The Chairman opened the meeting with general comments regarding long term assignments for the Committee and the need to incorporate Committee goals as an integral part of the Department’s overall health and safety objectives. A concerted effort on the part of the Committee will be necessary to establish an ongoing working relationship with senior Department managers. On another topic the Chairman stated a work backlog had prevented completion of the meeting minutes for the last two meetings. An effort will be made to finalize the minutes and forward copies to the Committee for review and comment as soon as possible.

The Chairman summarized a recent conversation with David Weitzman regarding the status of the Committee’s Charter. According to David Weitzman the Charter package was sent to Joe Fitzgerald with the expectation that the Charter would then be forwarded to Dr. Tara O’Toole for final approval. All technical issues with the Charter have been resolved thus ensuring final approval of the Charter. Along with the approval of the Charter, the Chairman discussed options to document the actions of the Committee in some formal process. Committee members discussed options available if the Charter is not approved by

Dr. O’Toole. Several options were discussed among the IHCC members. One suggestion was proposed to coordinate some type of approval with the different Field Managers. Direct support from the various Field Managers has some benefit given the direct support provided by the Committee. Another option discussed was to write a formal memorandum to Joe Fitzgerald from the IHCC asking for his concurrence on the IHCC and forwarding his concurrence to Tara O’Toole for signature. The IHCC members agreed they should not wait more that thirty days before seeking another alternative at getting Charter approval.

Action: Agreement was reached on the need to contact Mr. Fitzgerald’s office as soon as possible and identify the status of the Charter. The Chairman agreed to contact Mr. Fitzgerald regarding the status of the Charter. Subsequent action would be initiated as necessary.

The Committee discussed issues concerning DOE Order 470 and implementation of the Contractor Industrial Hygiene program throughout the DOE. John Serocki reported that Jackie Rogers, EH, was working to incorporate elements of the DOE draft IH Order as part of the new Worker Protection Order. John Serocki suggested that the IHCC write a paragraph on what the IHCC would like to see in the new Worker Protection Order. Specifically, IH operational requirements as a minimum should be included in the new Order. The Chairman indicated that all comments on the Order were due in Headquarters by a June 1, 1995 deadline. A suggestion was made by the Chairman to develop a summary position and recommendations on the proposed Order.

Janet Torma-Krajewski questioned whether the Office of Primary Interest was asking for concurrence or comments. John Serocki again emphasized the need to provide comments from the Committee on the Order. The Chairman stated that the Albuquerque Operations Office is compiling comments and roll-ups for all Field Offices. Questions were asked on how the working group is going to resolve issues raised from comments received. The Chairman stated he is one of the contacts working to resolve comments from the Field. John Serocki reminded the Committee that industrial hygiene has special standards and procedures. Generally the unique nature of the industrial hygiene requirements cannot be directly incorporated into Occupational Safety and Health Order.

Harvey Grasso suggested outlining the entire industrial hygiene process from identification through control (Program Design Process). This information would be used to supplement the Order as written. Janet Torma-Krajewski suggested coming up with an implementation guide that contains exposure assessment. John Serocki indicated that the IHCC should summarize all major IH elements including exposure assessment and recordkeeping as part of the Committee’s comments on the Order. Following the discussion the Committee agreed to use the proposed draft prepared by John Serocki as a starting point for comment transmittal. The Chairman agreed to consolidate all comments and forward them to the Headquarters point of contact by the deadline. (Reference Attachment 1: Presentation by P. Wellham, EH on the 470 Review Process)

Rod McCullum provided a summary information on the status of the Necessary and Sufficient Standards process. (Reference Attachment 2.) According to Rod necessary and sufficient standards: Meet the performance expectations and goals for work (including compliance with laws and regulations) and contain standards which are necessary and sufficient to meet the stated requirements. As part of the Necessary and Sufficient process work place hazards are identified and performance expectations are developed to meet operational requirements. Following completion of the review consensus is reached on necessary and sufficient set of standards. The expectation is to achieve safety and health objectives though the process. Prior to full implementation a pilot program is ongoing at several sites to validate the concepts of the necessary and sufficient process.

The Chairman requested nomination for the position of the Industrial Hygiene Coordinating Committee Chair-Elect.

Nominations were made and a vote was taken for the position of IHCC Chair-Elect. David Weitzman was elected to the position of Committee Chair-Elect.

A recommendation will be made to forward Mr. Weitzman’s name to the Under Secretary for approval.

David Weitzman reported that the final version of the IH Qualification Standard will be transmitted to Tom Evans, HR. The IHCC successfully provided substantive information and guidance on the IH Qualification Standard. The quality and depth of the final product was directly related to the support provided by the Committee. According to David Weitzman an internal EH review will be necessary prior to submittal of the document to Tom Evans.

Jay Larsen reported on the meeting to address recommendations and findings developed as part of the Chemical Safety Vulnerability review process. The immediate tasking of the Chemical Safety subcommittee is the review of site specific action plans from all applicable locations. A requirement has been established to ensure the completion of management response plans for the different sites. The expectected completion date for the plans has been tentatively set for the end of September.

Janet Torma-Krajewski informed the Committee that a meeting was conducted in New Orleans to develop an implementation plan. A draft plan has yet to be developed, however, Janet Torma-Krajewski will provide a copy to the Committee as soon as a draft is prepared.

A review Standard is being developed to supplement the SAR Guide. The Committee is providing criteria for assessing hazardous materials referenced in the SAR document. In addition an effort is being made to address specific worker protection issues related to the SAR review process. A draft copy of the guide will be made available to members of the Committee for review and comment. On another front there is information indicating that the SAR Order may soon become a Rule.

Janet Torma-Krajewski reported that work is ongoing to develop specific criteria for the proposed IHCC Award. In addition, funds must be identified for the award. David Weitzman has agreed to identify a funding source for the award.

Work is proceeding on the completion of the IH survey. Preliminary results are available however a lack of response from all the different offices has limited the availability of data. Final survey results will be made available to the Committee as soon as possible.

The next IHCC meeting will be on August 1-3, 1995 in Oakland, California. Harvey Grasso indicated that the availability of clerical support should be a factor in deciding location for the meetings. Support for the Oakland meeting will be provided by staff from the OAK Office.

The meeting was adjourned and 3:50 p.m., on May 3, 1995.