CRFQ AGR26-16 - Exhibit B 8-NRCS Supplement to OSHA Parts 1910 and 1926.pdf

210 NEH 645 Appendix F (amended April 2025) 1

Title 210 – National Engineering Handbook

Part 645 – Construction Inspection Appendix F – NRCS Supplement to

OSHA Parts 1910 and 1926 Amended April 2025

645APPF.0 Introduction

A. NRCS construction contracts include the NRCS Supplement to Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) Parts 1910 and 1926. The supplement is also beneficial for other contracts where NRCS is involved, such as contracting local organization (CLO) contracts. It contains requirements not included in the OSHA requirements and emphasizes specific safety requirements covered in OSHA Parts 1910 and 1926.

B. The Contractor must comply with OSHA Parts 1910 and 1926, Construction Industry Standards and Interpretations, and with this supplement.

C. Requests for variances or waiver from this supplement must be made in writing to the Contracting Officer (CO) and include supporting evidence that every reasonable effort has been made to comply with the contractual requirements. A written request for a waiver or a variance must include:

1. A specific reference to the provision or standard in question.

2. An explanation justifying the waiver request.

3. The contractor's proposed alternative, including technical drawings, materials, or equipment specifications.

D. The CO will not approve any waiver or variance if it endangers any person. The contractor may not proceed under any requested revision of provision until the CO has given written approval. The contractor must hold and save harmless the NRCS from any claims or causes of action whatsoever resulting from the contractor or subcontractor proceeding under a waiver or approved variance. The CO cannot approve a waiver or variance for any OSHA requirements.

E. Obtain copies of OSHA Parts 1910 and 1926, Construction Industry Standards and Interpretations from:

1. https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910

2. https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1926 https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1910 https://www.osha.gov/laws-regs/regulations/standardnumber/1926

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645APPF.1 General Contractor Requirements

A. Safety Program. The contractor or subcontractor must demonstrate they have the facilities to conduct a safety program commensurate with the work under contract.

The contractor must propose a comprehensive safety program in writing to the CO for approval before construction operations begin. The program must specifically state what provisions the contractor proposes to take for the health and safety of all employees, including subcontractors and rental equipment operators. The program must be site specific and provide details relevant to the work to be done, the hazards associated with the work, and the actions that will be necessary to minimize the identified hazards. The plan must include a job hazard analysis which describes the significant hazards to life, limb, and property inherent in this contract and a plan for controlling these hazards. The contractor may use the NRCS version or their own, comparable form. The need for a Job Hazard Analysis for Non- Federal Acquisition Regulations (FAR) contracts is at the discretion of the State Safety Officer or State Conservation Engineer. Refer to FAR 52.236-13 and Title 210 National Engineering Manual, Part 512 “Construction,” Subpart G “Safety” for more information on the job hazard analysis.

B. Preconstruction Safety Meeting. The contractor’s representatives must meet with the CO or the CO’s representatives before the start of construction to discuss the safety program and the implementation of all health and safety standards pertinent to the work under this contract.

C. Joint Safety Policy Committee. The contractor, or their designated on-site representative, must participate in a monthly Joint Safety Policy Committee meeting. The committee must consist of the NRCS (CLO for locally awarded contracts) and contractor’s supervisory personnel. During these meetings, the contractor’s project manager and the CO must review the effectiveness of the contractor's safety effort, resolve current health and safety problems, and coordinate safety activities for upcoming work.

D. Safety Personnel. Each contractor must designate a competent supervisory employee to administer the safety program. The CO must approve the selection.

E. Safety Meetings. All field supervisors, or foremen, must conduct at least one “on-the-job" or "toolbox" safety meeting every week for all construction personnel and mechanics on the jobsite. The contractor must conduct at least one regularly scheduled supervisory safety meeting each month for all levels of job supervision.

F. Safety Inspection. The contractor must perform frequent and regular safety inspections of the jobsite, materials, and equipment, and correct deficiencies.

G. First Aid Training. Every work crew must include an employee who has a current first aid certificate from the Mine Safety and Health Administration, American Red Cross, or other state-approved organization.

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H. Reports. The contractor must maintain an accurate record of all job-related deaths, diseases, or disabling injuries in a manner the CO approves. They must immediately report all fatal or serious injuries and all other occurrences with serious accident potential, such as equipment failures, slides, and cave-ins to the CO. The contractor must provide the CO with a copy of all reports (including narratives, data, and information), and assist the CO fully with all investigations.

I. Certification of Insurance. Contractors must provide the CO or their authorized representative with certificates of insurance before the start of operations indicating full compliance with state worker's compensation statutes, as well as other certificates of insurance required under the contract.

645APPF.2 First Aid and Medical Facilities

A. First Aid Kits. Each accessible, well-identified first aid location must have a 16-unit first aid kit approved by the American Red Cross. There must be at least one kit per 25 employees. The kits must be moisture proof, dust tight, and have their contents replenished as used or as they become ineffective or outdated.

