AG-82B1-S-10-0381 hazard_communication_plan.pdf

CLAY BUTTE LOOKOUT TOWER REPAIRS

Hazard Communication Umbrella Plan

Shoshone National Forest

General

The purpose of this plan is to inform you, as a valued employee or contractor, how our forest is complying with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

Hazard Communication Standard, Title 29 Code of Federal Regulations 1910.1200.

Information in this particular document is our common forest-wide plan and includes our training requirements. Each unit, i.e., headquarters office, dispatch center, and three ranger districts, will modify this umbrella plan to make it unit specific. The unit specific plans will apply to all work operations where you may be exposed to hazardous chemicals under normal working conditions or during an emergency situation, and will include where you can find hazardous chemical list(s) and material safety data sheets

(MSDSs), and any additional hazard-specific training requirements.

Our Forest hazardous materials program manager is the overall coordinator of our umbrella plan, as well as the manager of our headquarters office unit plan. Our Forest safety officer is the manager of our dispatch center unit plan. District/ Zone Safety, are managers of North Zone, Wind River, and Washakie ranger district unit plans. All of these individuals serve as representatives of our line officers, i.e., Forest Supervisor and

District Rangers.

By way of our umbrella and unit specific plans you are informed of the contents of the

Hazard Communication Standard, the hazardous properties of chemicals with which you work, safe handling procedures, and measures to take to protect you from these chemicals. You are also informed of the hazards associated with non-routine tasks, e.g., being a first responder to an accidental spill or illegal dump site.

Lists of Hazardous Materials

Each of our unit coordinators maintains a list of hazardous chemicals used or stored on their unit. These lists are posted at respective storage sites within or across their unit as identified in their unit plans and updated upon receipt of new hazardous chemicals. A master unit list is kept at the desk of the coordinator for your particular unit.

It is your responsibility, if you are a user of a hazardous chemical(s), to notify your respective coordinator of changes or additions to any list that contains or needs to contain information about the chemicals you use in your work.

Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDSs)

Material safety data sheets provide you with specific information on the chemicals used by you. Each of our unit coordinators maintains a binder at respective storage sites within or across their unit with an MSDS on every substance on the list(s) of hazardous chemicals at that storage site. Each unit coordinator also maintains a master binder in the home office of your unit.

You, as an employee on this forest, have a responsibility to keep our MSDS data sheets and binders current. If you purchase or request the purchase of hazardous chemicals with the assistance of one of our purchasing agents, you are responsible for acquiring or updating MSDSs for that product(s). If an MSDS is not received with your product, it is your responsibility to contact the vendor and request one, and then post it in the MSDS binder at that storage site. You must also provide a copy to your unit coordinator for posting in the master binder.

All hazardous chemical purchases must be approved by your unit line officer.

Labels and Other Forms of Warning

Your unit coordinator is designated as the responsible party to ensure that all hazardous chemicals in the workplace are properly labeled. These labels list the chemical identity, appropriate hazard warnings, and the name and address of the manufacturer, importer or other responsible party.

You however have a responsibility to ensure requisite labeling is occurring at your work sites for the hazardous chemicals you use. This includes ensuring the labeling matches the MSDS for that product. You must also check your labels on a regular basis and replace any that are illegible or missing.

If you transfer chemicals from a labeled container to a portable container that is intended only for immediate use, i.e., one shift only, no labels are required on the portable container. You must though return any unused material to the appropriate labeled container or properly dispose of it.

Training

Your personal health and safety is very important to us. If you use hazardous chemicals in your work we require general and hazard-specific training. Depending on whether you are a permanent or temporary employee, or a contractor, our training program uses web-based content, regular safety meetings, tail-gate safety sessions, pre-work meetings, or discussions with your supervisor during performance reviews.

General Training

If you are a permanent employee you are required to annually review this umbrella hazard communication plan and any unit-specific plans that apply to your work. You are also required to take SkillSoft course SAH0435, Hazard Communication, offered through AGLEARN. This course only needs to be taken once during your tenure.

Your supervisor is required to ensure this training has been completed and documented in AGLEARN and to verify, at your annual performance evaluation, that the umbrella and unit specific plans were reviewed by you.

If you are a temporary employee that uses hazardous chemicals you are required to review this umbrella plan and any unit-specific plans that apply to your work within your first week of employment. Your supervisor is required to ensure this training has been completed and documented in your personnel folder.

Hazard-specific Training

If you are a permanent or temporary employee that uses hazardous chemicals you will receive hazard-specific training at regular safety meetings and tail-gate safety sessions.

This training will include, as a minimum, the following items:

o A summary of the hazard communication standard and our forest umbrella and unit-specific plans o The chemical and physical properties of the hazardous chemicals being used, e.g., flash point, and methods that can be used to detect their presence or release o The physical hazards of the chemicals being used, e.g. potential for fire or explosion o The health hazards, including signs and symptoms of exposure, of the chemicals being used and any medical condition known to be aggravated by exposure to the chemicals o Procedures to protect against chemical hazards, e.g., required personal protective equipment and its proper use and maintenance o Work procedures to follow to ensure protection when cleaning hazardous chemical spills and leaks o The location of MSDSs, how to read and interpret the information on labels and

MSDSs, and how to obtain additional hazard information

You and your supervisor are responsible for ensuring this training has been documented on the appropriate job-hazard analysis (JHAs) form.

Non-routine Tasks Training

If you are a permanent or seasonal field-going employee you will receive, on an annual basis, first responder training. This training will be documented via a sign-up sheet to be filed by the unit hazard communication coordinator.

If you are required to perform any non-routine task that requires the use of, or exposure to, hazardous chemicals, a special training session will be conducted to inform you of the hazardous chemicals to which you might be exposed and the precautions you must take to reduce or avoid exposure. This training will be documented in a file maintained by the project supervisor.

Contractor Training

If you are a contracting officer working for this forest you will advise contractors in Section C, Special Contract Requirements of the Solicitation, of any chemical hazards that may be encountered in the normal course of their work on this forest, the labeling system in use, the protective measures to be taken, and the safe handling procedures to be used. In addition, you will notify these individuals of the location and availability of

MSDSs. If they need to bring chemicals on-site, you will advise them that they will provide the appropriate hazard information for these substances, including MSDSs, labels, and precautionary measures to be taken when working with or around these chemicals. You will document your discussion in writing and place it in the contract folder.

Additional Information

You can obtain further information on our hazard communication plan by contacting one of our program coordinators or visiting our website at:

http://fsweb.shoshone.r2.fs.fed.us/res/Hazardous_materials_management_program/hazardou.htm.

Rebecca Aus, Forest Supervisor Date