Federal Daily - July 8, 2010
Entire USPS Distribution System Charged With Safety Violations
For the first time, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration has cited the entire 350-facility Postal Service mail processing and distribution system with electrical safety violations that pose a fatal risk of electrocution for postal workers.
Faulty U.S. Postal Service safety training procedures and the lack of proper protective equipment pose a threat to employees who work at any of the 350 centers located across the country, OSHA said in a July 6 statement. OSHA noted the complaint was the first time that the agency had cited USPS for a system-wide safety failure.
The complaint is the culmination of a months-long OSHA investigation that uncovered a series of similar electrical work safety violations at USPS mail processing and distribution facilities across the country. The complaint is the direct result of violations recently discovered in the Providence, R.I., facility. However, OSHA said it believes the problems stretch to all 350 USPS processing and distribution centers, which contain similar equipment. The complaint also seeks $558,000 for the eight willful and four serious violations discovered in Rhode Island, OSHA said.
The problems identified by OSHA involved a wide range of safety issues—including a lack of adequate safety training for employees. OSHA also found that USPS did not ensure that employees who perform work on electrical equipment have anti-shock gloves and protective clothing to keep them from being electrocuted.
“Even though it was aware of the hazards, USPS failed to institute the necessary measures to protect its workers,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA David Michaels. “The complaint filed today seeks to put a stop to this irresponsible behavior.”
To see more, go to: www.dol.gov/opa/media/press/osha/OSHA20100945.htm.
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Military Opens Multi-Service Medical Training Center
The U.S. military opened a multi-service medical training center that will serve all branches of the military in a university-style facility at Fort Sam Houston, Texas, according to a July 6 posting on the Air Force Web site.
Its initial training course, Radiography Specialist, began in April, and other courses will be phased in throughout the rest of the year and into 2011 as the campus is completed. The campus will train about 24,500 students each year when it is finished, with an average daily student load of approximately 8,000. METC officials anticipate employing an operating staff and faculty of more than 1,400.
The facility is designed to implement the military’s new strategy of joint interoperability for corpsmen, medics and technicians, said Chief Master Sgt. Kevin Lambing, METC’s senior enlisted advisor. “In five years, every medic and corpsman under the grade of E-5 will have been educated here at METC,” Lambing said.
METC's footprint covers more than 2 million square feet on Fort Sam Houston, and the final cost of the facility is estimated at more than $1.2 billion. Three completed dormitories will house 1,200 airmen and sailors and METC officials plan to add two more dorms for Army students and those taking technical training.
When METC is finished, officials said its service-by-service breakdown will be approximately 45 percent Army, 31 percent Navy and 24 percent Air Force. The longest program offered will cytology—the study of cells—at 52 weeks; the shortest to be offered, at four weeks, will be patient administration.
To see more, go to: www.af.mil/news/story.asp?id=123212268.
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Combined Federal Campaign Sets Record
Federal employees gave more to charitable groups last year through the Combined Federal Campaign than ever before.
The Office of Personnel Management announced on July 6 that the CFC raised a record-setting $276 million in pledges to nonprofit programs in 2009. And, many local campaigns showed significant increases over donations raised in 2008.
At a White House awards ceremony this week, OPM Director John Berry recognized nine regional CFC campaigns for recording the largest increase in CFC pledges in 2009 over pledges in 2008. Additionally, five campaigns were singled out for taking innovative steps to encourage employee contributions, while 11 federal employees were awarded special recognition for their leadership on behalf of the program.
“Just as federal employees work for the American public in communities throughout our country, they also give back to these same communities through programs like the Combined Federal Campaign,” said Berry.
The CFC is the world’s largest annual workplace charity campaign. Pledges made by federal civilian, postal and military donors during the campaign season (Sept. 1 to Dec. 15) support eligible nonprofit organizations.
To see more, go to: http://tinyurl.com/2548h9f.
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IRS Launches YouTube Recruiting Site
While “Mr. Taxman” is not on its playlist, the IRS this month launched a new job search tool on YouTube aimed at recruiting recent high school and college graduates. The IRS’s new YouTube playlist, Working at the IRS, provides information about various career paths available. The playlist features Day in the Life videos in which IRS employees discuss their jobs, the diversity of the IRS workforce and the culture of the agency.
“The IRS is a great place to work and build a career. The IRS has a wide range of jobs and needs a variety of skills to serve the nation’s taxpayers,” said IRS Commissioner Doug Shulman. “Our goal is to make the IRS the best place to work in government."
In addition to the YouTube effort, the IRS Human Capital Office recently launched a new IRS Careers Web site with more detailed information on job openings, how to apply for new positions, qualifications, and the benefits of working at the IRS.
To see more, go to: www.irs.gov/irs/article/0,,id=225245,00.html.
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