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, 2007 through March 31, 2011, calls for the development and maintenance of a agency level comprehensive safety and health labor management system based on the Federal model 29CFR1960 "Elements", committee discussion on the following topics: Zero energy level maintenance protocols; The safety of employee identification badges; Dealing with Imminent Danger Situations; Hierarchy of Controls – minimizing and eliminating hazards; Ergonomics – reducing and preventing musculoskeletal disorders; and Hazards of pressurized heating systems.

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

Boiler/Pressure Vessel Safety Subcommittee

Working on these systems has resulted in serious, often fatal injuries. This subcommittee will work to identify hazards of pressurized heating systems and develop possible solutions. The subcommittee will continue to address the unique situations of dealing with such systems and developing course content for a training program on potential dangers and precautions related to these systems.

The goals of this committee will be:

• to identify the training needs of workers who work on these systems in state agencies – statewide.(not just SUNY)

• to identify ways to use lock out tag out in situations where work is being done on high pressure lines.

CSEA Members: Wayne King, John Bricker, Martin Curtis, Ron Castle
MGT Members: Andy Barna, Valerie Ayers

Elements Subcommittee

During the 2003–2007 contract period the Elements subcommittee conducted research and began the development of an "Elements" model. The Elements model is based, in part, on OSHA’s Proposed Safety and Health Program Rule 29 CFR 1900.1 In the side letter for the 2007–2011 contract the following aspects of an elements program must include:

1. Determination of the NYS & CSEA Partnership for Education and Training’s capacity to offer assistance to agencies requesting the development and maintenance of an agency level "Elements" program, a comprehensive safety and health labor management system. *See Federal model 29CFR1960.

2. The development of an "Elements" safety and health manual and training Program.

3. Identification of ways to educate safety and health committees to emphasize the elimination of hazards as preferential when evaluating control options of identified hazards.

The goal of this committee would be:

• to minimize or eliminate injury and illnesses within an agency or facility using the elements of a safety and health program. The successful implementation of the elements would result in a culture change within the agency or facility.

CSEA Members: Andy Mantella, TBD
MGT Members: Brian Gibney, Andy Barna, Valerie Ayers, Debye Lurie

Ergonomics Subcommittee

NYS and CSEA have agreed to reduce and prevent musculoskeletal disorders. This is to be done by advocating "safe patient handling" programs in health care facilities to lower injury rates and decrease lost workdays. This subcommittee will:

• Continue to support agencies where employees lift and reposition patients by providing technical assistance and training.

• Promote attendance at conferences on safe patient handling and movement.

• Develop a statewide network to share information/contacts

In addition to health care facilities, the subcommittee will begin to branch out into other areas of ergonomics to help agencies reduce or eliminate musculoskeletal disorders as this is a significant area of injury suffered by CSEA employees at work.

Also, the subcommittee will look at information and training that will help agency safety and health committees reduce or eliminate those injuries through effective ergonomic programs and develop Train–the–Trainer programs aimed at the identification and mitigation of hazards associated with these injuries.

The goals for this subcommittee will be to:

• finish implementing safe patient handling in DOH Vets homes and begin looking into OMRDD and the special issues they have.

• develop a cost benefit analysis of a successful safe patient handling program. These injuries are the number one injury for NYS workers.

• develop a ‘how to implement a safe patient handling program’ using the Elements and showcasing Batavia’s experience.

CSEA Members: Deb Downey, Frank Cosentino
MGT Members: Nick Schkrioba, Tony DeMarco

Imminent Danger/ID Badge Subcommittee

To prevent imminent danger situations the identification and mitigation of such situations is required. In the previous contract a curriculum was developed, to educate workers on imminent danger situations at the worksite. This subcommittee will review and finalize the curriculum developed, and support the development and implementation of a process that would educate workers on imminent danger situations at the worksite, as well as, market and promote training of this program.

As a result of identification badges being used as weapons in certain agencies this subcommittee will evaluate means by which employee identification badges can be worn so that the risk of injury is minimized or new design of how to wear badges

The goal of this subcommittee will be to:

• develop a process that a worker can use to address issues of imminent danger. Educate all workers on that process.

• Make product recommendations on different types of identification methods

CSEA Members: Maryann Phelps, Virginia Stubbs, Paul Blujus
MGT Members: Michelle Speanburg, Scot Chamberlain, Sue Ann Hart, Derrick Holmes

Training Subcommittee

This subcommittee will look at utilizing existing curriculum or developing new train–the–trainer curriculum to assist agencies in developing the fundamental training capacity needed to comply with existing OSHA/PESH standards. The following were suggested subject areas:

• Confined Space

• Lockout/Tagout (LOTO)

• Asbestos

• Right-to-Know

• Trenching

The goal of this subcommittee will be to:

• assist agencies to use labor and management trainers to provide required OSHA training.

• Utilize the Partnership in supporting the agency trainers - as opposed to having Partnership deliver the training.

CSEA Members: Nick McKay, Karen Maikels
MGT Members: Larry Enoch, John Suchy