Exhibit_6_-__Section_01546_GSA_Safety_ _Health_Specifications.pdf

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SECTION 01546 - SAFETY AND HEALTH

PART 1 - GENERAL

1.01 APPLICABLE PUBLICATIONS: The publications listed below form a part of this specification to the extent referenced. The publications are referred to in the text by basic designation only.

A. Code of Federal Regulations (CFR):

1. OSHA General Industry Safety and Health Standards (29 CFR 1910); OSHA

Construction Industry Standards (29 CFR 1926), and OSHA Shipyard Employment Asbestos Standard (29 CFR 1915.1001).

2. National Emission Standards for Hazardous Air Pollutants (40 CFR, Part 61).

3. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Final Rule (40 CFR Part 761).

4. EPA Resource Conservation and Recovery Act (40 CFR Parts 260 thru 271).

B. Federal Standard 313 - Material Safety Data Sheets, Preparation and Submission.

1.02 WORK COVERED BY THIS SECTION: This section is applicable to all work performed as part of this contract.

1.03 DEFINITION OF HAZARDOUS MATERIALS: Refer to hazardous and toxic materials/substances included in Subparts H and Z of 29 CFR 1910; and to others as defined in Federal Standard 313.

A. Those most commonly encountered can include pesticides, cleaning agents, paints, adhesives, strippers, solvents, asbestos, polychlorinated biphenyls (PCB'S), explosives, and radioactive material, but may include others.

B. The most likely products to contain asbestos are sprayed-on fireproofing, insulation, boiler lagging, and pipe covering. Products likely to contain PCB's are transformers (See Paragraph 3.01), capacitors, voltage regulators, fluorescent light ballasts and oil switches.

1.04 QUALITY ASSURANCE:

A. Safety Meeting: Representatives of the Contractor must meet with the Contracting

Officer and his/her representative(s) prior to the start of work under this contract for the purpose of reviewing the Contractor's safety and health programs and discussing implementation of all safety and health provisions pertinent to the work to be performed under the contract. The Contractor shall be prepared to discuss, in detail, the measures he/she intends to take in order to control any unsafe or unhealthy conditions associated with the work to be performed under the contract. If directed by the Contracting Officer, this meeting may be held in conjunction with other meetings which are scheduled to take place prior to start of work under this contract, such as the Pre-Construction (Pre-Con) meeting. The level of detail for the safety meeting is dependent upon the nature of the work and the potential inherent hazards. The Contractor's principal on-site representative(s), the general superintendent and his/her safety representative(s) shall attend this meeting.

B. Compliance With Regulations: All work, including contact with and handling of hazardous materials, the disturbance or dismantling of structures containing hazardous materials

SAFETY AND HEALTH (Revised 10/11/94) 01546 - 2 and/or the disposal of hazardous materials shall comply with the applicable requirements of 29 CFR 1910/1926, and 40 CFR 761/260-271. Work involving the disturbance, dismantling of asbestos or asbestos containing materials; the demolition of structures containing asbestos; and/or the disposal and removal of asbestos, shall also comply with the requirements of 40 CFR Part 61, Subparts A and M, and 40 CFR 1915.1001, as well as GSA Specification 02085 (Asbestos Abatement Procedures). All work shall comply with applicable state and municipal safety and health requirements. Where there is a conflict between applicable regulations, the most stringent shall apply.

C. Contractor Responsibility:

1. All Contractors shall assume full responsibility and liability for compliance with applicable regulations pertaining to the health and safety of personnel during the execution of work, and shall hold the Government harmless for any action on his/her part or that of his/her employees or subcontractors, which results in illness, injury or death.

2. Construction Contractors shall comply with the following additional requirements in accordance with 29 CFR 1926.16 (Prime/Subs):

a. Compliance with the accepted accident prevention plan written by the prime contractor for the specific work, submitted to the government, and reviewed by the Contracting Officer. The contractor's plan will be job specific and will include work to be performed by the subcontractors, and measures to be taken by the contractor to control hazards associated with materials, services, or equipment provided by suppliers.

b. Regularly scheduled safety meetings shall be held at least once a week for all supervisors on the project to review past activities, to plan ahead for new or changed operations, and establish safe working procedures for anticipated hazards. An outline of each meeting shall be submitted through the Construction Engineer to the Contracting Officer.

c. At least one safety meeting shall be conducted weekly by field supervisors or foreman for all workers. An outline report of the meeting giving date, time, attendance, subjects discussed and who conducted it shall be maintained and copies furnished to the designated authority on request.

