OSHA Instruction PRO 4.4 October 25, 1996 Directorate of Technical Support

SUBJECT: OSHA Property Management

A. PURPOSE. This Directive establishes the policies, guidelines, organization and personal responsibilities for OSHA's Property Management Inventory System (OPMIS) and Capitalized Assets Tracking and Reporting System (CATARS). These two systems are designed to record, track, manage, and validate information about property that is important to the accomplishment of OSHA's mission. Accountability for property is specifically required by the Department of Labor. OSHA's Property Management Officers (PMOS) and Accountable Property Officers (APOS) must maintain positive control and management of their respective inventories.

B. SCOPE. This Directive applies OSHA-wide.

C. REFERENCES.

1. Department of Labor Manual DLMS-2, Chapter 100, Property Management.

2. Department of Labor Manual DLMS-9, Chapter 300, Automated Data Processing Equipment Property.

3. OPMIS User's Manual.

4. Office of the Chief Financial Officer memorandum, dated October 24, 1995, subject: Accounting for Capitalized Assets.

5. 41 CFR 101, Federal Property Management Regulations.

6. 40 U.S.C. 483, Federal Property and Administrative Act of 1949.

D. DESCRIPTION.

1. The OPMIS consists of three principal categories: Technical equipment, ADP equipment, and other reportable mission sensitive property. (See table of reportable property in the OPMIS User's Manual.)

2. CATARS consists of all capitalized assets costing $25,000 or more purchased after October 1, 1995. Items costing between $5,000 and $25,000 purchased prior to FY 1996 shall remain on CATARS until removed by the Capitalized Assets Management Officer (CAMO).

E. RESPONSIBILITIES.

1. The Director, Directorate of Technical Support. The Director of the Directorate of Technical Support (DTS) is responsible for the overall management of OPMIS within OSHA. The Director shall:

a. Establish and maintain a property management program, consistent with the polices, standards, procedures and guidelines as required in the above references.

b. Provide resource support.

c. Authorize write-off authority for mission sensitive equipment in lieu of convening a Board of Survey where appropriate. (See paragraph I.)

2. The Director of the Cincinnati Technical Center. The Director of the Cincinnati Technical Center serves as the OSHA Property Management Officer (OPMO). The OPMO assists PMOs in exercising their responsibilities and maintains the liaisons necessary for the administration of the OPMIS. Through available staff resources the OPMO will:

a. Establish and maintain an agency-wide computerized property management system for mission sensitive and ADP property.

b. Maintain a management review program to review and ensure the timeliness, completeness, and accuracy of OPMIS.

c. Schedule annual inventories for OPMIS property, and provide inventory printouts and instructions to APOs conducting physical inventories.

d. Prepare and process the required paper work for all reportable property received and issued.

e. Store and dispose of all excess property, or provide instructions for local disposal of property.

f. Ensure PMOs and APOs receive adequate training.

g. Maintain liaison with the Directorate of Administrative Programs to ensure compliance with the necessary Departmental polices and procedures, and to seek advice and assistance relating to general property management issues and ADP property specifically.

h. Maintain liaison with the Office of Management Data Systems to ensure compliance with the necessary Departmental policies and procedures relating to recording, tracking, and disposal of ADP property; to seek advice and assistance; and to coordinate write-off authority for ADP equipment.

i. Review all Departmental instructions involving property management, recommending necessary policy revisions to the Director, Directorate of Technical Support, for consideration.

j. Coordinate implementation of changes to OPMIS.

3. Director, Office of Program Budgeting and Financial Management. This Office will be responsible for managing CATARS. CATARS has a dual function; "accounting" and "accountability" of capitalized assets. The Director will:

a. Appoint a Capitalized Assets Management Officer.

b. Maintain a capitalized assets database file consistent with Departmental requirements.

c. Establish operating procedures and guidelines.

d. Validate and process into CATARS all capitalized asset purchases.

e. Reconcile the CATARS interface reports.

f. Call for an annual inventory of CATARS and reconcile CATARS inventory results.

g. Convene a Board of Survey for lost, stolen, or damaged capitalized assets, when required. (See paragraph J)

4. Regional Administrators. The Regional Administrators will:

a. Establish administrative measures necessary to ensure the proper care, safeguarding and utilization of all government property within their region.

b. Appoint a Regional Property Management Officer.

c. Ensure that all APOs conduct a thorough and complete physical inventory annually, and during changes of APO'S.

