1 Safety and Health Manager’s Meeting March 4, 2002 The Occupational Health Handbook What is it and Why Should you Care? Catherine M. Angotti, R.D., L.D. Office of the Chief Health and Medical Officer

2 Health Handbook, NPG Tying the Handbook to Mission The long torturous route to become an NPG Yes, it’s almost here Do any of our customers care? What do the policy makers think? What it IS and What it is NOT Content and organization

3 NPG Tying Handbook to Mission (Where the rubber meets the road) O ur mission is to ensure the physical and mental health and well-being of NASA employees in all environments. –Establish requirements and standards for health and medical practice –Develop health and medical policy –Provide oversight of health care delivery and professional competency

4 NPG Program Goal Assure a safe and healthful workplace Integrate regulatory requirements and best practices for occupational health Promulgate NASA policies to ensure a healthy work force Monitor compliance with NASA policies Conduct training and audits to improve worker health and safety Continuously improve ethical practices

5 NPG NASA Occupational Health’s primary customer is the NASA workforce Primary activities –OCHMO Policy Development through requirements & best practices integration Budget Advocacy Oversight, monitoring and review Quality assurance and continuous improvement

6 NPG NASA Occupational Health’s primary customer is the NASA workforce Primary activities –Principal Center Policy implementation Budget execution Review and monitor programmatic performance through periodic assessments Provide Center support & training via regular conferences and consultations

7 NPG The route to becoming a NPG OHP policy documentation tree proposed in 1999 Original proposal included 5 NPDs and 11 NPGs After negotiations, 5 NPDs and 4 NPGs approved –NPG , Health Services for International Travel or Assignment –NPG , Hearing Conservation –NPG , Workers’ Compensation Program –NPG 1800.XX, Occupational Health Program Handbook Contains applicable OHP operational program guidance based on policy articulated in NPD A Comparable to NPG , Safety & Health Handbook, which is based on policy in NPD B

8 NPG 1800 Yes, It’s (almost)finished! Original due date 1/22/02 –NODIS allows 30 days for entry of comments and another 30 days for the originator to disposition comments –Barely half of all comments were received by originator’s dispositioning deadline –Enterprises failed to consolidate Field comments Extension granted to 2/22/02 Received only one formal non-concurrence New deadline met –A waiting final NODIS review before Administrator’s signature

9 NPG 1800 Who Cares? What our customers had to say 43 pages of written comments; 396 total comments submitted excluding purely format type Some comments editorial in nature, but many offering substantive enhancement or clarification were incorporated Numerous changes made post September 11 in several areas including emergency medical response to terrorism and critical incident debrief.

10 NPG 1800 What the policy makers had to say NASA Directives Management, Office of Management Systems (Code J) praised handbook as a model for handling multiple complex procedures –3 out of 4 Code J Divisions respond with commendations ISO Program Office sites numerous process flow charts as the appropriate process guidance to be used Agency-wide to facilitate consistency Handbook commended for the inclusion of expanded OHP responsibilities under Code AM and for the consolidation of all previous NHSs

11 NPG 1800 What it IS and What it is NOT The OHP Handbook is a “best practices” document providing guidance to occupational health professionals in fulfilling our mission to protect the physical and mental well-being of employees in all environments. The Handbook expands, supports, and provides implementation guidance for the five overarching OHP NPDs.

12 NPG 1800 What it IS and What it is NOT Procedures and practices regulated by law, e.g. exposure limits, surveillance exam criteria, are not waiverable via this document. Variance from unique NASA-developed standards for which there are no OSHA standards will only require approval within NASA (OCHMO).

13 NPG 1800 Content and Organization Chapters organized according to five parent NPDs –Chapter 2, Occupational Health Program, NPD A General program support. Health promotion and wellness, quality assurance, records management –Chapter 3, Occupational Medicine, NPD A Clinical services, physical examinations, emergency services, infection control –Chapter 4, Environmental Health, NPD A Regulatory compliance, exposures, ergonomics, radiological health, etc.

14 NPG 1800 Content and Organization Chapters organized according to five parent NPDs –Chapter 5, Employee Assistance Program, NPD A Key program elements, workplace violence, domestic violence, critical incident stress debrief –Workers Compensation Program, NPD A Management of injuries and illnesses and interagency reporting