A1_-_CY-2024-2025_Specification_-_Safety_Software_System.pdf

Blue Ridge Parkway (BLRI)

Specifications for an all-inclusive Safety Software Suite (SMS)

INTRODUCTION:

The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act) was passed to prevent workers from being killed or seriously harmed at work. This law created the Occupational Safety and Health

Administration (OSHA), which sets and enforces protective workplace safety and health standards.

In maintaining the spirit of all Federal Laws, Standards and Regulations for worker safety the

National Park Service adopted and implemented the (NPS) Directors Order #50B Occupational

Safety and Health Program.

The National Park Service (NPS) Directors Order #50B Occupational Safety and Health Program directs the individual Park Superintendents to implement a comprehensive risk management program throughout their respective Parks. Specific program objectives are to establish and implement a continuously improving and measurable risk management process that: (1) provides for the occupational safety and health of NPS employees; (2) establishes effective site specific occupational safety and health programs at all NPS units; (3) requires other employers operating in NPS units to provide for the occupational safety and health of their employees;

and 4) identifies strategies to minimize the loss of NPS human, physical, and fiscal resources due to preventable accidents, and (5) coordinates risk management and workers’ compensation program management to achieve these objectives.

Furthermore, the DO #50B directs Superintendents to identify recognizable threats to employee occupational safety and health, and to the protection of property, by applying nationally accepted codes, standards, engineering principles, and the guidance contained in this Director's Order #50B. Where practicable and not in conflict with the Organic Act and other NPS mandates and policies to preserve park resources, known hazards will be reduced or eliminated. If the hazard cannot be eliminated, efforts will be made to provide for employee occupational safety and health through other controls, including closures, guarding, signing, personal protective equipment, training, or other forms of education.

BACKGROUND AND EXISTING CONDITIONS:

The Blue Ridge Parkway is a National Parkway and All-American Road in the United States, noted for its scenic beauty. The parkway, which is America's longest linear park, runs for 469 miles through 29 Virginia and North Carolina counties, linking Shenandoah National Park to Great Smoky Mountains National Park. It runs mostly along the spine of the Blue Ridge, a major mountain chain that is part of the Appalachian Mountains. Its southern terminus is at U.S.

Route 441 on the boundary between Great Smoky Mountains National Park and the Qualla Boundary of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians in North Carolina, from which it travels north to Shenandoah National Park in Virginia.

The Blue Ridge Parkway drew many visitors in 2021, nearly 16 million, and the impacts of that crush can be seen in some places along the 469-mile-long scenic road. There are approximately 450 Park facilities with the 469 miles and approximately 150 (+-) Permanent full-time employees with another 80 (+-) Seasonal employees who are diligently working to maintain the Parks, Campgrounds, Visitors stations, Comfort stations and the Mowing operations, Hazardous Tree Operations and Roadway maintenance with an additional 150 + Overlooks that enhance the visitor experience. The Parkway is identified by four separate districts known as the (RIDGE), (PLATEAU), (HIGHLANDS) and (PISGAH) and nine Sub-Districts.

In 2020 COVID-19 Pandemic hit the Nation as well as the National Park Service at the Blue Ridge Parkway had a very diminished workforce to maintain all the facilities, structures and needs of the Blue Ridge Parkway therefore services were cut back with the focus being placed on the remining staff worker safety, roadway, and visitor safety.

Prior to the Covid-19 Pandemic the National Park Service nor the NPS Washington Support Office had designed or instituted a Safety Suite or program that would be all inclusive for the National Parks, therefore each park did what they could to maintain all Federal Safety standards with no set DOI/NPS guidance or standardizations for Safety records, Safety training, or Safety inspections. The DOI/NPS does not have a single program that would capture all the employees training, park inspections from facilities to motor vehicle(s), Employee equipment certifications and expiration dates of certifications, Safety Data sheets (SDS) and chemical hazards, daily, weekly, or monthly walk around inspections, or one that would capture all employee safety training regardless of if the employee was a (FTE), Seasonal, Volunteer or Concessioner.

The Federal Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) directs employers to follow all relevant OSHA safety and health standards. Find and correct safety and health hazards.

Inform employees about chemical hazard through training, labels, alarms, color-coded systems, chemical information sheets and other methods. Provide required personal protective equipment at no cost to workers. Keep accurate records of work-related injuries and illnesses, Train employees and to maintain those training records

The Blue Ridge Parkway has two very active Unions and Collective Barging Agreements with the American Federation of Government Employees (AFGE) Local No#446 and the Union Local No.

R4-75 National Association of Government Employees. The Union(s) on a routine basis sends out to the Blue Ridge Management Team request for information (RFI’s) always asking for all Safety Committee notes, and official Minutes, copies of accident reports relating to bargaining unit members for the 2-3 years, inspections conducted over the last 2-3 years, safety training conducted over the past 2-3 years. This simple RFI from the Unions has proven to be extremely expensive for the NPS as hundreds of manhours and paperwork research must go into each Union RFI as there is no repository or single source safety program where this requested information can be extracted from in a timely manner.

http://www.nps.gov/blri

SPECIFICATIONS for Safety Management System:

• At least 2 system administrators

• At least 13 supervisors

• At least 500 seats/users, with the ability to add additional seats/users as necessary a per basis

Safety Suite Software:

• Includes training component.

o Unlimited use of training assets, but requires purchase of enrollments for individual online courses (the below courses are required to be made available within the base price):

▪ OSHA training

▪ HAZCOM training

▪ Respiratory protect

▪ First Aid & CPR

▪ Blood Born Pathogen

▪ Hearing and Sight conservation

▪ Hazardous identification and reporting

▪ Motor Vehicle Operator

▪ Forklift training

▪ Compressed gasses

▪ Fall protection

▪ Confined space entry

▪ Personal Protection Equipment

• Inspection component o All BLRI facilities, vehicles, and equipment can be included, and inspection / audits done on any device and stored/maintained in the online database.

o Unlimited inspections o Online checklists o Upload BLRI checklists o Able to complete checklists on devices

• Compliance o Reference materials o Written programs – once complete how are they updated?

▪ Maintained online

▪ Electronic signatures

• Searchable & Downloadable

• Chemical Management o SDS database o SDS database to be a living document that automatically updates

Design:

1. Safety Software system must be compatible with the NPS firewall, Microsoft environment.

2. The Safety Management Software Suite (SMS) must provide round the clock access to all safety management tools.

3. The (SMS) must be Web-based and easily accessible using any of today’s technology, from the office or individuals’ home, smart phone, tablet etc.

4. The (SMS) must provide a Dashboard for quick accessibility to gauge program effectiveness, uncover inefficiencies and reduce risk in real time with supportive analytical data

5. The (SMS) must be able to provide Updates to critical regulatory information with explanations and in multiple languages

6. The (SMS) must provide an up-to-date Reference repository of our industry specific requirements.

7. The (SMS) must provide access to audits & inspections

8. The (SMS) must provide access to Safety consultants for custom safety plans that are specific to our practice.

9. The (SMS) must be able to provide training and training resources.

10. The (SMS) must provide access and develop, maintain a comprehensive hazard communication program that is industry specific.

11. The (SMS) must be able to provide supervisors with the ability to assign site specific task with reminders and notifications.