1.05 SUBMITTALS.

A. Accident Reporting: Serious accidents such as those resulting in: treatment of an injury at a medical facility; response by emergency medical personnel; or damage to property other than that of the contractor will be reported to the contracting officer's representative by telephone within twenty-four hours of the occurrence. A copy of each accident report, which the Contractor or subcontractors submit to their insurance carriers, shall be forwarded through the Contracting Officer's Representative, (Construction Engineer) to the Contracting Officer as soon as possible, but in no event later than seven (7) calendar days after the day the accident occurred.

B. Permits: When hazardous materials (as defined in Paragraph 1.03, and 40 CFR 261) are disposed of, the contractor must submit copies of permits and manifests from applicable, Federal, state, or municipal authorities, and necessary certificates that the material has been disposed of as per regulations.

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Submit GSA Form 1755, Welding, Cutting and Burning Permit when required. (See Paragraph 3.05.B)

C. Scaffolding: All scaffolding that is erected on this job will be erected in accordance with the requirements of 29 CFR 1926.451. For scaffolding over two sections high, a scaffold erection plan will be developed by the Contractor, certified by an engineer and provided to the Contracting Officer (CO) prior to set up. Once in place, the scaffold will be inspected prior to use, daily thereafter, and documented by contractor's assigned safety officer. Scaffold anchor points will also be inspected prior to use, daily thereafter, and documented by contractor's assigned safety officer. Weekly reports will be provided to the designated Contracting Officer's Representative (COR) for inclusion in the contract record.

D. Plan of Action: A plan of action for handling hazardous materials, except Lead, PCBs and asbestos (they are covered under separate Specifications), must be submitted. The hazardous materials plan of action shall contain the following:

1. Identification of possible hazards, problems, and proposed control mechanisms.

2. Description of how applicable safety and health regulations and standards are to be met.

3. Protection of public or others not related to the operation.

4. Specialized training and experience of employees to be used for the work.

5. Type of protective equipment and work procedures to be used.

6. Material Safety Data Sheets (MSDS) of and procedures for using, disposing of, or storing the toxic/hazardous materials(See 29 CFR 1910.1200 also).

7. Emergency procedures for accidental spills or exposures.

8. Interfacing and control of subcontractors, if applicable.

9. Identifications of any required analyses, test demonstrations, and validation requirements.

10. Methods of certification for compliance.

PART 2 - PRODUCTS

2.01 MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT: Special facilities, devices, equipment, clothing, and similar items used by the Contractor in the execution of work shall comply with the applicable regulations.

2.02 MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEETS (MSDS): MSDS shall be available for all products used under this contract. The prime contractor is responsible for meeting the hazard communication requirements, in accordance with 29 CFR 1910.1200.

PART 3 - EXECUTION

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3.01 CAUTIONARY PROCEDURES AT EXISTING VAULTS: Transformer vaults may have floors which are PCB-contaminated. These vaults are generally marked by blue signs, which identify the vault as PCB contaminated. Consult the Building Manager to ascertain whether precautionary procedures must be taken.

On rare occasions, vault doors in existing buildings may be equipped with protective alarms and devices. Consult the Building Manager to ascertain whether vault doors in areas under this contract are so equipped.

3.02 HAZARDOUS MATERIALS: The Contractor shall bring to the attention of the Contracting Officer any material suspected of being hazardous which he/she encounters during execution of the work. A determination will be made by the Contracting Officer as to whether the Contractor shall perform tests to determine if the material is hazardous. If the Contracting Officer directs the Contractor to perform tests, and/or if the material is found hazardous and additional protective measures are needed, a contract change may be required, subject to applicable provisions of this contract.

3.03 CONFINED SPACES: The Contractor shall bring to the attention of the Contracting Officer any work he/she encounters which may involve entry into a suspected confined space. A determination will be made by the Contracting Officer, and if the area is deemed a permit required confined space, additional protective measures will be needed.

