CFO-ADMIN NEWS YOU CAN USE
A Monthly Newsletter from ITA Administration
Office of the Chief Financial Officer
June 10, 2008
Message
from the CFO
Welcome to the first issue of “CFO-ADMIN NEWS YOU CAN USE”,
formerly Administrivial Pursuits. For quite a number of
years, Administrivial Pursuits served the ITA community as a
resource for administrative, policy and procedural guidance
to assist managers and employees in performing their daily
work. “CFO-ADMIN NEWS YOU CAN USE” will continue to be a
newsletter that provides information and access to resources
we hope will be even more valuable to the success of every
employee within the ITA organization. Our goal is to work
toward enhancing and expanding the types of information we
provide in our newsletter. One of the ways we plan to
accomplish this is to listen to you, our ITA customers. In
the future, your feedback will become an important barometer
for shaping “CFO-ADMIN NEWS YOU CAN USE”, and for letting us know
how well we are serving you. As we move forward, you will
have the opportunity to contribute information and news of
interest to your fellow ITA employees in the organization.
The
Office of the Chief Financial Officer and Director of
Administration provides a comprehensive program of
financial, management and analytical services to the ITA
organization. We are excited at the challenge of working to
improve communications to the entire ITA organization
through our newsletter, and at the prospect of delivering
enhanced services to our ITA customers. So, stay tuned.
David
M. Robinson
Chief Financial Officer and Director of Administration.
ITA Safety
Target Zero:
Creating a Safe Working Environment in the HCHB
Did you know that the ITA Safety Council is ITA’s advocate
for creating a safe working environment in the HCHB? With its motto of “Target Zero”, the ITA Safety Council works
towards zero accidents and injuries by conducting safety and health
inspections; performing ergonomics assessments; investigating office safety
concerns and hazards; training employees on the use of the Emergency Escape
Hoods; and educating ITA supervisors, new employees, and other personnel on how
to be safe. Here are a few ways you can
help:
Prepare Your Office
for Safety Inspections
The ITA Safety Council conducts annual safety and health
inspections. You can take several steps
to ensure that your office is prepared for its inspection:
§
Make sure there are no loose wires around your desk
area- slips, trips, and falls are the leading cause of injury in the HCHB.
§ Prevent fire hazards by avoiding using extension cords
for more than temporary needs or “daisy-chaining” surge protectors by plugging
them into each other- instead, get a larger surge protector or use multiple
outlets.
§
Make sure all office equipment is stored in a safe,
stable manner and that there is no danger of falling.
§ Clean off all papers from your window sills- they
collect dust, and when the radiators below the windows are turned on, they can
pose a fire hazard.
§ Post the HCHB Occupant Emergency Plan’s emergency
evacuation route map next to your office doors (see
http://home.osec.doc.gov for a copy). Make sure your employees are familiar with
evacuation, shelter-in-place, and phone tree procedures.
Attend Safety Training and Information
Sessions
Both
ITA and the Department periodically offer several types of training:
§ Emergency Escape
Hood Training. Emergency Escape Hoods are
masks that protect you from hazardous fumes, gases, and other poisons in the
event of an emergency. The QuickPro
Emergency Escape Hood has been tested by the military and is the best available
Escape Hood. ITA conducts training on
these hoods monthly. Training sessions
are announced by Broadcast email; however, if a session is not currently
available, you may email
Safety@mail.doc.gov
in between sessions to be placed on a special wait list for Escape Hood
training.
§ CPR/Emergency
Defibrillator Training.
The
Department periodically offers this life-saving training. Stay tuned to Broadcast emails or contact
the Department’s Office of Occupational Safety and Health at (202) 482-4935 for more
information.
§ Supervisors’
Safety Training. ITA offers a special supervisors’ training
as part of ITA’s Supervisory Certificate Program. Contact Lester Purnell in the Office of Human Resources
Management at (202) 482-2262 for more information.
§ Workers’
Compensation Training. The Department offers Supervisory Workers’
Compensation training. Contact the
Office of Occupational Safety and Health at (202) 482-4935 or visit their website at
http://ohrm.os.doc.gov/Safety_and_Health/
for more information.
With your help, we can help make ITA a
safer place to work. If you have
questions, or wish to report any safety concerns, please contact ITA’s Safety
Officer, Jeff Scherr, at (202) 482-3266 or by email at
Safety@mail.doc.gov.
Question of The Day
Can you
answer the trivia question? Be featured in our bi-weekly Newsletter by answering or providing trivia questions. Questions and
answers may be submitted to Nina Harris via email
Nina.Harris@mail.doc.gov. To celebrate the kick-off of this issue and
new name, the first person to answer the Question of the Day correctly
will win a prize.
Trivia
Question:
What should employees do when a shelter-in-place or
evacuation drill or emergency occurs? What should they
bring with them?
Procurement/Purchase Corner
How to Apply for a $3,000 Purchase
Card?
An applicant must fill out the ITA2058 (Government Purchase
Card Set-Up Form) by accessing Ourplace at https://ourplace.ita.doc.gov/, complete
the GSA SmartPay Purchase Card on-line training located at the following
website:
http://apps.fss.gsa.gov/webtraining/trainingdocs/smartpaytraining/index.cfm,
and complete the Section 508 training located at www.section508.gov. If you have questions, please contact Robin Carpenter at (202)
482-4989.
Send your suggestions or comments about this newsletter to Nina.Harris@mail.doc.gov
