• Record Type:
    OSHA Instruction
  • Current Directive Number:
    CPL 02-00-065
  • Old Directive Number:
    CPL 2.65A
  • Title:
    Safety and Health Information Bulletins
  • Information Date:

OSHA INSTRUCTION

DIRECTIVE NUMBER: CPL 2.65A EFFECTIVE DATE: August 27, 2003
SUBJECT: Safety and Health Information Bulletins


ABSTRACT

Purpose: This instruction establishes an information system to inform OSHA offices and the public of significant occupational safety and health issues concerning hazard recognition, evaluation, and control in the workplace and at emergency response sites.

Scope: This instruction applies OSHA-wide.

Reference: None.

Cancellations: OSHA Instruction CPL 2.65, Safety and Health Hazard Information Bulletins, July 8, 1985, is cancelled.

State Impact: This instruction describes a Federal program change which does not require State response.

Action Offices: National, Regional, and Area Offices.

Originating Office: Directorate of Science, Technology and Medicine (DSTM), Office of Science and Technology Assessment (OSTA).

Contact: Director (202) 693-2095
Office of Science and Technology Assessment, DSTM
200 Constitution Avenue, N. W. Room N-3655
Washington, DC 20210

Approval: By and Under the Authority of
John L. Henshaw
Assistant Secretary, OSHA






Executive Summary

OSHA Instruction CPL 2.65 has governed Safety and Health Hazard Information Bulletin (HIB) development procedures since 1985. In April 1999, OSHA also began issuing Technical Information Bulletins (TIBs). OSHA believes that Safety and Health Information Bulletin (SHIB) is the appropriate title for documents used to disseminate safety and health information, rather than HIBs and TIBs. Therefore, OSHA Instruction CPL 2.65 is revised to reflect this change and to establish procedures for the development and dissemination of SHIBs.

Significant Changes

OSHA Instruction CPL 2.65 established procedures for the development of HIBs; OSHA also developed TIBs to address other safety and health concerns. Since SHIBs will replace HIBs and TIBs, OSHA Instruction CPL 2.65 is cancelled. This revision will also establish procedures for the development and dissemination of SHIBs and reflect the changes in the designations of national office directorates resulting from the 2002 OSHA reorganization.





  1. Purpose: This instruction establishes an information system to inform OSHA offices and the public of significant occupational safety and health issues concerning hazard recognition, evaluation, and control in the workplace and at emergency response sites.


  2. Scope. This instruction applies OSHA-wide.


  3. Reference: None.


  4. Cancellation. OSHA Instruction CPL 2.65, Safety and Health Hazard Information Bulletins, July 8, 1985, is canceled.


  5. Action Required. National Office Directors, Regional Administrators, and Area Directors shall ensure that the procedures established in this instruction are followed in order to advance safety and health awareness and effectively distribute information to interested parties.

    Distribution: National, Regional, and Area Offices
    All Compliance Officers
    State Designees
    NIOSH Regional Program Directors
    Consultation Project Managers

  6. Federal Program Change. This instruction describes a Federal program change which does not require State response. However, States are encouraged to contact their Regional Administrators when they become aware of an issue appropriate for discussion in a SHIB.


  7. Background. OSHA Instruction CPL 2.65 has governed HIB development procedures since 1985. In April 1999, OSHA also began issuing TIBs. OSHA believes that SHIB is the appropriate title for documents used to disseminate safety and health information, rather than HIBs and TIBs. Therefore, OSHA Instruction CPL 2.65 is revised to reflect this change and to establish procedures for the development and dissemination of SHIBs.

    1. As OSHA becomes aware of:

      1. New, unusual, noteworthy, previously unrecognized, or little known but significant occupational safety and health hazards;


      2. Inadequacies of certain materials, devices, techniques, or engineering controls in the workplace;


      3. Industrial systems' vulnerability to accidental malfunction or deliberate attack;


      4. Accident, injury, or illness preventive measures;


      5. Personal protective equipment, or monitoring and early warning systems;


      6. Lessons learned from catastrophic or major incidents or rescue procedures and equipment; and


      7. Credible scientific/technical findings substantiating probable occupational safety or health hazards, it may be appropriate to disseminate this information to/through the field offices as a SHIB.

    2. The safety and health issues may include, but are not limited to, topics such as:

      1. Hazards that may result from inherently defective equipment, machinery, procedures, or engineering control systems.


      2. Newly discovered or little known hazards associated with exposure to toxic substances or harmful physical agents, as well as hazards which may result from the limitations of particular protective equipment, procedures, engineering control systems, or other accident prevention techniques.


