OIG found in some locations that safety was not always a priority to management
Highlights of the USPS OIG audit:
Previously, the Postal Service, as a federal agency, was exempt from private sector provisions of the OSH Act. When PESEA became effective, the Postal Service became fully subject to the OSH Act. This gave OSHA jurisdiction over the Postal Service in matters relating to employee safety and health and required the Postal Service to comply with OSHA standards and regulations. If violations occur, OSHA may cite or fine the Postal Service or, in extreme cases, refer the agency for criminal prosecution.
In recent years, OSHA has increased its inspections and citations of the Postal Service considerably and, as a result, penalties have increased. Specifically, the total number of proposed violations increased from 112 in fiscal year (FY) 2008 to 528 in FY 2010. According to OSHA, 52 percent of the Postal Service’s proposed violations in FYs 2008-2010 were for serious violations. Actual penalties the Postal Service paid increased from $59,965 in FY 2008 to $568,486 in FY 2010.
The Postal Service has implemented processes to minimize health and safety hazards at its facilities and to help ensure compliance with OSHA requirements, including semiannual safety inspections that provide a method for identifying, tracking, and abating hazards and unsafe conditions. They also perform program evaluations to measure the effectiveness of safety and health programs and ensure compliance with OSHA regulations. In addition, the employees use Postal Service (PS) Form 1767, Report of Hazard, Unsafe Condition or Practice Procedures, to report safety hazards they identify in the work place. However, Postal Service personnel at the locations we visited did not consistently follow established procedures, resulting in hazardous and unsafe working conditions. Some of the hazards we observed included unsafe practices regarding loading dock areas, powered industrial truck (PIT) operation, eyewash and shower units, electrical issues, unanchored lockers, and fire prevention.
We found management control weaknesses at the locations we visited contributed to the safety hazards identified. Specifically:
Officials at two locations stated safety was not a priority.
Performance measures for supervisors did not place a high priority on maintaining a safe and healthy work environment.
Guidance regarding PIT operation safety training is inconsistent. Headquarters management stated that OSHA does not require PIT operation training for operators and supervisors. However, the Safety Toolkit identified PIT operation training courses as a triennial requirement. The OSHA requirement is for an evaluation of PIT operator performance every 3 years.
Field management officials we interviewed:
° Were not aware of hazardous conditions (four locations).
° Did not always ensure preventive maintenance was performed on eyewash and shower units (two locations).
° Did not always ensure personnel followed policies and procedures regarding loading dock safety (two locations).
° Did not always ensure personnel followed policies and procedures regarding PIT operation (five locations).
As a result, employees were exposed to increased risk of injury and the Postal Service was exposed to potential increases in workers’ compensation costs and OSHA penalties.
** The Postal Service may contest the citation, proposed penalty, and/or abatement date. These numbers do not reflect contested items that have resulted in reductions in the violation’s severity, number, or penalty amount.
Perhaps we should have a congressional investigative committee assigned to see if they can waste more time and money on a subject every employee knows is flawed. Safety is only important when the people come for the inspections or when management wants to lay blame/discipline on an employee. It is another one of managements smoke and mirrors games.
I recently contacted osha and was advised that the post office basically has its own set of rules and they really did not want to be involved. I told them that during a general alarm that we (approx. 20 plus employees ) in the maintenance craft are required to muster inside our building which is over 650,000 sq ft. Most of us have no specific task. We are told that we are there incase needed. I told them that I diid not feel safe and that I wish to muster outside with everyone else. All most all in the maintenance craft have radios. I told my supervisor that I felt unsafe. When I called over the radio from outside the building and mustered and told them if needed for anything that I have trained for I would be ready. Well a couple of days later I got my first ever letter for 7 days on the street. I have been with the posal service for over 32 years. I have tried to get them to reevaluate their procedures but the said it has been past practice and that was their answer to change. I am still trying to get help to have this procedure reviewed. Please keep me in your thoughts. Thanks
What is OSHA waiting for? DO IT! DO IT! DO IT! DO NOT TALK ABOUT IT .IT WILL NEVER CHANGE BECAUSE NOBODY CARES! SAFETY IS A JOKE UNTIL SOMEONE GETS HURT OR KILLED. STOP THE B.S! AND DO YOUR JOB!
THIS REMINDS ME ABOUT THE TIME I WAS SITTING AT A STOP LIGHT WAITING FOR IT TO TURN GREEN. WHEN IT FINALLY TURNED GREEN THE CAR IN FRONT OF ME WAS NOT PAYING ATTENTION AND SO AFTER A WHILE I LAID ON MY HORN BUT NO MOVEMENT. I THEN STUCK MY HEAD OUT OF THE DRIVER SIDE WINDOW AND SCREAMED” HOW GREEN DOES IT HAVE TO GET”????HE FLIPPED ME THE BIRD. HEY OSHA! HOW ,MANY VIOLATIONS DO YOU NEED?
Well, the OIG has done it once again. Spent who knows how much for a study that makes the same findings and reaches the same conclusions that OSHA has already done.
Criminal prosecutions? Please, do not lie to us in the workforce. It is bad enough that all the safety violations occur, and we get bullied and harassed regularly (unsafe psychological workplace), due to BLOATED MANAGEMENT WORKFORCE. They are just trying to justify their jobs,which they seem incapable of doing when it comes to safety, because they are too busy harassing, bullying and intimidating carriers and clerks.
safety programs at my facilty are nothing but propaganda. Mgt ignores serious safety violations on a daily basis and only use safety regs to cite as discipline when someone gets hurt.
“OIG found in some locations safety was not always a priority to management.”
and the oscar for the understatement of the year goes to…the OFFICE OF THE INSPECTOR GENERAL / OIG. accepting the award for the OIG is postmaster general donahoe!
okay OIG, you came out with your report stating that management
is not taking safety seriously within the post office. now for the big question:
what the hell are you going to do about it? this is the whole problem with the OIG. on the rare occaisions when the OIG actually does its job and reports some violations by postal management the OIG releases a report and then fades away
again into oblivion. the OIG is the department that is supposed to bring accountability and ensure integrity within the united states postal service. what a joke the OIG really is. and because of the incompetence at the OIG, the postal service is just littered with fraud, waste, incompetence, and unethical behavior.
We just had an OSHA inspection in our facility. They found a myriad of violations. One of the more “serious “one was use of power taps to energize fans and over head lights. The Post Office response was to remove all of the fans and disconnect the lights. Now we are hot and have to pitch mail in a darkened area. So typical!!!
I have reported some serious safety issues from time to time and have never really gotten any remedy. I found that jump seats when installed in the back of LLV’s can be pushed up out of the floor because the anchors in the floor are corroded. Just hit on the back of a installed jump seat with the palm of your hand and you’ll see it go up out of the floor. I wrote this up because in a accident who ever is in that seat is going out the windshield. I got the runaround by osha and told it was a dept of transportation problem. I called them and they said they had no jurisdiction over the Post office. This danger was one of the big safety issues I am aware of and there’s others, but who will listen and who will do anything about them? After a while you get tired of spinning your wheels.