5. Property Management Officer (PMO). For the National Office, the PMO for non-ADP property is the Director of Administrative Services. For the ADP property, the PMO is the Director of the Office of Management Data Systems. The Regional Administrator is responsible for designating the regional PMO. The Directors of the Salt Lake City Technical Center, the Cincinnati Technical Center, and the OSHA Training Institute are responsible for designating their own PMO. The designated PMOs will:

a. Serve as PMO for all offices within their respective jurisdiction and comply with OPMIS polices and procedures.

b. Assume temporary accountability for property when an APO is not designated, or incapacitated.

c. Monitor the record keeping, usage, and disposition of property, and assist the APOs in the preparation of documentation.

d. Exercise their write-off authority in lieu of convening a Board of Survey where authorized. (See paragraph I)

6. Accountable Property Officers (APO). DOL policy requires that all APOs must be cost center managers. APOs will be physically located at the cost center location. Cost center managers with property located outside of their immediate area, i.e., District Office, may appoint an APO at that site to manage their property. The APO must ensure that an annual physical inventory is completed. Also, the APO is responsible for initiating, verifying, and authorizing changes to the inventory.

7. Supervisors. Each OSHA supervisor is responsible for establishing administrative measures necessary to ensure the proper care, safeguarding and utilization of all Government property within the unit. A supervisor who is not designated as an APO still may be held liable for loss, damage, or destruction of such property when there is conclusive evidence that the loss or damage resulted from negligence, carelessness, or dereliction of duty on his or her part.

8. Individual Employees. Responsibility for the care and protection of assigned Government property is a personal obligation of each employee. An employee is liable and may be required to repay the Government when his or her negligence, carelessness, or dereliction of duty contributes to the loss or damage of Government property as determined by the Survey Board. Individual employees are required to report to their APO and/or PMO any instance of loss, theft or damage.

9. The Director, Directorate of Administrate Programs, OASAM. The Director, Directorate of Administrate Programs is responsible for appointing the Departmental Property Management Officer (DPMO). DPMO responsibilities are outlined in the DLMS-2, Chapter 100.

10. Office of Management Data Systems (OMDS). The Office of Management Data Systems is responsible for:

a. Coordinating write-off authority for all ADP property.

b. Ensuring OPMIS meets all requirements for ADP property control and tracking.

c. Page 3, paragraph I for ADP.

d. Auditing OPMIS data related to ADP.

F. MINIMUM REPORTING REQUIREMENTS.

1. There shall be a consistent method to report the results of property transactions and to maintain consistent inventory reports for Accountable Property Officers as defined by the OPMO.

2. Minimum reports required by DOL are addressed in DLMS-2, Chapter 100 and DLMS-9, Chapter 300.

G. PHYSICAL INVENTORY PROCEDURES.

Physical Inventories are required on at least two occasions: Once annually, at the call of the OPMO, and whenever there is a change of APO. Both of these inventories are required by Departmental regulations. More frequent inventories may be initiated by the individual managers.

1. Annual Physical Inventory. The OPMO is responsible for scheduling this inventory. The OPMO will be responsible for providing each APO a printout of the current inventory, along with instructions and guidelines.

2. Inventory Control Associate (ICA). Departmental regulations require that an ICA be appointed by the APO to assist in the inventory and act as a nonpartisan third party. The ICA should be a person from outside the APO's cost center. If an APO is unable to appoint an ICA from outside the cost center, then the APO may appoint another DOL employee within the cost center to serve as the ICA.

3. Certification. The completed inventory must be certified by both the APO and ICA. Any shortages, changes or additions to the inventory will be documented on appropriately completed DOL property forms and accompany the certification and verified inventory report. Samples of applicable Forms are provided in Appendix A.

H. FORMS. The following Departmental forms are the only ones used by OPMIS (See Appendix A for samples):

1. DL 1-48 - Letter Reporting Theft of Property on Non-GSA Site.

2. DL 1-73 - Custody Receipt.

3. DL 1-55 - Transaction Form (National Office for Warehouse Use Only).

4. DL 1-55 - DPAP Transaction Form (National Office for Warehouse Use Only).

5. DL 1-55C - Transaction Form (Capitalized Assets only).

6. DL 1-2094 - Property Loss Evaluation Checklist.

7. GSA 182 - Report of Loss or Theft.

8. SF 120 - Report of Excess Personal Property to GSA.

9. OPMIS Automated Forms.

I. DEPARTMENTAL DELEGATED AUTHORITIES AND PROCEDURES FOR DETERMINING ACCOUNTABILITY/LIABILITY FOR BOARD OF SURVEY OR WRITE OFF ACTION. This section defines the delegated authority of those individuals who must decide whether to convene a Board of Survey or to waive liability for lost/missing, stolen or damaged property. Authority to determine the liability of employees for lost/missing, stolen, or damaged property is delegated to organizational levels close to the level where accountability lies. This section also contains and establishes policy, procedures, checklist verification, and the decision process for making those determinations to assure reasonable consistency in their application, adequate documentation for the basis of the decision, and ease of monitoring at the National Office by the Departmental Property Management Officer (DPMO).

