NYS & CSEA Statewide Safety and Health Committee
Subcommittee and Workgroup Descriptions

[Safety & Health Home]

Article 15 of the Agreement between New York State and CSEA requires the formation of a Statewide Safety and Health Committee consisting of a minimum of six members selected by CSEA and six members selected by the State. The purpose of this advisory committee is to review and discuss matters of mutual concern in the area of safety and health in a proactive, cooperative fashion. In addition, a Side Letter agreement, for the agreement period April 1, 2003 through March 31, 2007, calls for the creation of a safety and health manual that will be distributed to New York State agencies which will include, but not be limited to, information on: Workplace Temperatures – indoor and outdoor; Dealing with Imminent Danger Situations; Hierarchy of Controls – minimizing and eliminating hazards; Ergonomics – preventing musculoskeletal disorders; and Workplace Security.

Below is a description of the Statewide Committee’s current subcommittees:

Ergonomics Subcommittee

• This subcommittee is creating an educational brochure of a sample of products available for non-direct care employees (e.g., food service; groundskeeping/maintenance; laundry/housekeeping; and shipping/receiving and mail/supply) to use in performing their job duties in an ergonomically correct manner. In addition, the brochure will provide guidance and checklists to use in evaluating and selecting appropriate products.
  
  
• The subcommittee reviewed a grant request submitted by the NYS Veterans' Home at Batavia to continue its work in implementing a "Zero-Lift" Safe Patient and Handling Program. The Partnership awarded monies to the Veterans’ Home to finalize and implement its program. Additionally, Batavia staff will document their program processes, policies and procedures so they can be used as a model for other Veterans Homes and healthcare facilities. It is anticipated that, by the final implementation, Batavia will decrease its injury rate by approximately 15%.
  
  
• In June 2005, 780 copies of the Recommendations for an Agency Policy on Computer Workstation Ergonomics notebook and compact disk were printed and distributed throughout New York State. The materials were distributed to agency human resource directors, personnel directors, safety & health directors, and CSEA local presidents. This publication is designed to address the safety and health issues related to the ergonomics of using computers and video display terminals.

Elements Subcommittee

This subcommittee oversees the writing of a model safety and health program for agencies, based on six "elements,” that is adaptable, comprehensive, straight forward, understandable, and sustainable. These six “elements” are:

1. Management commitment
2. Employee involvement/participation
3. Hazard identification and assessment
4. Hazard prevention and control
5. Information sharing and training
6. Record keeping, information analysis, evaluation and adjustment of program effectiveness

The program is based on OSHA's Draft Proposed Safety and Health Program Rule 29 CFR 1900.1. In addition, a training program will be developed on the administration and sustainment of this elements-based safety and health program.

Workplace Environment Subcommittee

This subcommittee is charged with addressing the issue of working in extreme temperatures. It was decided that the best way to communicate the information/dangers is through a manual for supervisors and a pocket guide for frontline CSEA personnel to use in the field. Both are being developed.

The Workplace Environment subcommittee is going beyond the extreme temperature guidelines to develop indoor air quality guidelines on chemical and biological contaminants; remodeling and renovations; ventilation systems and diagnostic tools; and control and remediation of hazardous material spills.

Workplace Security Subcommittee

The subcommittee on Workplace Security is overseeing the development of a written resource to assist agency planners and union leadership in complying with the New York State Public Employee Safety and Security Act. The resource will assist with the selection of appropriate control methods that can be utilized to mitigate the risk factors that must be addressed by NYS agencies. The elements in the resource will be general enough to accommodate the diversity of the State’s workplaces yet specific enough that agency personnel, who are not experts in the field of security, can effectively implement them.

Boiler Steam Pressure Vessel Workgroup

This subcommittee is addressing the concern of workplace injuries throughout the state caused by Boiler/Steam Pressure Vessel heating systems. It is identifying relevant course content for a training program on potential dangers and precautions, and trying to secure a consultant who can develop the program.

Imminent Danger Workgroup

This subcommittee has agreed that the best way to communicate information about imminent dangers to employees in the workplace is through a training program. Toward this end, it is conducting agency focus groups to gather input on such issues as the definition of imminent danger, types of dangers, concerns, and potential solutions.