NEWS RELEASE

OCCUPATIONAL SAFETY & HEALTH REVIEW COMMISSION
One Lafayette Centre, 1120 20th Street, NW, 9th Floor,
Washington, D.C. 20036-3419

Contact: Linda Gravely
(202) 606-5398

Release 05-4
August 16, 2005

CHAIRMAN ANNOUNCES COMPLETION OF FIRST PHASE OF
REVIEW COMMISSION ORGANIZATIONAL STUDY

Chairman W. Scott Railton today announced the completion of the first phase of an organizational study of the Occupational Safety and Health Review Commission (Review Commission). The study, performed by human resources consultant, Connie Harshaw, is a follow-up to a December 2003 study of the administrative functions by Federal Management Partners, Inc.

The consultant’s review of the structure of the Review Commission included a number of recommendations to increase organizational efficiency, improve position alignment and further the objectives of the President’s Management Agenda (PMA).

The study’s key recommendations include:

1. Separating the Office of the Executive Secretary of the Review Commission from the Office of the Executive Director. The Executive Secretary (Clerk of the Court”) will now be a stand alone office reporting directly to the Chairman. (Note: This recommendation was made by the consultant in June 2005, and has since been implemented.);
   
2. Changing the name of the Office of the Executive Director to the Office of Administration, to better reflect the full range of administrative and management services that this office provides in direct support of the Review Commission;
   
3. Outsourcing the commercial portion of the information technology support function, which is consistent with the Review Commission’s 2005 Federal Activities Inventory Reform (FAIR) Act submission to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB);
   
4. Reassigning responsibility for the Review Commission’s Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) program from the Office of the Executive Director to the Office of the General Counsel;
   
5. Making other adjustments to titles, series, grades and position descriptions in the Office of Administration;
   
6. Establishing a comprehensive training and development program in order to maintain currency in all professions; and
   
7. Revising the Review Commission’s current performance plan to strengthen the link to pay for performance with measurable goals for all GS-1 through GS-15 level employees.

The consultant’s study recommended eliminating one position in the Office of Administration. This was in contrast to the earlier study, which recommended eliminating between six to eleven positions.

Chairman Railton said: “I am pleased with the recommendations I received for Phase I of the study at the Review Commission. The consultant’s work was very thorough, and I intend to see the recommendations for Phase I implemented as soon as possible. I believe this revised structure will improve the operations and processes of the Review Commission, and further the goal of implementing the President’s Management Agenda.”

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