Facility Compliance Management and Tracking of Compliance Assessment- Safety, Health and the Environment (CASHE) Findings

UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20240
http://www.blm.gov

June 7, 2013

In Reply Refer To:

1112, 1703 (850) P

EMS TRANSMISSION 06/13/2013

Instruction Memorandum No.  2013-140

Expires:  09/30/2014

To:                   ADs, SDs and CDs

From:               Assistant Director, Business and Fiscal Resources

Subject:           Facility Compliance Management and Tracking of Compliance Assessment – Safety, Health and the Environment (CASHE) Findings      DD:  07/31/2013

Program Area:  Facility Compliance and Safety

Purpose:  The purpose of this Instruction Memorandum (IM) is to request status updates from the Washington Office, State Offices, and National Centers to provide on the implementation status of recommendations and corrective actions resulting from their CASHE audits.  This information will be used to identify projects for Deferred Maintenance CASHE Corrective Action funding in Fiscal Year (FY) 2015.  The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) will make use of this data to:  measure facility compliance, evaluate risk related to facility compliance, and make decisions related to future funding, policy, and training needs. 

Policy/Action:  Updating Status of CASHE Recommendations/Corrective Actions

Organizational units that have had a traditional or Radio Infrastructure (RI) CASHE audit between October 1993 and March 2013 are asked to update the status of those recommendations/corrective actions on the spreadsheets that will be emailed separately by the State Office Safety Manager, Hazardous Material Program Lead, or Radio Program Lead. 

Each organizational unit is to submit the completed CASHE status update spreadsheet to the CASHE contractor with a copy to their State Office Safety Manager, HAZMAT Program Lead, and Radio Program Lead.  The status of recommendations/corrective actions for traditional CASHE audits completed during the period April 2013, through June 2013 will be from the reports prepared for those audits.

Please note that the instructions for completion of the FY 2013 CASHE status update clarify that, in addition to addressing the recommendations, a CASHE Corrective Action may be considered complete under one of the following conditions:

(1)  If a properly completed Hazard Abatement Plan is prepared and approved in accordance with BLM Handbook 1112-1, Safety and Health Management, and appropriate interim hazard mitigation measures have been implemented.  (Note:  If an office or center indicates a finding is completed because a Hazard Abatement Plan has been prepared, a copy of the Plan must be submitted with the completed CASHE status update spreadsheet.  Failure to provide a properly completed Plan will result in those findings being listed as incomplete.  The instructions for completion of the CASHE status update spreadsheet provide additional details.); or

(2)  If the corrective action is under design or is programmed for construction during the current or next FY.

Implementation of CASHE Recommendations/Corrective Actions

Consistent with available budget resources and other programmatic concerns, organizational units are to implement CASHE recommendations/corrective actions and/or request funding for implementation within one year of their audit. 

Timeframe:  Please return the updated spreadsheets to the CASHE contractor by July 31, 2013. 

Please note that organizational units that do not respond by July 31, 2013, will:  have their corrective actions shown as incomplete; negatively affect the FY 2013 CASHE facility compliance performance measure; and be ineligible for deferred maintenance funding for CASHE Corrective Actions.

Background:  In FY 2012, 96 percent of the BLM’s organizational units were rated in good safety, health, and environmental condition.  This performance was based on information received in response to IM No. 2012-135, which asked the Field to update the status of incomplete CASHE findings. 

Criteria for Annual CASHE Performance Rating:  FY 2013 is the fifth year findings from RI CASHE audits are included in the determination of whether or not an organizational unit is rated in good safety, health, and environmental condition.  The BLM’s National Radio Operations Branch (FA-350) and the Business Resources Division (WO-850) have been performing RI CASHE audits since the beginning of FY 2008.  The criteria for determining if an organizational unit is rated in “good safety, health, and environmental condition” is defined as:

• In FY 2013 one or less incomplete high priority RI CASHE findings and zero traditional CASHE findings.
• In FY 2014 and subsequent years zero high priority CASHE findings of any type.

The performance goal for FY 2013 is that 97 percent of the BLM organizational units be rated in good safety, health, and environmental condition. 

Budget Impact:  None.

Manual/Handbook Sections Affected:  None.

Coordination:  The BLM Safety Office (WO-740), the Division of Business Resources (WO 850), and the Office Fire and Aviation Policy (WO-400).

Contact:  Luis Coppa, Branch of Engineering (WO-854) at (202) 912-7050 or Ken Morin, Branch of Architecture and Engineering Services (OC-670), National Operations Center, at (303) 236-6418.