Executive Order 94 - Workplace Safety and Employee Health

Workplace Safety and Employee Health

By virtue of the authority vested in me as Governor under Article V of the Constitution of Virginia and the laws of the Commonwealth, including but not limited to Title 2.2 of the Code of Virginia, and subject to my continuing and ultimate authority and responsibility to act in such matters, I hereby reestablish and revise the Workplace Safety and Employee Health Initiative established under Executive Order Number Fifty-two (1999). This initiative will ensure a safe and healthy workplace for state employees, reduce the incidence of work-related accidents and illnesses occurring in state agencies, and assist employees in returning to work from both work-related and non-work related illnesses and injuries.

Injuries and illnesses cause considerable pain and hardship for employees and their families and hinder the effective operation of state agencies. Human resource, risk management and safety professionals report that many of these injuries and illnesses can be reduced or prevented. In addition lost productivity for the employee and employer can be lessened by transitional employment and job modification.

Keeping our government workers safe, whole, healthy and, whenever possible, employed is the duty of every state agency. This can only be accomplished with the full commitment of agency management working in partnership with all employees. All state agencies have an important role to play not only in reducing work-related injuries but also in improving return-to-work services for all injured or ill employees.

All executive branch departments, agencies, and institutions of higher education shall:

* Cooperate with the Department of Human Resource Management State Employee's Workers' Compensation Program (DHRM) by implementing initiatives to reduce work-related injuries and improve services to injured employees;
* Ensure that job expectations are clearly defined in the employee work profile to include physical requirements;
* Submit the First Report of Accident to the State Employee Workers' Compensation Program within 10 days of the injury;
* Identify trends and the impact on the agency;
* Evaluate the work-related injuries and illnesses that occurred in FY 2005 and each subsequent fiscal year in order to establish goals and strategies to reduce them and to enhance workplace safety;
* Include in managers' performance expectations, when appropriate, goals to encourage a safer work environment and reduction in work-related employee time lost; and
* Report by October 1st of each year to the State Employee Workers' Compensation Program the agency's loss control goals, strategies, and results to minimize the risk of work-related injuries and illnesses.

Utilizing the foundation developed under Executive Order Number Fifty-two (1999) to establish and develop strategies and practices that support safety in the workplace, all executive branch departments, agencies and institutions of higher education shall:

* Evaluate and modify the agency's Workers' Compensation return-to-work policy to include non-work related periods of disability;
* Cooperate with the Department of Human Resource Management and the Virginia Sickness and Disability Program of the Virginia Retirement System to establish return-to-work opportunities appropriate for the individual employee and agency;
* Include in managers' performance expectations goals to reduce employee work-related and non-work related time;
* Establish strategies and practices to reduce lost time and to support the safe resumption of work for state employees;
* Evaluate annually those cases where employees were unable to return to work in a transitional and/or permanent capacity; and
* Report by April 1st of each year to the Virginia Retirement System and the Department of Human Resource Management agency goals and strategies to reduce lost time.

In order to support agency Workplace Safety and Health initiatives and goals, the Virginia Retirement System and Department of Human Resource Management shall:

* Review agency goals and strategies;
* Provide training, consultation, and support for agency initiatives; and
* Report non-compliance with the provisions of this Executive Order, and report annually to the Governor on progress made in improving workplace safety and returning employees to work.

This Executive Order rescinds and replaces Executive Order Number Fifty-two (1999), Workplace Safety and Health, issued by Governor James S. Gilmore, III, on October 1, 1999.

This Executive Order shall be effective upon signing and shall remain in full force and effect until superseded or rescinded by further executive action.

Given under my hand and under the Seal of the Commonwealth of Virginia this 14th day of July 2005.

Mark R. Warner, Governor

http://www.governor.virginia.gov/Press_Policy/Executive_Orders/html/EO_94.html