1. Delegated Authority. The authority to determine the necessity for convening a Board of Survey or to waive liability for lost/missing, stolen, and damaged mission-sensitive property is delegated based on the acquisition cost of the property item:

a. Property Management Officers (PMOS) for property valued at less than $2000 (original purchase price) for each item.

b. OSHA Property Management Officer (OPMO) for property valued at less than $5000 (original purchase price).

c. Departmental Property Management Officer (DPMO) for property valued less than $25,000 (original purchase price).

2. Procedures, Evaluation and Processing. Accountable Property Officers (APOs), at such time that they determine that property has been lost/missing, stolen or damaged, will enter information on OPMIS, sign the "Transaction Form" and forward it along with a report of the relevant circumstances to the PMO. The report should be accompanied by statements of the facts of the loss and any relevant documents, such as witness statements, police reports, etc. When reports of lost/missing, stolen, and/or damaged property are received by the PMO they will initiate the following:

a. If the property is valued at less than $2000 (original purchase price), the PMO will complete DL Form 1-2094 (Property Loss Evaluation Checklist) and decide whether to convene a Board of Survey to act on questions of personal pecuniary liability, or to write off the loss.

b. If the PMO decides to refer the loss to a Board of Survey he/she will do so by signing the completed DL Form 1-2094 and the OPMIS Forms, and by forwarding the DL 1-2094 and the OPMIS forms with all pertinent documentation to the Regional Administrator/OASAM (RA/OASAM). In the National Office, the information would be referred to the DPMO. A copy will also be furnished to the originating APO.

c. If the PMO decides to waive liability and write off the loss, he/she will do so by signing the completed DL Form 1-2094 and OPMIS forms and by forwarding both to the originating APO. The APO in turn will process the OPMIS Form to drop the loss from accountability.

d. If the property is valued at $2000 (original purchase price) or more, but less than $5000 (original purchase price) the PMO will forward all documentation pertaining to the loss to the OPMO at CTC. The OPMO will decide whether Board of Survey action is required or to write off the loss.

J. BOARDS OF SURVEY. Boards of Survey are convened when a responsible official determines the possibility of negligence regarding capitalized or non-capitalized property that may result in the assessment of pecuniary liability. A three-member board shall examine all pertinent facts surrounding the lost, stolen, or damaged property, and then determine employee liability and a means for the formal removal of property from an inventory. The Board's findings are then sent to the Departmental Property Management Officer (DPMO) for final approval or disapproval. DLMS-2 Chapter 100 establishes the authority, defines responsibilities, and sets forth procedures for conducting Boards of Survey. OASAM convenes and selects the members for the Board of Survey.

K. PROCEDURES AND AUTHORITIES TO WITHDRAW CERTAIN PROPERTY FROM INVENTORIES. Mission-sensitive and ADP equipment that is outdated, worn-out, or determined to be of little or no value, may be withdrawn from the inventory providing a proper determination has been made by a designated official. The authority to make these determinations is delegated by the DPMO to the Director, OSHA Cincinnati Technical Center. All determinations must be in writing and signed by the official based on available evidence and documentation regarding the status. After the OPMO has completed the determination, the property is then removed from the inventory via an authorized disposal transaction.

Joseph A. Dear Assistant Secretary

DISTRIBUTION: National, Regional and Area Offices Office of the Assistant Secretary for Administration and Management

 

Appendix A.

 

Property Forms

Appendix A. Contains the following forms:

1. 1 U.S. Department of Labor Custody Receipt-DL 1-73 (Rev. January. 1976).

2. 1 National Office Warehouse Receipt-DL 1-55 (Rev. April. 1987).

3. 1 DPAP Transaction Form/Survey Report-DL 1-55 (Rev. October 1991) Previous editions obsolete.

4. 1 CAMS Transaction Form/Survey Report-DL 1-55c.

5. 1 Department of Labor Loss Evaluation Checklist (DL 1-2094 (8-88)).

6. 1 Report of Loss or Theft-General Service Administration (GSA) Forms 182 (Rev. 6-72)

7. 1 Report of Excess personal Property Standard Form 120A (Rev. April 1957 Edition).

(For Appendix A Form 1, Click Here)

(For Appendix A Form 2, Click Here)

(For Appendix A Form 3, Click Here)

(For Appendix A Form 4, Click Here)

(For Appendix A Form 5, Click Here)

(For Appendix A Form 6, Click Here)

(For Appendix A Form 7, Click Here)

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