[Federal Register Volume 60, Number 209 (Monday, October 30, 1995)]
[Notices]
[Pages 55284-55286]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 95-26685]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Grants and Cooperative Agreements; Availability, etc: Energy
Department's Safety and Health Review Programs at Government-Owned-
Contractor-Operated Facilities
AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA).
ACTION: Notice of availability of funds and request for grant
applications.
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SUMMARY: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)
wishes to award funds to a non-profit organization to study items
specified in a recent Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the
Department of Energy and OSHA. The MOU covers potential assumption by
OSHA of health and safety related jurisdictional responsibilities
currently being performed by DOE at its Government-Owned-Contractor-
Operated (GOCO) facilities.
DATES: All applications must be received no later than 4:30 p.m.
Eastern Standard Time, November 20, 1995.
ADDRESSES: Grant applications must be submitted to: U.S. Department of
Labor--Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Office of
Finance, Division of Grants Management, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW,
Washington, DC 20210, Attn: E. Tyna Coles.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Rick Cee, Division Director, OSHA Salt
Lake Technical Center, 1781 South 300 West, Salt Lake City, UT 84165.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
Background
Section 20(c) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act provides
for the Secretary to enter into contracts, agreements or other
arrangements with appropriate public agencies or private organizations
for the purpose of conducting studies relating to his responsibilities
under this Act.
Scope
The purpose of this notice is to announce the availability of funds
for one grant to review the Department of Energy's safety and health
programs.
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In addition to the Assistant Secretary of Labor for the
Occupational Safety and Health Administration, the final report shall
be submitted concurrently to the Assistant Secretary of Energy for
Environment, Safety, and Health.
The advisory services requested will have considerable impact
regarding the transfer of health and safety oversight from the
Department of Energy (DOE) to OSHA. The operations and systems to be
studied are highly sophisticated, requires a high level of security
when examining certain issues, and has a large magnitude of scope. To
provide OSHA advice regarding these systems and operations requires the
contractor to be familiar with the operations of DOE, OSHA, and other
aspects of the Federal government, to be capable of handling any
security issues as they arise (security clearances, confidentiality,
etc.), to be capable of grasping the highly sophisticated nature of
work performed at the GOCO sites, to have impartiality and independence
during any deliberations, and have the technical expertise available to
make sound recommendations concerning critical health and safety
issues. Respondents should have the capability to assemble as committee
or board of the Nation's eminent scholars which are then able to render
advice and guidance of high quality and objectivity to address high
priority national problems.
The study must include but is not limited to:
--An inventory of DOE facilities and identification of the types of
hazards likely to be found at each of these facilities;
--An examination of DOE's current occupational safety and health
program and the role that this corporate program could assume if there
is a transition to OSHA enforcement;
--An investigation of the additional resources required by OSHA if it
were to assume the transferred regulatory and enforcement authority and
of the external costs associated with maintaining regulatory and
enforcement authority within DOE.
--The development of a transition schedule for OSHA if it were to
assume enforcement authority over working conditions at DOE GOCO
facilities;
--Identification and consideration of recent occupational safety and
health program improvements within the DOE community such as the
establishment of safety and health committees;
--An examination of lessons learned from OSHA special emphasis programs
and existing DOE external enforcement activities [e.g., transfer of the
gaseous diffusion plants to OSHA enforcement, Nuclear Regulatory
Commission (NRC), and
--Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) enforcement activities; OSHA
enforcement of worker protection matters on non-exempt DOE facilities]
as well as future findings of the Advisory Committee on External
Regulation of DOE Nuclear Safety; and
--An examination of the worker protection-related roles of other
external enforcement activities and clarification of institutional
relations between: OSHA and DOE; DOE and its management and operating
(M&O) contractors; M&O contractors and subcontractors; and between
Federal, State, and Tribal jurisdictions.
Eligible Applicants
Any nonprofit organization that is not an agency of a State or
local government is eligible to apply. However, State or local
government supported institutions of higher education are eligible to
apply in accordance with 29 CFR 97.4(a)(1). Applicants other than State
or local government supported institutions of higher education will be
required to submit evidence of nonprofit status, from the Internal
Revenue Service.
