2. Transportation Security Administration Occupational Safety and Health Program Overview
INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE
Committee on DHS Occupational Health and Operational Medicine Infrastructure
June 10, 2013

3. Creation of TSA
November 19, 2001 – Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the United States, Congressed passed the Aviation and Transportation Security Act (ATSA), which established the Transportation Security Administration (TSA). The Act transferred the responsibility for civil aviation security from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to TSA.
February 22, FAA and TSA publish a final rule transferring the bulk of FAA’s aviation security rules to TSA.

4. ATSA
ATSA required the completion of more than 30 mandates by the end of 2002 to include:
Hiring, training, and deploying federal security officers to over 400 commercial airports from Guam to Alaska in 12 months.
Providing 100 percent screening of all checked baggage for explosives by December 31, 2002.ess

5. Injury/Illness Rate, Cause & Effects – November 2003
TSA total OWCP case rate was 23.3 per 100 workers (did not include overtime)
USCG was 5.6 Customs was 10.8
INS was 12.1
CBP was 10.8
Fed-wide was 3.8
Injury Statistic
Cause of Injury: 70% baggage handling, 4% equipment handling (ETD tables, privacy screens, floor mats), 4% striking/hitting/bumping into objects
Nature of Injury: 79% Sprains/strains/swelling
Anatomical Location: 25% Back, 10% multiple sites, 8% shoulder, % knee, 5% wrist

6. Why TSA Injury Rates Were High?
The enactment of ATSA led to the rapid installation of the checked baggage screening technology
Inability to address ergonomic issues prior to installation
Employees initially hired to screen carry-on items were now required to screen checked baggage
Most checked baggage screening was performed manually with standalone screening systems (required loading and unloading of baggage) in cramped lobby areas or bag rooms
No occupational safety and health program prior to 2003
No means to report, track, trend, or investigate injuries/illnesses
No baseline hazard assessments of work locations
No OSH inspection program
No formalized means for employees to report unsafe/unhealthful working conditions
Minimal safety communication to the workforce
TSA operations performed in multi-employer worksites

7. TSA Occupational Safety & Health Program - 2003
January 2003 – TSA Occupational Safety and Health Program staffed.
TSA screening workforce consisted of approximately 60,000 federal employees.
Primary OSH Program Goals in 2003:
Establish OSH policy and program elements IAW 29 CFR 1960, Basic Program Elements for Federal Employees
Perform preliminary hazard analysis of all worksites
Establish basic OSH training courses
Develop the TSA Safety Information System
Answer OSHA/NIOSH Complaints
Integrate OSH practices/principles into standard operating procedures
Partner with NIOSH on Health Hazard Evaluations (HHE)

8. TSA Injury Reduction Initiatives (1)
Developed, implemented, and updated policy and training to foster a successful occupational safety and health (OSH) program.
Accepted Federal Security Director nominations of 155 Designated Occupational Safety and Health Officials (DOSHO) at TSA airports to plan, implement, and effectively manage the TSA OSH program at the airport level.
Chartered 217 Safety Action Teams at TSA airports to respond to OSH issues and concerns, and develop solutions to aid in the implementation of the TSA OSH program locally.
Assigned over 300 Collateral Duty Safety Officers (CDSOs) with OSH training and experience necessary to identify safety and health hazards through informal inspections and perform incident investigations.
Developed OSH inspection checklists tailored to TSA operations.

9. TSA Injury Reduction Initiatives (2)
Participated on the Optimization, Safety, & Hazard Mitigation Integrated Product Team to facilitate and expedite programs or projects designed to improve checked baggage and checkpoint screening efficiency and reduce TSA losses associated with Transportation Security Officer (TSO) on-the-job injury claims.
Collaborated with the Office of Security Capabilities to implement safer workspace configuration, redesign, and equipment purchase funded by this program; and assist with evaluation and pilot programs for equipment and systems such as bin return systems, power lift carts, and vacuum lift systems.
Became a member of the Integrated Product Team (IPT) for developing the Checkpoint and Checked Baggage guidelines for installing more efficient and ergonomically correct workspaces.
Provided contract technical support and reviews of ergonomic related issues.
Performed a baseline hazard assessment of all TSA occupied facilities/areas.

10. Safety Information System

11. Office of Management & Budget (OMB) Safety Initiative
The OMB Safety Initiative was implemented in January 2006 in response to a November 2005 OMB pass-back memorandum in which OMB requested that TSA establish quarterly performance targets for FY 2006 and beyond, and to provide updates for meeting these goals on a quarterly basis.
Each year, TSA identifies those work locations that have contributed to 80 percent of the workforce injuries and illnesses by conducting a Pareto analysis of six occupational safety and health metrics.
The participating airports are provided with a stretch goal of eight percent—twice the requirement under the President's Protecting our Workers and Ensuring Reemployment (POWER) Initiative.