B. Emergency First Aid. At least one employee certified to administer emergency first aid must be available on each shift and duly designated by the contractor to care for injured employees. The contractor must post the names of the certified employees at the jobsite.

C. Communication and Transportation. Prior to the start of work, the contractor must make necessary arrangements for prompt and dependable communications, transportation, and medical care for injured employees. If mobile telephone reception is not consistent, the contractor must locate the nearest location with reliable service.

D. First Aid and Medical Reports. The contractor must maintain a record system for first aid and medical treatment on the jobsite. These records must be readily available to the CO and include:

1. A daily treatment log in chronological order listing all persons treated for occupational injuries and illnesses.

2. A cumulative record of injury for everyone.

3. All monthly statistical records of occupational injuries, classified by type and nature of injury.

4. All required records for worker's compensation.

E. Signs and Directional Markings. Each first aid station must have adequate identification and directional markers to make them easily identifiable.

F. Emergency Listing. Each first aid location must have a list of telephone numbers and addresses of doctors, rescue squads, hospitals, police, and fire departments.

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645APPF.3 Physical Qualifications of Employees

A. General Requirements. Anyone employed throughout the contract must be physically qualified to perform their assigned duties. Employees must not knowingly be permitted or required to work while their ability or alertness is impaired by fatigue, illness, or any other reason that jeopardizes anyone.

B. Hoist Operators. Operators of cranes, cableways, and other hoisting equipment must annually obtain a licensed physician’s examination and a certification from that physician stating they are physically qualified to safely operate hoisting equipment. The contractor must submit a copy of each certification to the CO.

C. Heavy Equipment Operators. Truck and heavy construction equipment operators must be physically qualified to perform their assigned work without endangering themselves or others.

D. Motor Vehicle Operators. Motor vehicle operators engaged primarily in the transportation of personnel must be 18 years of age or older and have a valid state operator's permit or license for the equipment operated. The operators must be physically qualified to operate vehicles safely.

645APPF.4 Personal Protective Equipment

A. Hardhat Areas. The entire jobsite, except for offices, are a hardhat area. Anyone entering the area must, without exception, wear a hardhat. The contractor must provide hardhats for visitors entering hardhat areas.

1. Labels. Hardhats must bear a manufacturer's label indicating design compliance with the appropriate American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standard.

B. Posting. Signs at least 3 by 4 feet worded as follows with red letters at least 6-inches tall on a white background must be erected at access points to designated hardhat areas:

1. CONSTRUCTION AREA - HARDHATS REQUIRED BEYOND THIS

POINT

2. The contractor must furnish and install these signs at entries to shops, construction yards, and job access points.

C. Safety Goggles (Drillers).

1. Drillers and Helpers. Drillers and helpers operating pneumatic rock drills must wear protective safety goggles.

645APPF.5 Machinery and Mechanized Equipment

A. Safe Condition. Before any machinery or mechanized equipment is initially used on the job, it must be tested by a qualified operator and inspected by the

210 NEH 645 Appendix F (amended April 2025) 5 contractor’s designated safety personnel and determined to be in safe operating condition and appropriate for the intended use. Operators must inspect their equipment prior to the beginning of each shift. Any deficiencies or defects must be corrected before using the equipment. Equipment operators must use all safety equipment installed in the machinery, such as seatbelts.

B. Tagging and Locking. All power-driven equipment under repair must have their control locked. An effective lockout and tagging procedure must be established, prescribing specific responsibilities and safety procedures to be followed by the person or persons performing repair work. Mixer barrels must be locked out before employees may enter them for cleaning or repair.

C. Haul Roads for Equipment.

1. Road Maintenance. The contractor must maintain all roadways, including haul roads and access roads, in a safe condition to eliminate or control dust and ice hazards. Wherever dust is a hazard, adequate dust-laying equipment must be available at the jobsite and utilized to control the dust. The intersections of haul roads and public roads must be inspected daily and cleared of any debris, clods, or dropped haul materials.

2. Single-Lane Haul Roads. Single-lane haul roads with two-way traffic must have adequate turnouts. Where turnouts are not practical, the contractor must provide a traffic control system to prevent accidents.

3. Two-Way Haul Roads. On two-way haul roads, arrangements are to be such that vehicles travel on the right side wherever possible. The contractor must employ signs and traffic control devices to clearly indicate any variations from a right-hand traffic pattern. The road must be wide enough to permit safe passage of opposing traffic, considering the type of hauling equipment used.

4. Design and Construction of Haul Roads. If the CO requests haul road design criteria and drawings, the contractor must submit them for approval prior to road construction. Sustained grades must not exceed 12 percent, and all curves must have open-sight line with as great a radius as practical. All roads must have curve signs and maximum speed limits posted that permit the equipment to be stopped within one-half the minimum sight distance.