3.04 CONSTRUCTION STOP WORK ORDERS: When the Contractor or his/her subcontractors are notified by the Contracting Officer's representative(s) of any noncompliance with the provisions of the contract and the action(s) to be taken, the Contractor shall immediately, if so directed, or within 48 hours after receipt of a notice of violation correct the unsafe or unhealthy condition. If the Contractor fails to comply promptly, all or any part of the work being performed may be stopped by the Contracting Officer or his/her representative(s) with a "Stop Work Order." In situations of imminent danger, the Contractor must stop immediately. When, in the opinion of the Contracting Officer or his/her representative(s), satisfactory corrective action has been taken to correct the unsafe and unhealthy condition, a start order will be given immediately. The Contractor shall not be allowed any extension of time or compensation for damages by reason of, or in connection with, such work stoppage.

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3.05 PROTECTION:

The following are public protection requirements for ALL contracts:

A. Contractor Responsibility: The Contractor shall take all necessary precautions to prevent injury to the public, building occupants, or damage to property of others. For the purposes of this contract, the public or building occupants shall include all persons not employed by the Contractor or a subcontractor working under his/her direction.

B. Welding, Cutting, and Burning: GSA specifically requires permits for welding, cutting, and burning. These permits, GSA Form 1755, Welding, Cutting and Burning, shall be obtained each day from the GSA Buildings Manager, or the facility manager for a delegated building, whenever welding, cutting or any open flame work is performed.

1. Work areas shall be kept clear of combustibles within a 25-foot radius of any open flame work. Combustibles which cannot be removed shall be covered with flame-resistant blankets.

2. Compressed gas cylinders shall be secured in a vertical position at all times.

Valve protection caps shall be in place whenever cylinders are moved or stored.

3. Appropriate fire extinguishers shall be maintained at welding and cutting operations.

4. A designated fire watch shall sign and return the permit. The fire watch shall be on duty during operations and for a sufficient time afterwards to ensure no possibility of fire exists.

C. Storage: It is prohibited to store, position, or use equipment, tools, materials, scraps, and trash in a manner likely to present a hazard to the public or building occupants by its accidental shifting, ignition, or other hazardous qualities. Storing of combustible or flammable liquids shall be in accordance with the current edition of the National Fire Protection Association Code for Flammable and Combustible Materials (NFPA 30).

D. Obstructions: No corridor, aisle, stairway, door, or exit shall be obstructed or used in such a manner as to encroach upon routes of ingress or egress utilized by the public or building occupant, or to present an unsafe or unhealthy condition to the public or building occupant.

The following are public protection requirements for construction contracts:

E. Protection of the Public and Federal Employees: Work shall not be performed in any area occupied by the public or Federal employees unless specifically permitted by the contract or the Contracting Officer and unless adequate steps are taken for the protection of the public or Federal employees.

F. Fences & Barricades: The work area shall be fenced, barricaded, or otherwise blocked off from the public or building occupants to prevent unauthorized entry into the work area.

G. Alternate Precautions: When the nature of the work prevents isolation of the work area and the public or building occupants may be in or pass through, under or over the work area, alternate precautions such as the posting of signs, the use of signal persons, the erection of barricades or similar protection around particularly hazardous operations shall be used as appropriate.

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H. Public Thoroughfare: When work is to be performed over a public thoroughfare such as a sidewalk, lobby, or corridor, the thoroughfare shall be closed, if possible, or other precautions taken such as the installation of screens or barricades. When the exposure to heavy falling objects exists, as during the erection of building walls or during demolition, special protection of the type detailed in 29 CFR 1910/1926 shall be provided.

I. Temporary Construction Barriers: Paragraphs 3.05 E through 3.05 G above specify the erection of construction barriers in specific situations. Temporary construction barriers, partitions which cover a hole in a rated fire wall, or separate the construction from public access and exit corridors shall be erected floor-to-ceiling, wall-to-wall, and remain in place for the duration of the contract. The minimum construction standards for these temporary barriers shall be metal studs 16 inches on center, anchored top and bottom, and covered with a minimum of one layer of 1/2 inch gypsum wallboard.

J. Roof Work: During the performance of roofing work on low-pitch roofs, employees will be protected as required by the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) standards contained in 29 CFR 1926.500, except that a safety monitoring system, as defined in 29 CFR 1926.502(p)(7), is not an allowable option when working within six feet from the roof edge. When working within six feet of the roof edge, or motion-stopping safety systems, as defined in 29 CFR 1926.502(p)(5), will be used.

K. Removal of Fences and Barricades: Fences and barricades shall be removed upon completion of the project, in accordance with local ordinance and to the satisfaction of the Contracting Officer or his/her representative(s).

END OF SECTION 01546