[Federal Register Volume 88, Number 245 (Friday, December 22, 2023)]
[Notices]
[Pages 88619-88620]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 2023-28207]


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GENERAL SERVICES ADMINISTRATION

[FMR Bulletin C-2024-01]


Guidelines for Safety Station Programs in Federal Facilities

AGENCY: Department of Health and Human Services and General Services 
Administration.

ACTION: Notice.

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SUMMARY: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the 
U.S. General Services Administration (GSA) jointly issue this Federal 
Management Regulation (FMR) bulletin titled ``Guidelines for Safety 
Station Programs in Federal Facilities.'' These guidelines were 
prepared, in part, in response to congressional direction contained in 
materials that accompanied the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 
(Pub. L. 117-328). See the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION section for 
further details.

DATES: December 22, 2023.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: For further clarification of content, 
contact Christopher Coneeney, Supervisory Realty Specialist, Office of 
Government-wide Policy, U.S. General Services Administration, 1800 F 
Street NW, Washington, DC 20405; at 202-208-2956; or 
[email protected].

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: A provision in House of Representatives 
Report No. 117-393, which accompanied the bill making appropriations 
for Financial Services and General Government for the fiscal year 
ending September 30, 2023 (the House Report), directed GSA, in 
coordination with HHS as the lead agency with health policy expertise, 
to update the FMR bulletin on Guidelines for Public Access 
Defibrillation Programs in Federal Facilities, which became effective 
on August 14, 2009 (the 2009 Bulletin), to reflect advances in 
automated external defibrillator (AED) technologies and to examine 
whether AEDs should be required in Federally owned buildings under the 
custody and control of GSA. The report may be found at https://www.congress.gov/117/crpt/hrpt393/CRPT-117hrpt393.pdf. The House Report 
acknowledged that sudden cardiac arrest is a leading cause of death for 
Americans and that early intervention and timely use of an AED 
significantly improves the chances of survival. It further noted that, 
in 2001, Congress required the creation of a public access 
defibrillator (PAD) program that included voluntary guidelines for 
deployment of AEDs in Federal buildings and that, in 2009, GSA and HHS 
issued the above-referenced FMR bulletin.
    In addition to the House Report, the joint explanatory statement 
accompanying division E--Financial Services and General Government 
Appropriations Act, 2023, of the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 
(the Joint Explanatory Statement), directed HHS and GSA to examine 
whether AEDs should be required in federally owned buildings under the 
custody and control of GSA and to issue an updated FMR bulletin no 
later than one year after enactment of the Consolidated Appropriations 
Act, 2023. The link to the Joint Explanatory Statement can be found at 
https://www.appropriations.senate.gov/imo/media/doc/Division%20E%20-%20FSGG%20Statement%20FY23.pdf.
    Accordingly, this bulletin cancels and replaces in its entirety the 
2009 Bulletin and provides updated information for establishing an 
agency safety station program, including public access AEDs, in 
Federally owned buildings under the jurisdiction, custody and control 
of GSA.
    The revised guidelines provide a general framework and basic 
information for the essential elements of designing and implementing a 
safety station program in Federal facilities and includes the latest 
updates in (a) PAD programs and AED technologies since the 2009 
Bulletin issuance, (b) opioid reversal agents and (c) hemorrhagic 
control. Safety station program configurations are flexible and can be 
designed to accommodate all types of Federal facilities. The 
configurations are modular in nature and usually include bystander-
empowered components with opioid reversal agents (such as naloxone) or 
hemorrhagic control (such as Stop the Bleed[supreg] kits), or both, in 
addition to AED technologies. The guidelines do not exhaustively 
address or cover all aspects of a safety station program. They are 
aimed at outlining

[[Page 88620]]

the key elements of a safety station program so that facility-specific 
detailed plans and programs can be developed in an informed manner. 
Safety station programs are voluntary and are not mandatory for Federal 
facilities. The costs and expenses to establish and operate a safety 
station program are the responsibility of the occupant agency or 
agencies sponsoring the program and not GSA or HHS, except to the 
extent GSA or HHS, or both, are sponsoring a program in a facility 
where they are occupant agencies.
    The importance of keeping opioid reversal agents easily accessible 
has been highlighted by the U.S. Surgeon General and the Centers for 
Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). On April 5, 2018, Surgeon General 
Jerome Adams issued an advisory recommending that more individuals keep 
naloxone on hand. The link to the advisory can be found at https://www.hhs.gov/surgeongeneral/reports-and-publications/addiction-and-substance-misuse/advisory-on-naloxone/index.html. On October 5, 2018, 
the CDC's National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) 
issued the fact sheet ``Using Naloxone to Reverse Opioid Overdose in 
the Workplace: Information for Employers and Workers'' to assist 
workplace decision makers in establishing a naloxone availability and 
use program. The link to the white paper can be found at https://www.cdc.gov/niosh/docs/2019-101/pdfs/2019-101.pdf. The Surgeon General 
advisory and the CDC NIOSH fact sheet highlight the importance of 
having opioid reversal agents in public spaces for quick access and why 
they should be included in an agency's safety station program.

Krystal J. Brumfield,
Associate Administrator, Office of Government-wide Policy, U.S. General 
Services Administration.
Rachel L. Levine,
Assistant Secretary for Health, U.S. Department of Health and Human 
Services.
[FR Doc. 2023-28207 Filed 12-21-23; 8:45 am]
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