Meeting Minutes - May 15, 2001

Construction Safety Advisory Committee
US Department of Energy
Princeton, New Jersey

Committee Chairperson: Pat Finn, Department of Energy – Headquarters (DOE-HQ), EH-51, called the meeting of the DOE Construction Safety Advisory committee (CSAC) to order. Mr. Finn welcomed attendees and introductions were made.

• DOE’s Worker Health and Safety Response Line interpretations involving construction
  that have been completed since last year’s CSAC meeting in Albuquerque NM were passed out to committee members.  If anyone has any questions concerning the interpretations, please give Mr. Finn a call (301) 903-9876 or email at pat.finn@hq.doe.gov.

• A copy of the meeting agenda for the last meeting OSHA’s Advisory Committee on Construction Safety and Health (ACCSH) held on March 15 and 16, 2001 in Washington D. C. was handed out. This committee meets to provide guidance to OSHA on its rulemaking, enforcement and outreach activities. Topics of discussion included; Report on the Silica Stakeholder Conference, OSHA Form 170, Sanitation standard 1926.51, Noise in Construction, NIOSH Presentation on Noise Hazards in Construction, OSHA 10 Hour Training, 1926 Subpart N – Cranes, Occupational Exposure to Hexavalent Chromium (Preventing Occupational Illness: Chromium), OSHA’s Organizational Structure, and Construction Standards Report.

• A brief summary of OSHA’s ongoing standards activities was included in the handout on ACCSH activities.  Recent OSHA activities includes: OSHA Revises Record Keeping Regulations, http://www.osha-slc.gov/recordkeeping/index.html; Sanitation standard 1926.51; Hearing Loss Prevention in Construction Workers; Occupational Exposure to Hexavalent Chromium (Preventing Occupational Illness: Chromium); Confined Space in Construction; Electrical Power Transmission and Distribution (Electrical Protective Equipment in the Construction Industry); Signs, Signals, and Barricades; Fall Protection in the Construction Industry; Safety Standards for Scaffolds used in the Construction Industry – Part II; Safety and Health Programs for Construction; Control of Hazardous Energy (Lockout) in Construction (Part 1926) (Preventing Construction Injuries / Fatalities: Lockout); and Ergonomics Programs in Construction (Part 1926): Preventing Work-Related Musculoskeletal Disorders among Construction Workers.

• A listing of standards activities of the American Safety Standards for Construction and Demolition A10 were handed out. It was noted that the CSAC is charted to review and comment on proposed changes to consensus safety standards for construction.  Mr. Finn, a voting member of the ANSI A10 Committee will send copies of proposed changes to A10 standards to CSAC members for review and comment. Comments will be consolidated by Mr. Finn and forwarded to the ANSI A10 committee for consideration.

2.      Mr. Finn handed out copies and discussed revisions to Construction Safety Provisions of DOE Order 440.1A, Worker Protection Management for DOE Federal and Contractor Employees.

3.      Mr. Russ Baumeister, Yucca Mountain Project Site Characterization Office, gave a presentation on Contractor Transition Issues at Yucca Mountain.  For further information on this topic contact Mr. Baumeister at his e-mail address, (russell_baumeister@ymp.gov).

4.      Mr. Bob Crowley and Leslie Bermudez, DOE Office of Oversight EH-24 provided an overview of the Office of ES&H Inspections.

a.   The objectives of the inspections are to;

·          Evaluate compliance with departmental nuclear safety, occupational safety, and environmental policies, procedures, and standards and related federal regulations.

·          Oversee the safety of work activities focusing primarily on projects, operations, and activities that pose significant risks or potential accident consequences to workers, the public, or the environment.

·           Expand ES&H Oversight coverage

b.   Typical activities inspected include;

·            Design

·            Construction

·            Operation

·            Maintenance

·            D&D

·            Restoration

c.            Inspection focus areas include;

·            Safety and Health Disciplines

·            Functions / Programs

·            Environmental Protection

·            Design

·            Management

5.      Mr. Crowley and Mr. Finn led a working session to review and comment on the DOE Office of Oversight EH-24’s draft assessment document, Performance Objectives and Criteria for Construction Safety. This assessment document will be used by the DOE EH-24 Oversight group to evaluate DOE and DOE contractors line management’s effectiveness in establishing construction safety programs on DOE construction projects.  Mr. Crowley will send the revised assessment document to Mr. Finn for distribution to the CSAC for final review and comment. (Action: Mr. Crowley and Mr. Finn)

6.      Mr. Craig Schumann, DOE Argonne Group Office gave a presentation on the following topics of interest.

• Directional Drilling Update
• NFPA 241
• Backhoe Swing Radius Protection
• New ladder products
• Hazards in airless spraying

For further information on any of these topics contact Mr. Schumann at his e-mail address, (craig.schumann@ch.doe.gov).

7.      Mr. Bryan Drennan, Sandia National Laboratory gave a presentation on revisions to NFPA 70E Standard for Electrical Safety Requirements for Employee Workplaces.

• The 70E standard will now cycle one year behind National Electrical Code change.
• OSHA considers 70E a consensus standard and is citing 70E requirements through the general duty clause.
• The general attitude is that the 70E Standard applies to construction.
• IEEE has demonstrated formal support to OSHA for adoption of 70E.

8.      Mr. Finn led a working session to draft a new DOE Technical Standard for Construction Safety Provisions of DOE Order 440.1A, Worker Protection Management for DOE Federal and Contractor Employees. A copy of the draft will be forwarded to all CSAC members for final review and comment before being sent to the DOE Technical Standards Program Office for a DOE complex wide review and comment period of the proposed Technical Standard. (Action: Pat Finn)

9.      Mr. Dave Robbins, Brookhaven National Laboratory gave a presentation on Construction Safety Contract Management Lessons Learned.  Lessons learned include establishing:

• Concise specifications for change order management and litigation avoidance.
• Contractor qualifications though evaluation.
• Clear communications to subcontractor, speaking with one voice to eliminate the possibility of conflicting information.
• Conduct a project postmortem for feedback and corrective actions.

Mr. Glenn Florczak, DOE EH-53 gave a 2 hour presentation to both the CSAC and DOE Hoisting and Rigging Technical Advisory Committee on OSHA's new Steel Erection Standard, 29 CFR 1926, Subpart R.