[Federal Register Volume 67, Number 68 (Tuesday, April 9, 2002)]
[Rules and Regulations]
[Pages 17016-17017]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 02-8548]



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NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION

48 CFR Parts 1823, 1836 and 1852

RIN 2700-AC33


Safety and Health

AGENCY: National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

ACTION: Final rule.

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SUMMARY: This final rule amends the NASA FAR Supplement (NFS) by 
revising the prescription for the use of NASA Safety and Health 
solicitation provisions and contract clauses; removing references to 
the Service Contract Act (SCA) and Walsh-Healey Public Contracts Act 
regulations; adding references to the Occupational Safety and Health 
Act (OSHA) and Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations; and 
clarifying when a Safety and Health Plan is to be included in a 
contract or solicitation. This final rule also requires the use of 
NASA's safety and health provisions instead of the FAR Accident 
Prevention clause, and allows for oral notification, with written 
confirmation to the contractor, of Safety and Health noncompliance that 
may pose a serious or imminent danger to safety and health.

EFFECTIVE DATE: April 9, 2002.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Jeff Cullen, (202) 358-1784, 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:   

A. Background

    A proposed rule was published in the Federal Register on December 
13, 2001 (66 FR 64391-64392). One comment was received from industry. 
The comment was supportive of the rule and did not recommended any 
changes. This final rule adopts the proposed rule without change. NASA 
has required the inclusion of a NASA Safety and Health clause and 
submission of a contractor Safety and Health Plan for contracts that 
are greater than $1 million, involve construction, or have hazardous 
deliverable end items or operations. Exclusion of the clause has been 
allowed when the Contracting Officer determined that Walsh-Healey or 
Service Contract Act (if applicable) regulations constituted adequate 
safety and health protection. This final rule removes the dollar 
threshold from the Safety and Health clause prescription since safety 
and health requirements should be determined by the risks rather than 
cost of the contract requirements. Also, to assure that contractors are 
held to the same standards for mishap prevention as the Government, the 
revised guidance requires use of a Safety and Health clause and 
submission of a Safety and Health Plan when performance is on a 
Government facility or when assessed risk warrants inclusion. This 
final rule also revises the conditions that must be met for excluding 
the clause from contracts, reflecting the greater Government and 
industry use of Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) 
and Department of Transportation (DOT), rather than Walsh-Healey or 
Service Contract Act safety and heath regulations, and includes new NFS 
guidance on use of the NASA Safety and Health clause instead of the FAR 
Accident Prevention clause. Furthermore, this final rule makes the 
requirements for the use of the NASA Safety and Health clause for 
subcontracts consistent with prime contract requirements.

B. Regulatory Flexibility Act

    NASA certifies that this rule will not have a significant economic 
impact on a substantial number of small business entities within the 
meaning of the Regulatory Flexibility Act (5 USC 601, et seq.) because 
these changes clarify existing policy and reflect appropriate safety 
and health regulations.

C. Paperwork Reduction Act

    The Paperwork Reduction Act does not apply because the changes to 
the NFS do not impose any recordkeeping or information collection 
requirements, or collections of information from offerors, contractors, 
or members of the public which require the approval of the Office of 
Management and Budget under 41 U.S.C. 3501, et seq.

List of Subjects in 48 CFR Parts 1823, 1836 and 1852

    Government procurement.


Tom Luedtke,
 Assistant Administrator for Procurement.

    Accordingly, 48 CFR parts 1823, 1836 and 1852 are amended as 
follows:


    1. The authority citation for 48 CFR parts 1823, 1836 and 1852 
continues to read as follows:

    Authority: 42 U.S.C. 2473(c)(1).

PART 1823--ENVIRONMENT, CONSERVATION, OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY, AND 
DRUG-FREE WORKPLACE

    2. Amend section 1823.7001 in the second sentence of paragraph (c) 
by removing ``clause'' and adding ``provision'' in its place; and 
revising paragraphs (a) and (b) to read as follows:


1823.7001  NASA solicitation provisions and contract clauses.

    (a) The clause at 1852.223-70, Safety and Health, shall be included 
in all solicitations and contracts when one or more of the following 
conditions exist:
    (1) The work will be conducted completely or partly on premises 
owned or controlled by the Government.
    (2) The work includes construction, alteration, or repair of 
facilities in excess of the simplified acquisition threshold.
    (3) The work, regardless of place of performance, involves hazards 
that could endanger the public, astronauts and pilots, the NASA 
workforce (including contractor employees working on NASA contracts), 
or high value equipment or property, and the hazards are not adequately 
addressed by Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) or 
Department of Transportation (DOT) regulations (if applicable).
    (4) When the assessed risk and consequences of a failure to 
properly manage and control the hazard(s) warrants use of the clause.
    (b) The clause prescribed in paragraph (a) of this section may be 
excluded, regardless of place of performance, when the contracting 
officer, with the approval of the installation official(s) responsible 
for matters of safety and occupational health, determines that the 
application of OSHA and DOT regulations constitutes adequate safety and 
occupational health protection.
* * * * *

PART 1836--CONSTRUCTION AND ARCHITECT-ENGINEER CONTRACTS

    3. Add section 1836.513 to read as follows:


1836.513  Accident prevention.

    The contracting officer must insert the clause at 1852.223-70, 
Safety and Health, in lieu of FAR clause 52.236-13, Accident 
Prevention, and its Alternate I.

