[Federal Register Volume 84, Number 234 (Thursday, December 5, 2019)]
[Notices]
[Pages 66664-66665]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2019-26275]


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DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

Department of the Army, Corps of Engineers


Occupational Safety and Health Programs for Federal Employees

AGENCY: U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, DoD.

ACTION: Notice; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE) Safety and Health 
Requirements Manual (EM 385-1-1) is the gold standard for Safety and 
Occupational Health regulations. The manual holds a long history dating 
back to 1941 and is designed to facilitate the standardization of all 
safety programs. The EM 385-1-1 prescribes the safety and health 
requirements for all Corps of Engineers activities and operations. The 
USACE is soliciting comments on the proposed revisions to EM 385-1-1.

DATES: Consideration will be given to all comments received by January 
30, 2020.

ADDRESSES: 
    Electronic: You may submit comments concerning the EM 385-1-1 
electronically by accessing the USACE Safety and Occupational Office 
website at the following location: https://www.usace.army.mil/missions/safety-and-occupational-health/next-gen-em385-1-1/. Follow the 
instructions at the listed website where comments will be collected and 
reviewed.
    Mail/Hand Delivery/Courier: Due to security requirements and 
tracking, we will not accept or receive comments by hand delivery or 
courier. Comments for considerations will only be accepted by 
electronic submission.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steven Washington, Headquarters, U.S. 
Army Corps of Engineers, Safety and Occupational Health Office, in 
Washington, DC at 202-761-7678.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: Executive Order (E.O.) 12196, Occupational 
Safety and Health Programs for Federal Employees, was issued in 1980 
and directed agencies heads to (1) Furnish to employees places and 
conditions of employment that are free from recognized hazards that are 
causing or are likely to cause death or serious physical harm; (2) 
Operate an occupational safety and health program in accordance with 
the requirements of this order and basic program elements promulgated 
by the Secretary. DoDI 6055.1 was issued in 2014 (incorporated changes 
in 2018) and the DoD policy. Following issuance of DoD Safety and 
Occupational Health (SOH) Program DODI 6055.01; the AR-385-10, Army 
Safety Program implements the requirements of the Occupational Safety 
and Health Act of 1970 as implemented in E.O. 12196; 29 CFR 1960; DODI 
6055.1; DoDI 6055.4; and DoDI 6055.7. Following the issuance of the AR-
385-10; the EM 385-1-1 U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Safety and Health 
Requirements Manual prescribes the safety and health requirements for 
all Corps of Engineers activities and operations. The manual applies to 
Headquarters, US Army Corps of Engineers (HQUSACE) elements, major 
subordinate commands, districts, centers, laboratories, and field 
operating activities (FOA), as well as USACE contracts and those 
administered on behalf of USACE. Applicability extends to occupational 
exposure for missions under the command of the Chief of Engineers, 
whether accomplished by military, civilian, or contractor personnel. 
USACE intends to update the manual within two years, and periodically 
thereafter, to reflect such public input, experience, and innovation. 
The agency will address significant comments received in the next 
revision of this manual. All comments are welcomed and encouraged for 
any section of the EM 385-1-1, Safety and Health Requirements Manual. 
All suggestions such as additions, deletions, or revisions will be 
considered and reviewed by established EM 385-1-1 Rewrite PDT for 
adjudication. A process was created to clarify the information needed 
to make a suggestion and to minimize the burden of the information 
collected. The goal of the collection notice is to notify all external 
stakeholders that the USACE Safety and Health Requirements Manual is 
under review. In addition, the Corps created an inclusive process that 
will allow stakeholders to provide comments and recommendations that 
will be considered in the updated version of the manual. All input and 
comments received will help improve the overall quality of the EM 385-
1-1 which will prevent injuries and save lives.

Instructions for Providing Comments

    USACE is requesting assistance in the form of data, comments, 
literature references, or field experiences, to help clarify the policy 
requirements for implementing Safety and Occupational Health activities 
for both Corps and contractor personnel. The current version of the 
Safety and Health Requirements Manual (EM 385-1-1, Nov 2014) is 
available for review on the USACE Publications website https://www.publications.usace.army.mil/Portals/76/Publications/EngineerManuals/EM_385-1-1.pdf). Additionally, a series of questions 
has been provided for reviewers to consider as they evaluate the 
document. While USACE welcomes any and all feedback on this Engineering 
Manual, detailed responses to the questions provided will be 
particularly helpful to USACE in clarifying, revising, adding, or 
deleting information in a particular area/section/chapter. The most 
useful comments will be derived from on-the-job experiences that are 
covered within the topics of the manual. Commenters should use their 
knowledge of working with USACE on various types of federal actions as 
well as their understanding of consensus standards and other federal 
Safety and Health regulations.
    Comments and responses based on the current version of the Safety 
and Health Requirements Manual (EM 385-1-1, Nov 2014) and the guiding 
questions are being accepted through the website only. Literature 
citations, experiential references, data, and other relevant reports 
may be uploaded on the website with all comments prior to submission. 
All comments will be compiled and sent to the EM 385-1-1 Rewrite PDT 
for their consideration.

Future Actions

    Feedback and comments provided through this notice will be 
considered and the current version of the Safety and Health 
Requirements Manual (EM 385-1-1, Nov 2014) will be updated as 
appropriate. When the manual is finalized and published, a notice will 
be placed in the Federal Register, on the

[[Page 66665]]

USACE Safety and Occupational Health Office website, and the document 
itself will be made available through the typical publication process.

    Dated: November 26, 2019.
R.D. James,
Assistant Secretary of the Army (Civil Works).
[FR Doc. 2019-26275 Filed 12-4-19; 8:45 am]
 BILLING CODE 3720-58-P