have completed the required safety and health training, as required by 29 CFR § 1960.54.

1.6.4 The Center Director shall ensure that an annual summary of occupational injuries and illnesses is posted no later than 45 calendar days after the close of the fiscal year or otherwise disseminated in written form to all employees of the workplace (Requirement 22017).

1.7 OSHA Councils and Committees

NASA has chosen not to implement committees certifiable as permitted under 29 C.F.R. § 1960.37 with the exception of the Center Executive Safety and Health Board (see paragraph 2.2.2.d) and special safety and health committees formed on an ad hoc or continuing basis. However, all members of such boards and committees are required by 29 C.F.R. § 1960.58 to complete training.

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