PART 1852--SOLICITATION PROVISIONS AND CONTRACT CLAUSES

    4. Amend the clause at section 1852.223-70 by revising the date of 
the clause; revising paragraphs (f)(1) and (g); redesignating 
paragraphs (h) and (i) as (i) and (j) respectively, and adding a new 
paragraph (h) to read as follows:


1852.223-70  Safety and Health.

* * * * *

Safety and Health (April 2002)

* * * * *
    (f)(1) The Contracting Officer may notify the Contractor in 
writing of any

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noncompliance with this clause and specify corrective actions to be 
taken. When the Contracting Officer becomes aware of noncompliance 
that may pose a serious or imminent danger to safety and health of 
the public, astronauts and pilots, the NASA workforce (including 
contractor employees working on NASA contracts), or high value 
mission critical equipment or property, the Contracting Officer 
shall notify the Contractor orally, with written confirmation. The 
Contractor shall promptly take and report any necessary corrective 
action.
* * * * *
    (g) The Contractor (or subcontractor or supplier) shall insert 
the substance of this clause, including this paragraph (g) and any 
applicable Schedule provisions and clauses, with appropriate changes 
of designations of the parties, in all solicitations and 
subcontracts of every tier, when one or more of the following 
conditions exist:
    (1) The work will be conducted completely or partly on premises 
owned or controlled by the Government.
    (2) The work includes construction, alteration, or repair of 
facilities in excess of the simplified acquisition threshold.
    (3) The work, regardless of place of performance, involves 
hazards that could endanger the public, astronauts and pilots, the 
NASA workforce (including Contractor employees working on NASA 
contracts), or high value equipment or property, and the hazards are 
not adequately addressed by Occupational Safety and Health 
Administration (OSHA) or Department of Transportation (DOT) 
regulations (if applicable).
    (4) When the Contractor (or subcontractor or supplier) 
determines that the assessed risk and consequences of a failure to 
properly manage and control the hazard(s) warrants use of the 
clause.
    (h) The Contractor (or subcontractor or supplier) may exclude 
the provisions of paragraph (g) from its solicitation(s) and 
subcontract(s) of every tier when it determines that the clause is 
not necessary because the application of the OSHA and DOT (if 
applicable) regulations constitute adequate safety and occupational 
health protection. When a determination is made to exclude the 
provisions of paragraph (g) from a solicitation and subcontract, the 
Contractor must notify and provide the basis for the determination 
to the Contracting Officer. In subcontracts of every tier above the 
micro-purchase threshold for which paragraph (g) does not apply, the 
Contractor (or subcontractor or supplier) shall insert the substance 
of paragraphs (a), (b), (c), and (f) of this clause).
* * * * *

    5. Amend the clause at section 1852.223-72 by revising the date of 
the clause, and revising paragraph (d) to read as follows:


1852.223-72  Safety and Health (Short Form).

* * * * *

Safety and Health (Short Form) (April 2002)

* * * * *
    (d) The Contracting Officer may notify the Contractor in writing 
of any noncompliance with this clause and specify corrective actions 
to be taken. In situations where the Contracting Officer becomes 
aware of noncompliance that may pose a serious or imminent danger to 
safety and health of the public, astronauts and pilots, the NASA 
workforce (including Contractor employees working on NASA 
contracts), or high value mission critical equipment or property, 
the Contracting Officer shall notify the Contractor orally, with 
written confirmation. The Contractor shall promptly take and report 
any necessary corrective action. The Government may pursue 
appropriate remedies in the event the Contractor fails to promptly 
take the necessary corrective action.
* * * * *

    6. Revise the provision at section 1852.223-73 and the introductory 
text of Alternate I to the provision to read as follows:


1852.223-73  Safety and Health Plan.

* * * * *

Safety and Health Plan (April 2002)

    (a) The offeror shall submit a detailed safety and occupational 
health plan as part of its proposal (see NPG 8715.3, NASA Safety 
Manual, Appendices). The plan shall include a detailed discussion of 
the policies, procedures, and techniques that will be used to ensure 
the safety and occupational health of Contractor employees and to 
ensure the safety of all working conditions throughout the 
performance of the contract.
    (b) When applicable, the plan shall address the policies, 
procedures, and techniques that will be used to ensure the safety 
and occupational health of the public, astronauts and pilots, the 
NASA workforce (including Contractor employees working on NASA 
contracts), and high-value equipment and property.
    (c) The plan shall similarly address subcontractor employee 
safety and occupational health for those proposed subcontracts that 
contain one or more of the following conditions:
    (1) The work will be conducted completely or partly on premises 
owned or controlled by the government.
    (2) The work includes construction, alteration, or repair of 
facilities in excess of the simplified acquisition threshold.
    (3) The work, regardless of place of performance, involves 
hazards that could endanger the public, astronauts and pilots, the 
NASA workforce (including Contractor employees working on NASA 
contracts), or high value equipment or property, and the hazards are 
not adequately addressed by Occupational Safety and Health 
Administration (OSHA) or Department of Transportation (DOT) 
regulations (if applicable).
    (4) When the assessed risk and consequences of a failure to 
properly manage and control the hazards warrants use of the clause.
    (d) This plan, as approved by the Contracting Officer, will be 
included in any resulting contract.
(End of provision)

Alternate I (April 2002)

    As prescribed in 1823.7001(c), delete the first sentence in 
paragraph (a) of the basic provision and substitute the following:
* * * * *
[FR Doc. 02-8548 Filed 4-8-02; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 7510-01-P