WASHINGTON — The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the U.S. Postal Service and the American Postal Workers Union have agreed to terms of a settlement that will improve safety in postal facilities across the country. The settlement follows negotiations stemming from inspections at 42 Postal Service sites in 2009 and 2010 that found violations of OSHA standards on electrical work practices. USPS contested the citations, and OSHA then sought enterprise-wide relief before the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission.

“As a large employer, with a substantial number of affected employees throughout many different types of facilities, the U.S. Postal Service faced many challenges in improving their electrical safe-work program,” said Dr. David Michaels, assistant secretary of labor for occupational safety and health. “In entering this agreement, OSHA recognizes the Postal Service’s commitment and dedication to worker safety.”

As part of the settlement, which covers all Postal Service facilities nationwide, including processing and distribution centers and post offices, USPS has revised its written policies and procedures on electrical work, prohibiting workers from working on electrically energized equipment except for a defined set of tasks that can only be performed while equipment is energized, such as troubleshooting and testing. To ensure compliance with these electrical safety policies, USPS will assign a trained electrical work plan coordinator at each facility. In addition, USPS will provide and require the use of electrically protective gloves and full body arc flash protection for energized work, including voltage testing.

“Employee safety has always been a top priority for the Postal Service,” said Jeffrey Williamson, USPS chief human resources officer and executive vice president. “We are happy to have resolved this issue amicably and in the best interests of the safety of our employees.”

USPS has also agreed to audit the implementation of the electrical safe-work program at all maintenance-capable facilities, and report the results in detail to OSHA quarterly during the two-year term of the agreement. In addition, OSHA will meet with the Postal Service on a regular basis to discuss the results of OSHA monitoring inspections and USPS audits, as well as any concerns or problems encountered. Also, USPS will retrain all employees performing electrical work to comply with OSHA requirements for electrical work. Supervisors and affected employees also will receive additional training on electrical safe-work practices.

Cliff Guffey, president of the American Postal Workers Union, AFL-CIO, said, “The APWU is pleased to be a part of this landmark commitment to worker safety, which will ensure the protection of postal workers from electrical hazards.”

Under the settlement, the Postal Service has agreed to pay $100,000 at signing and a suspended payment of $3 million pending full abatement of the hazards. OSHA will monitor the Postal Service’s progress toward abatement and evaluate that progress against negotiated milestones.

APWU Press Release

The union has signed an unprecedented nationwide agreement [PDF] with the Department of Labor and the Postal Service that settles a series of OSHA complaints initiated by the APWU regarding violations of safe electrical work practices.

The agreement marks the OSHA’s first “enterprise-wide” settlement and follows a four-year campaign by the APWU and OSHA (Occupational Safety and Health Administration) to force postal management to address egregious electrical safety hazards at postal facilities across the country.

As a result of the settlement, the USPS has completely revised its policies and procedures on electrical work.

“The APWU is pleased to be a part of this landmark commitment to worker safety, which will ensure the protection of Postal workers from electrical hazards,” said APWU President Cliff Guffey.

Responding to APWU complaints, beginning in 2009 OSHA inspected 42 postal facilities and found that the USPS failed to provide employees working on electrically energized equipment with adequate training and protective equipment. OSHA issued citations for “willful and serious” violations of its electrical safety standards, and sought fines of more than $6 million.

Postal practices exposed workers to the risk of severe electric shock, burn or death, OSHA concluded.

The USPS contested the citations, so in the summer of 2010, the Department of Labor filed a motion to consolidate the complaints for trial before the OSHA Review Commission. The Department of Labor sought a unified resolution that would cover all postal facilities, noting that OSHA had already issued fines of more than $3 million for violations at 17 facilities.

The APWU was granted  “party status” to participate in the litigation of the case.

The settlement agreement, dated June 28:

• Prohibits employees from working on electrically energized equipment except for specific tasks that can only be performed when the equipment is energized;
• Requires the USPS to provide employees with personal protective equipment (PPE), including electrically protective gloves and “full body arc flash protection” for work on energized equipment;
• Requires the Postal Service to retrain employees who perform or supervise electrical work;
• Requires the Postal Service to re-label electrical equipment with safety warnings and information;
• Requires the USPS to implement a national “safe-work program”;
• Requires the USPS to assign an Electrical Work Plan Coordinator to each postal facility to administer the program, and
• Requires the Postal Service to meet with OSHA and the APWU on a regular basis to discuss the results of OSHA inspections and USPS audits, as well as any concerns or problems encountered.

Under the settlement, the Postal Service agreed to pay $100,000 at the signing of the agreement and a suspended payment of $3 million pending full abatement of the hazards. OSHA will monitor the Postal Service’s progress toward abatement and evaluate that progress against negotiated milestones.