12. Office of Management & Budget (OMB) Safety Initiative Six Occupational Safety & Health Metrics
Pareto analysis of total workers’ compensation (WC) cases— When an airport's contribution of TSA workers’ compensation cases falls within 80 percent of the TSA total.
Pareto analysis of lost time WC cases—When an airport's contribution of TSA lost time WC cases falls within 80 percent of the TSA total.
Percentage of total WC cases with lost time—When an airport's lost time cases, when divided by the total number of cases, is greater than the overall TSA percentage of total WC cases with lost time.
Under/Over the TSA Total Case Rate (TCR) benchmark—When the airport’s TCR is greater than the TSA FY benchmark.

13. Office of Management & Budget (OMB) Safety Initiative Six Occupational Safety & Health Metrics
Pareto analysis of OSHA recordable incidents—When an airport's contribution of OSHA recordable injuries and illnesses falls within 80 percent of the TSA total.
Pareto analysis of OSHA recordable incidents with lost time or restricted duty—When an airport's contribution of OSHA recordable incidents with lost time or restricted duty falls within 80 percent of the TSA total.

14. Office of Management & Budget (OMB) Safety Initiative
This approach and monitoring system has allowed TSA to experience reductions in TCR and LTCR since FY 2005 and FY 2012 by 84.2% and 83.7%, respectively. 
When measured against the POWER baseline year of FY 2009, TSA has reduced the total claims filed by 25.39% and the TCR by %; and reduced the lost time claims filed by 16.5% and the LTCR by 33.15% through the end of FY 2012.

15. OWCP & OSH Partnership
The TSA Occupational Safety and Health Branch reviews every injury and illness that is reported through the Injury Care Hotline on a daily basis to identify trends, and to provide guidance and assistance to TSA field organizations when necessary. 
TSA has also implemented policy and procedures that require TSA field organizations to begin a safety and health investigation no later than 24 hours after any injury or illness is reported.  Results of an investigation are documented on TSA Form 2401, and entered into the Safety Information System (SIS)—the TSA system of record for safety and workers’ compensation information.

16. OWCP & OSH Partnership
As part of incident investigations, TSA field organizations are required to identify causal and contributing factors, as well as recommend corrective actions to prevent future occurrence of injury.  A “check-and-balance” approach is used, whereby, every recommended corrective action is reviewed by a technically qualified occupational safety and health professional to ensure that the action will mitigate the hazard at reasonable cost. 
TSA also reports total and lost time injury and illness analysis data to OSHA through DHS in the OSHA Annual Report to Congress.

17. TSA Operational Risk Management
Build a Culture of Safety
Policies and procedures to align with OSHA and other consensus standards
Employee communications and forums for participation in safety program
Develop and deliver training to ensure employee knowledge of TSA “Culture of Safety”
Identify Hazards and Analyze Risk (Proactive)
Job Hazard Analysis - OSH IDIQ Contract
Employee Notices of Unsafe/Unhealthful Working Conditions
TSA facility self-inspections (informal) – Supervisors/SAT members/CDSOs
OSH annual facility inspections (formal) – OSH Support Specialists
Incident Reporting (Reactive)
Incident Reporting
Incident Investigation
Causal and contributing factors determinations
Corrective actions/abatement strategies
Implement Safety Measures and Evaluate Effects
Local implementation of abatement strategies based on level of risk
National implementation of abatement strategies across TSA (i.e., ReMag)

18. Employee Communications
Culture of Safety
IdeaFactory
Interactive Website
DYK and Fact Sheets
Monthly Safety Briefings
TSA iShare Cover Stories
Safety Bulletins and Alerts
Management Directive/OSH Manual

19. Training and Awareness
Culture of Safety
Safety Surveys
CDSO/DOSHO Workshops
Technical Guidance
Instructor-led Safety Training
National Training Plan - OLC
Incorporating Safety into SOPs
New Hire Orientation/Training Program

20. Proactive OSH Initiatives
Culture of Safety
ABATEMENT
PLANS
OSHA Inspections
DOCUMENTED IN SIS RMA
Special Assessments
Employee Hazard Reports
Formal OSH Inspections
Informal OSH Inspections
Baseline Hazard Assessments
Equipment and Technology Review

21. Reactive Support Culture of Safety Special Assessments
DOCUMENTED IN SIS IAM
ABATEMENT
PLANS
OSH Specialist Review
Corrective Actions
Causal/Contributing Factors
Safety Investigation
Workers’ Compensation Claim
Injury Care Hotline

22. Injury/Illness Trends by Fiscal Year
TSA experienced a 80.91% decrease in reported injuries between FY05 and FY12
In the same time period, TSA experienced a 79.50% decrease in LTCR.