OSH Responsibilities Switch from DoE to TOSHA at Some Oak Ridge Facilities
An Addendum to the Memorandum of Understanding between the Department of Labor and the Department of Energy has been signed to transfer employee safety and health authority from the Department of Energy (DOE) to the Tennessee Occupational Safety and Health Administration (TOSHA) at two existing building complexes and three other parcels of land at the East Tennessee Technology Park in Oak Ridge, Tennessee. This is an addendum to the 1992 interagency Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) between the U.S. Department of Labor and the U.S. Department of Energy. That MOU states that DOE has exclusive authority over the occupational safety and health of contractor employees at DOE Government-Owned and Contractor-Operated facilities (GOCOs). In addition, the MOU between the departments dated July 25, 2000, on safety and health enforcement at privatized facilities and operations, provides that OSHA has regulatory authority over occupational safety and health at certain privatized facilities and operations on land formerly under the control of DOE. This action was taken in accordance with a July 25, 2000 MOU that established specific interagency procedures for the transfer of occupational safety and health coverage for such privatized facilities and operations from DOE to OSHA and state agencies acting under state plans approved by OSHA pursuant to section 18 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSH Act), 29 U.S.C. 667. The MOUs may be found at http://www.osha.gov under the “D” for Department of Energy Transition Activities. The effective date of the Addendum is December 23, 2011. http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2011-12-23/html/2011-32857.htm