CFR > Title 10 - Energy > CHAPTER III—DEPARTMENT OF ENERGY > PART 851—WORKER SAFETY AND HEALTH PROGRAM > SUBPART C—Specific Program Requirements (§851.20 to §851.27) > 851.20—Management responsibilities and worker rights and responsibilities.

851.20—Management responsibilities and worker rights and responsibilities.

(a) Management responsibilities. Contractors are responsible for the safety and health of their workforce and must ensure that contractor management at a covered workplace:
(1) Establish written policy, goals, and objectives for the worker safety and health program;
(2) Use qualified worker safety and health staff (e.g., a certified industrial hygienist, or safety professional) to direct and manage the program;
(3) Assign worker safety and health program responsibilities, evaluate personnel performance, and hold personnel accountable for worker safety and health performance;
(4) Provide mechanisms to involve workers and their elected representatives in the development of the worker safety and health program goals, objectives, and performance measures and in the identification and control of hazards in the workplace;
(5) Provide workers with access to information relevant to the worker safety and health program;
(6) Establish procedures for workers to report without reprisal job-related fatalities, injuries, illnesses, incidents, and hazards and make recommendations about appropriate ways to control those hazards;
(7) Provide for prompt response to such reports and recommendations;
(8) Provide for regular communication with workers about workplace safety and health matters;
(9) Establish procedures to permit workers to stop work or decline to perform an assigned task because of a reasonable belief that the task poses an imminent risk of death, serious physical harm, or other serious hazard to workers, in circumstances where the workers believe there is insufficient time to utilize normal hazard reporting and abatement procedures; and
(10) Inform workers of their rights and responsibility by appropriate means, including posting the DOE-designated Worker Protection Poster in the workplace where it is accessible to all workers.
(b) Worker rights and responsibilities. Workers must comply with the requirements of this part, including the worker safety and health program, which are applicable to their own actions and conduct. Workers at a covered workplace have the right, without reprisal, to:
(1) Participate in activities described in this section on official time;
(2) Have access to:
(i) DOE safety and health publications;
(ii) The worker safety and health program for the covered workplace;
(iii) The standards, controls, and procedures applicable to the covered workplace;
(iv) The safety and health poster that informs the worker of relevant rights and responsibilities;
(v) Limited information on any recordkeeping log (OSHA Form 300). Access is subject to Freedom of Information Act requirements and restrictions; and
(vi) The DOE Form 5484.3 (the DOE equivalent to OSHA Form 301) that contains the employee's name as the injured or ill worker;
(3) Be notified when monitoring results indicate the worker was overexposed to hazardous materials;
(4) Observe monitoring or measuring of hazardous agents and have the results of their own exposure monitoring;
(5) Have a representative authorized by employees accompany the Director or his authorized personnel during the physical inspection of the workplace for the purpose of aiding the inspection. When no authorized employee representative is available, the Director or his authorized representative must consult, as appropriate, with employees on matters of worker safety and health;
(6) Request and receive results of inspections and accident investigations;
(7) Express concerns related to worker safety and health;
(8) Decline to perform an assigned task because of a reasonable belief that, under the circumstances, the task poses an imminent risk of death or serious physical harm to the worker coupled with a reasonable belief that there is insufficient time to seek effective redress through normal hazard reporting and abatement procedures; and
(9) Stop work when the worker discovers employee exposures to imminently dangerous conditions or other serious hazards; provided that any stop work authority must be exercised in a justifiable and responsible manner in accordance with procedures established in the approved worker safety and health program.