      3. Any particular set of conditions in a widely practiced operation, procedure, testing method, equipment use, or design identified as potentially unsafe or unhealthy by an equipment manufacturer, a trade association, a testing laboratory, a governmental agency, the news media, or any other reliable source, and which warrants national emphasis for accident prevention.


      4. A series of accidents in a particular type of operation due to work practices or conditions that merit in-depth analysis for recommending guidelines for proper hazard recognition and control.


      5. Errors in measurements of safety or health parameters. The errors are due to newly discovered or little known chemicals or physical interferences that affect the function of instruments or devices.


      6. Common misunderstandings or misnomers involving worker safety and health issues.


      7. Successful work practices, failure rate reduction measures, administrative controls, monitoring procedures and approaches, escape and survival plans, and any special precautions to protect workers generally, as well as first responders during emergency incidents.


      8. Complex safety and health issues that may require specialized training such as risk analysis, sampling, and testing. International safety and health standards that may conflict with US standards, and joint interagency safety and health studies.

  8. Procedures.

    1. Input.

      1. Area Offices / State Plan States / Consultation Projects. Area Directors, State designees, and Consultation Project Managers may forward any information they determine to be a candidate for development as a SHIB to the Regional Administrator. If the safety or health information involves certain OSHA standards or procedures, a reference to such facts should be included.


      2. Regional Offices. Regional Administrators shall screen material and recommendations from Area Directors, State designees, and Consultation Managers for adequacy and determine whether it would be beneficial to share such information on a nationwide basis. Applicable reports and documentation shall be forwarded along with State recommendations to the Director of DSTM at the OSHA National Office.


      3. National Offices. Directors shall either develop a SHIB to be issued by their directorate following the same output procedures described under Section B Output for DSTM or forward any ideas for, or contributions to, a SHIB to the Director of DSTM. If a SHIB is developed by a directorate other than DSTM, that directorate will include DSTM in the review process described in Section B (1) (b).

    2. Output.

      1. The Director of DSTM shall evaluate all materials and, if appropriate, shall:

        1. Develop a SHIB.


        2. Coordinate a review of the draft SHIB with the Office of Communications, the Directorate of Enforcement Programs, the Directorate of Cooperative and State Programs, the Office of the Solicitor, the Directorate of Standards and Guidance, the Directorate of Information Technology, the Directorate of Construction, and the Directorate of Evaluation and Analysis.


        3. In some cases, seek a review of the draft SHIB by entities or individuals outside the Agency (e.g., recognized experts, state or federal agencies, professional organizations). Refer to current Alliances to ensure inclusion of appropriate stakeholders.


        4. All SHIBs shall contain a disclaimer. In most situations, the following disclaimer will be appropriate:

          This Safety and Health Information Bulletin is not a standard or regulation, and it creates no new legal obligations. The Bulletin is advisory in nature, informational in content, and is intended to assist employers in providing a safe and healthful workplace. The Occupational Safety and Health Act requires employers to comply with hazard-specific safety and health standards. In addition, pursuant to Section 5(a)(1), the General Duty Clause of the Act, employers must provide their employees with a workplace free from recognized hazards likely to cause death or serious physical harm. Employers can be cited for violating the General Duty Clause if there is a recognized hazard and they do not take reasonable steps to prevent or abate the hazard. However, failure to implement these recommendations is not, in itself, a violation of the General Duty Clause. Citations can only be based on standards, regulations, and the General Duty Clause


        5. Develop the SHIB following a uniformed publishing format as prescribed by DSTM.


        6. Distribute paper copies of the SHIB to Regional Offices. Distribute paper copies of the SHIB to State designees and Consultation Project Managers through the Director of Cooperative and State Programs.


        7. Coordinate with the Office of Communications regarding issuance of a news release and/or any other appropriate public notification regarding the SHIB.


        8. Post copies of the SHIB on the OSHA Web Page.

      2. Regional Administrators shall forward copies of the SHIB to Area Offices.

    3. Maintenance. Each SHIB shall be maintained on the OSHA Web Page by DSTM as long as the information is useful.

      1. Federal and State OSHA users of the SHIBs may notify the Director of DSTM when they believe that information is out-of-date or covered in a more formal medium of communication (e.g., when a standard or directive is developed to cover the subject). The Director of DSTM shall decide to either delete or update the SHIB.


      2. Notice of changes of status or cancellation of SHIBs will be indicated on the OSHA Web Page.