Administrative Savings Update

The foundation for the administrative savings program can be found in the President’s budget request for FY 2012 and two Executive Orders issued over the last year:

·        Executive Order 13589, Promoting Efficient Spending, signed November 9, 2011 -- (http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/11/09/executive-order-promoting-efficient-spending ); and

·         Executive Order 13576, Delivering an Efficient, Effective, and Accountable Government, signed June 13, 2011 -- (http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2011/06/13/executive-order-13576-delivering-efficient-effective-and-accountable-gov ).

At the start of FY 2012, ITA’s administrative savings program goal was to identify $10 million in cost savings.  The Department’s goal was to generate over $140 million in savings this fiscal year.

The $10 million in savings that ITA has to generate will come from the following areas:

·         A review of printing, supplies and equipment costs;

·         Increasing double sided printing and reducing color copying;

·         Reuse of surplus information technology equipment and supplies from  Census;

·         Reductions in headquarters and field office space;

·         Identifying savings in the Department’s Working Capital Fund;

·         Allowing 48 employees to take Voluntary Early Retirement Authority/Voluntary Separation Incentive Payments (VERA/VSIP)

·         Termination of unused cell phone contracts and phone lines;

·         Reviewing overseas administrative (ICASS) and facilities (CSCSP) costs. 

These savings will be put to better use throughout ITA’s programs.

The administrative savings program continues into FY 2013.  In fact, ITA’s goal for administrative cost savings will grow by $2.3 million to $12.3 million in FY 2013. ITA will find these savings by: 

·         Continuing the savings identified in FY 2012;

·         Exploring whether another VERA/VSIP; and

·         Exploring additional overseas administrative (ICASS) and facilities (CSCSP) costs.

We can use your ideas for more administrative costs savings too!

If you have any questions, please contact Doug Allis at 202-482-9151 or via e-mail at Doug.Allis@trade.gov

New Accident and Injury Reporting Procedures

The Department of Commerce has recently updated its accident and injury reporting procedures.  ITA is required by Federal law to regularly report its accident and injury data, analyze this data to identify trends and prevent future injuries.

Effective immediately, please use the revised CD-137, “Report of Incident, Injury, Illness, Motor Vehicle Accident, Property Damage, or Fatality,” to report all work-related injuries, illnesses, property damage, and motor vehicle accidents.  The form can be filled in online and is found at http://ocio.os.doc.gov/s/groups/public/@doc/@os/@ocio/@oitpp/documents/content/dev01_002416.pdf.   After your Supervisor has reviewed the form, he or she should submit a scanned electronic version to ITA’s Safety Officer, Jeff Scherr, at Jeffrey.Scherr@trade.gov, or deliver it to the Office of Management and Operations (OMO) in HCHB Room 2202.

Additionally, the Department has revised Department Administrative Order (DAO), 209-3, “Injury, Illness, Incident, Fatality, and Motor Vehicle Accident Reporting and Investigation.”  Please review this policy to learn your responsibilities in reporting and investigating accidents and injuries: http://www.osec.doc.gov/opog/dmp/daos/dao209_3.html.

What does this mean for you when an incident occurs? As always, for any incident, first seek medical attention, as appropriate.

Employees

• Report all work-related injuries, illnesses, incidents, near misses, and motor vehicle accidents as soon as possible after they occur, preferably, prior to the end of the shift. 

• Report safety hazards promptly to the ITA Safety Officer.

• Complete all of the appropriate sections on the CD-137, “Report of Incident, Injury, Illness, Motor Vehicle Accident, Property Damage, or Fatality.”

• Give the CD-137 form to your supervisor to complete his or her section of the form.

• Inform the ITA Safety Officer that an incident has occurred. 

• Even if no injury or damage occurred, DOC requires that you report the incident as a near miss (because injury or damage could have occurred):  Complete the CD-137 and submit it to your Supervisor for completion of his or her portion of the form.

• Report changes in your injury status such as loss of work time or changes in medical treatment to your immediate supervisor.

Supervisors

• Effective immediately, supervisors are to become familiar with DAO 209-3 and form CD-137.

• When an employee reports an incident please assist with completing the CD-137.  Review the form, ensure the employee’s section is complete, then complete the “Supervisor’s” section and sign and date the form.  Submit the completed form to the ITA Safety Officer, within five working days of being notified of the incident.  Supervisors are responsible for ensuring the form is complete and accurate.

• Upon receipt, immediately forward supplementary information or changes in an employee’s work-related injury status such as loss of work time or changes in medical treatment to the ITA Safety Officer.  The Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) requires that ITA report the total number of calendar days lost (including weekends) due to work-related accidents and injuries.

Thank you for promptly reporting accidents and injuries and helping ITA to meet its Federal requirements, analyze injury trends, and identify potential safety hazards.  If you have questions, please contact ITA’s Safety Officer, Jeff Scherr, at 202-482-3266 or Jeffrey.Scherr@trade.gov.

Sunflower Passwords Now Expire After 60 Days

Did you know that Sunflower passwords now expire after 60 days?  If you try logging into the Sunflower Personal Property Management System from a Department of Commerce computer and it will not let you in, then it is probably because your password has expired.  The Sunflower Help Desk has created a document to show you how to change your Sunflower password.  New passwords must adhere to the following rules:

• Must be at least 12 characters long
• Must contain 1 number, 1 letter, and 1 special character
• Cannot be the same as a previous password

We have posted this guidance, as well as other helpful property information, on the ITA Central Property Management page at: http://itacentral/ita/administration/omo/Pages/PropertyMgt.aspx

If you have Sunflower questions or continue to experience difficulties accessing Sunflower, please contact the Sunflower Help Desk at 202-482-4110 or SunflowerHelpDesk@doc.gov.  If you have questions on ITA’s property policy, please contact the ITA Property Management Officer, Jeff Scherr, at 202-482-3266 or via email  Jeffrey.Scherr@trade.gov.