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Safety Program Description and Initiatives

The Bureau of Land Management has a well-established and active safety and occupational health program.  The basic operating philosophy of the program is that of Risk Assessment and Management.  This program is represented at every level of the organization. Field, state, and center offices have collateral or full-time safety officers, each state has a State Safety Manager, and the national office is represented by a Program Safety & Health Manager and the Bureau Safety Manager.  The National Office of Fire and Aviation also has a full-time Safety and Occupational Health Manager on staff.  Go to list of State and National Safety Managers.

A Presidential Directive mandates the Federal Worker 2000 Presidential Safety Initiative which states,

The Bureau of Land Management is dedicated to fulfilling this initiative.  Agency safety and health policies and guidelines are established to provide each BLM employee the opportunity to have a safe and healthful work environment.

Roles, Rights, and Responsibilities   [Top of Page]

Every BLM supervisor, employee and volunteer is responsible for following safe work practices and procedures, and identifying and reporting unsafe conditions.  The following paragraphs identify major roles, rights, and responsibilities of BLM employees:

Managers are responsible for:

• The overall safety and health program, providing a safe and healthful workplace, and adequate program support.
• Demonstrating commitment and support; thereby, reinforcing safety and health practices.
• Ensuring that active, honest participation in loss prevention efforts will not result in employee retribution (promotional, emotional, personal, or otherwise).
• Ensuring that risk management principles are integrated into all decision making processes.

Supervisors are responsible for:

• Developing and implementing effective work systems which will achieve an accident-free environment.
• Making the safety and health of all employees an integral part of his or her regular management function.
• Assuring that safe work procedures and practices are followed.
• Identifying hazards and abating them.
• Ensuring employee safety training is completed.
• Providing personal protective equipment as needed.
• Holding employees accountable to follow safe work practices.
• Assessing the workplace for safety on a continuous basis.
• Reporting all incidents, accidents, and injuries into the Safety Management Information System (SMIS).
• Initiating investigations of all accidents/incidents, either personally or by a trained accident investigator.
• Ensuring that risk management principles are integrated into all operational decision making processes.

Employees are responsible for:

• Complying with safety and health rules and policies.
• Participating in the safety process and program activities.
• Following established risk management principles and guidance.
• Working safely and responsibly for themselves and coworkers.
• Using (properly) and caring for any personal protective equipment. 
• Assessing their work environment for safety.
• Reporting unsafe and unhealthful work conditions and practices. 
• Reporting every incident, accident, and injury to their supervisor.

Employees have the right to:

• Participate in BLM safety and occupational health activities.
• Be protected from restraint, interference, coercion, discrimination or reprisal for filing a report of unsafe or unhealthful working condition.
• Remain anonymous when reporting unsafe or unhealthful working conditions.
• Decline to perform an assigned task if: 
  • refusal is made in good faith, and
  • there is a reasonable belief that, under the circumstances the task poses an imminent risk of death or serious bodily harm, and 
  • there is insufficient time to seek effective redress through normal hazard reporting and abatement procedures.

It is imperative that all bureau employees be provided required safety training to perform assigned duties and/or tasks prior to assignments and throughout the course of their employment.  Additionally, there are numerous jobs throughout the bureau that require training and/or certification prior to performing certain tasks.  New employees should consult with their supervisors concerning specific safety training requirements (see Safety Orientation Checklist).

The Department of Interior created a CD-ROM training tool called "Safety and Occupational Health CD-ROM Training." Contact your local Safety Manager for a copy.  

Employee Safety Orientation Checklist is provided to assist supervisors in providing safety orientation to new employees and volunteers.  

Safety and Health for Field Operations BLM Manual Handbook 1112-2 should be distributed to every supervisor to utilize as a reference guide.

Accident Reporting and Worker's Compensation   [Top of Page]

If an employee is ever injured or suffers an occupational illness at work, they must report this to their supervisor immediately.  Employees should ensure that their supervisor files the accident or incident reports in accordance with Department of Labor (DOL), Department of Interior, and Bureau of  Land Management regulations and policies.  

Employees are responsible for completing and submitting to their supervisor: 
    - The appropriate DOL Worker's Compensations form (CA-1, CA-2, CA-16, or CA-17).

Supervisors are responsible for submitting:
    - The appropriate DOL Worker's Compensations form (CA-1, CA-2, CA-16, or CA-17) to the Worker's Compensation Coordinator. 
    - An Accident Report, via the SMIS web-based, electronic system.

Further details regarding the Federal Workers' Compensation Act can be provided by the Office of  Worker's Compensation Program (OWCP) point-of-contact in your field, state or center office.

General Information   [Top of Page]

The following web sites can provide further information, including hyperlinks to other safety information sites on the Department of Interior or Bureau of Land Management Safety Programs (check your local state's intranet sites as well):

• BLM Safety Program
• DOI Accident Reporting and Information
• DOI Safety Program