제  목 : OSHA AND NATIONAL PARK SERVICE agree to improve worker
  일  자 : 1998년 10월
  제공처 : Internet

     OSHA AND NATIONAL PARK SERVICE agree to improve worker
     safety and health at 10 parks
     =======================================================

     Charles N. Jeffress, assistant secretary of labor for occupational
     safety and health, OSHA, and Robert Stanton, director of the National
     Park Service signed a memorandum on Oct. 6, to improve worker safety
     and health at 10 parks.

     In recent years, the NPS has experienced the highest number of lost-
     time accident rates among all Interior Department bureaus, says OSHA.
     Realizing that they had a "serious problem," in an unprecedented move,
     NPS approached OSHA for assistance in improving its safety and health
     programs for employees in 10 of its park sites. These sites would then
     serve as models for the rest of the park service.

     Kathryn Higgins, the Deputy Secretary of Labor, who represented the
     Secretary of Labor, Alexis M. Herman at the signing, said, "The safety
     and health of federal workers is just as important as the safety and
     health of their counterparts in the private sector. The best way to
     protect them is an effective safety and health program to find and fix
     hazards."

     "Central to our agreement," added Jeffress, "is the commitment to
     establish or improve the health and safety program at each site. The
     benefits will accrue to all Park Service employees."

     Some of the key strategies involved are: complying with OSHA standards;
     addressing unsafe work practices, using consultants to provide assistance
     to selected parks to help them develop and manage an effective program;
     managing workers' compensation cases; investigating suspected cases of
     fraud and abuse of workers' comp benefits and providing safety and
     health training for managers, supervisors and employees.

     A long-term goal of the National Park Service is for each of its offices
     and sites to qualify for OSHA's Voluntary Protection Program, Stanton
     said. To this end, the organization has adopted VPP criteria as the
     basis of its safety efforts.

     The 10 parks were selected based on a high number of lost-time
     accidents, category of park and geographical distribution. They are:
     Cape Cod National Seashore, MA; Fire Island National Seashore, NY;
     National Capital Parks-Central, DC; Rock Creek Park, DC; Cape Hatteras
     National Seashore, NC; Isle Royale National Park, MI; Sleeping Bear
     Dunes National Lakeshore, MI; Padre Island National Park, TX; Golden
     Gate National Recreation Area, CA; and Yosemite National Park, CA.