​Safety is everyone’s job. Both the employer and the union jointly encourage employees to work safely and to report any unsafe conditions. We should all remember this and strive to make sure everyone goes home safely at the end of the day.

When a workplace inspection is about to take place, ask if you, your local union rep, and/or another coworker can attend. No matter who is conducting the inspection, it is essential that you and your fellow employees are aware that an inspection is taking place and have an opportunity to inform inspectors of any problems that you may have observed.

The main purpose of inspections is to discover health and safety hazards and correct them before illness or injury occurs. Examples of safety and health policies include (but are not limited to) Position Hazard Analysis (required for all positions), emergency response plans (including evacuation routes and emergency phone numbers), as well as policies for specific situations like confined-space entry programs and “lockout/tagout.”
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Don’t wait for an accident to happen. Be aware that, in addition to agency-wide safety guidance like EM 385-1-1, local collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) often identify specific requirements related to inspections and other safety procedures. Note that a CBA can also be referred to as a Labor Management Agreement (LMA) or simply as “the contract.” If you don’t already have it on file, ask your local union rep for a copy of your CBA and check to see if its safety requirements are being followed in your workplace. Your safety is paramount!

​For the 3rd time in just the past 4 months, we are facing the prospect of a government shutdown. Each of these deadlines causes stress and uncertainty for all of us and for all of our families. Even in cases where a shutdown is averted at the last minute, these deadlines can also cause major disruptions for the work that we do, especially where TDY travel is involved.

To make matters worse, this time the deadline for a government shutdown has been split in two, with some government employees being subject to a 19 JAN shutdown date, while others will be subject to a 2 FEB shutdown date. While many of the details on how specific individuals will be affected are not yet known, it should be assumed that some Corps employees will be subject to the 19 JAN deadline, while others will be subject to the 2 FEB deadline, and others will be able to remain working past both deadlines.

Whether you as an individual will be subject to furlough after 19 JAN, subject to furlough after 2 FEB, or able to continue working during the shutdown will depend upon the exact way in which your labor is funded. USACE Employees whose activities are funded by non-appropriated funds may be classified as “exempt” from the furlough and continue to work through the lapse in appropriations. Other USACE employees may be informed that they are “excepted” from furlough and ordered to report to work during the shutdown. Both furloughed and excepted federal employees will not be paid during the shutdown. However, the law requires that all Federal employees are paid in full as soon as possible once government funding is restored and the shutdown ends.

​In any case, plan on reporting to work on Monday, 22 JAN, as you normally would (and doing the same again on Monday, 5 FEB, if not already in a furlough status). Your supervisor should be able to inform you of your status on the first day of a shutdown, if not sooner.

If you have further questions about the shutdown procedures in your office and/or you have concerns about those procedures being administered fairly, contact your local union rep, let them know what’s going on, and ask if they can do something to help. Additional information and resources can be found at the following webpage created by IFPTE staff to help any Federal employees who might be affected: https://www.ifpte.org/shutdown.