5. Operators. Only qualified persons may operate machinery and mechanized equipment.

6. Riding on Equipment. Unauthorized personnel may not ride on equipment.

Operators and passengers must have seats and safety belts.

7. Getting on or off Equipment. No one may get on or off any equipment while it is in motion.

8. Hours of Operation. Except in emergencies, no equipment operator may operate any mobile or hoisting equipment for more than 12 hours without an 8-hour rest interval away from the job.

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D. Power Cranes and Hoists (Truck Cranes, Crawler Cranes, Tower Cranes, Gantry Cranes, Hammerhead Cranes, Derricks, Cableways, and Hoists).

1. Performance Test. Before initial onsite operation, at 12-month intervals, and after major repairs or modification, power cranes, derricks, cableways, and hoists must satisfactorily complete a performance test to demonstrate the equipment’s ability to safely handle and maneuver the rated loads. The CO, or their representative, must witness the tests. The test data must be recorded and a copy submitted to the CO.

2. Performance Test – Power Cranes (Crawler mounted, truck mounted and wheel mounted). The performance test must be conducted per ANSI requirements. The test must consist of raising, lowering, and braking the load and rotating the test load through 360° degrees at the specified boom angle or radius. Cranes equipped with jibs or boom-tip extensions must be tested using both the main boom and the jib, with an appropriate test load in each case.

3. Performance Test – Derricks, Gantry Cranes, Tower Cranes, Cableways, and Hoists, Including Overhead Cranes. This equipment’s performance must be tested per ANSI requirements.

4. Boom Angle Indicator. Power cranes (includes draglines) with booms capable of moving in the vertical plane must have a boom angle indicator in good working order.

5. Crane Test Certification. The contractor providing the CO a copy of a certificate of inspection made by a qualified person (or by a government or private agency satisfactory to the CO) within the last 12 months, satisfies the performance test required in sections 2 and 3 above.

6. Posting for High Voltage Lines. A notice of the 10-foot (or greater) clearance required by OSHA 1926.1408, Subpart CC, (Table A), must be posted in the operator’s cab of cranes, shovels, boom-type concrete pumps, backhoes, and related equipment.

7. Boom Stops. Cranes or derricks with cable-supported booms, except draglines, must have a device attached between the gantry of the A-frame and the boom chords to limit the elevation of the boom. The device must control the vertical motions of the boom with increasing resistance from 83° or less, until completely stopping the boom at not over 87° above horizontal.

8. Safety Hooks. Hooks used in hoisting personnel or hoisting loads over construction personnel or in the immediate vicinity of construction personnel must be forged steel equipped with safety keepers. When using shackles under these conditions, they must be of the locking type or have the pin secured to prohibit turning.

E. Rollover Protective Structures (ROPS).

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1. ROPS. OSHA 1926, Subpart W “Overhead Protection,” Sections 1001 and 1002 are applicable regardless of the year in which the equipment was manufactured and regardless of the struck capacity of the equipment.

2. Equipment Requiring ROPS. The requirement for ROPS applies to crawler and rubber-tired tractors such as dozers, push-and-pull tractors, winch tractors, tractors with backhoes, and mowers; off-highway, self-propelled, pneumatic-tired earthmovers, including scrapers, motor graders and loaders; and rollers, compactors, water tankers (excluding trucks with cabs). These requirements also apply to agricultural and industrial tractors and similar equipment.

3. Equipment Requiring Seatbelts. The requirements for seatbelts as specified in OSHA Subpart O “Motor Vehicles, Mechanized Equipment, and Marine Operations,” Section 1926.602 also apply to self- propelled compactors and rollers, and rubber-tired skid-steer equipment.

F. Ladders and Scaffolding.

1. Ladders. OSHA Subpart L - Section 1926.450. Ladders may only be used as work platforms when using small hand tools or handling light material. Lifting heavy materials or substantial exertion may not be done from ladders.

2. Scaffolding. OSHA Subpart L - Section 1926.451. Scaffolds, platforms, or temporary floors must be provided for all work except that which can be done safely from the ground or similar footing.

3. Safety Belts, Lifeline, and Lanyards. OSHA, Subpart E, Section 1926.104.

Lifelines, safety belts, and lanyards independently attached or attended, must be used when the following work is performed and the requirements for ladders and scaffolding cannot be met:

a. Work on stored material in hoppers, bins, silos, tanks, or other confined spaces.

b. Work on hazardous slopes, structural steel, or poles; erection or dismantling of safety nets, tying reinforcing bars; and work from Boatswain's chairs, swinging scaffolds, or other unguarded locations at elevations greater than six feet.

c. Work on skips and platforms used in shafts by crews when the skip or cage does not block the opening to within 1 foot of the sides of the shaft unless cages are provided.