A consortium of two or more eligible applicants is also eligible to
apply. Each consortium must have a written agreement that spells out
roles and responsibilities for each consortium member and designates
one member as the lead agency. The lead agency will receive the grant
and be responsible for grant administration.
Nonsupportable Activities
Statutory and regulatory limitations, as well as the objectives of
the grant program, prevent reimbursing grantees for certain activities.
These limitations include the following.
1. Any activities inconsistent with the goals and objectives of the
Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970.
2. Activities for the benefit of State, county or municipal workers
unless those workers are covered by a State Plan funded by OSHA under
section 23(g) of the Occupational Safety and Health Act.
3. Activities that provide assistance to workers in arbitration
cases or other actions against employers, or that provide assistance to
employers and/or workers in the prosecution of claims against Federal,
State or local governments.
4. Activities that directly duplicate services offered by OSHA, a
State under a State Plan, or consultation programs provided by State
designated agencies under section 7(c)(1) of the Occupational Safety
and Health Act.
5. Activities directly or indirectly intended to generate
membership in the grant recipient's organization. This includes
activities to acquaint nonmembers with the benefits of membership,
inclusion of membership appeals in materials produced with grant funds,
and membership drives.
Administrative Requirements
Grantees will comply with applicable requirements of the following
OMB Circulars.
1. A-110, which covers grant requirements for nonprofit
organizations, including universities and hospitals. The Department of
Labor regulations implementing this circular can be found at 29 CFR
Part 93.
2. A-21, which gives cost principles applicable to educational
institutions.
3. A-122, which gives cost principles applicable to other nonprofit
organizations.
4. A-133, which provides audit requirements. The Department of
Labor regulations implementing this circular can be found at 29 CFR
Part 96.
All applicants will be required to certify to a drug-free workplace
in accordance with 20 CFR Part 98 and to comply with the New
Restrictions on Lobbying published at 29 CFR Part 93.
Evaluation Process and Criteria
Applications for grants solicited in this notice will be evaluated
on a competitive basis by the Assistant Secretary for Occupational
Safety and Health with assistance and advice from OSHA staff.
The following factors, which are not ranked in order of importance,
will be considered in evaluating grant applications.
1. Program Design
a. The plan for evaluating the program's effectiveness in achieving
its objectives.
b. The feasibility and soundness of the proposed work plan in
achieving the program objectives effectively.
2. Program Experience
a. The occupational safety and health experience of the applicant
organization.
b. The experience of the applicant organization in developing and
conducting complex scientific studies.
c. The technical and professional expertise of present or proposed
project staff in occupational safety and health.
[[Page 55286]]
3. Administrative Capability
a. The managerial expertise of the applicant as evidenced by the
variety and complexity of programs it has administered over the past
five years.
b. The experience of the applicant in administering Federal and/or
State grants.
d. The completeness of the application, including budget detail,
narrative and workplans.
4. Budget
a. The reasonableness of the budget in relation to the proposed
study.
b. The compliance of the budget, with Federal cost principles
contained in applicable OMB Circulars.
Availability of Funds
There is approximately $500,000 available for this grant which will
be awarded for a six-month period.
Notification of Selection
Following review and evaluation, an organization will be selected
and will be notified by a representative of the Assistant Secretary.
Any applicant whose proposal is not selected will be notified in
writing to that effect. Notice of selection as a potential grant
recipient will not constitute approval of the grant application as
submitted. Prior to the actual grant award, representatives of the
potential grant recipient and OSHA will enter into negotiations
concerning such items as review guidelines, final funding levels, and
administrative systems. If negotiations do not result in an acceptable
submittal, the Assistant Secretary reserves the right to terminate the
negotiation and decline to fund the proposal.
Signed at Washington, DC, this 20th day of October, 1995.
Joseph A. Dear,
Assistant Secretary.
[FR Doc. 95-26685 Filed 10-27-95; 8:45 am]
BILLING CODE 4510-26-M
