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Article 15

            Safety and Health

            §15.1 The State remains committed to providing and maintaining safe
            working conditions, and to initiating and maintaining operating practices

            that will safeguard employees, in an effort to eliminate the potential of
            on-the-job injury/illness and resulting Workers’ Compensation claims.

             The State and CSEA will cooperate in the identification of safety hazards,
           will work mutually toward their elimination or control and strive to insure

           compliance with safety guidelines and policies established in the interest of
           providing a safe and healthful workplace.

            §15.2 Safety and Health Committee
              (a) There shall be a Statewide Safety and Health Committee consisting of

           six (6) representatives selected by CSEA and six (6) representatives selected
           by the State. The Chairperson of the Committee will alternate between

           CSEA and New York State representatives each six months.
              (b) The Committee Chairperson or Co-Chairpersons will submit progress

           reports  to  the  President  of  CSEA and  the  Director  of  GOER every six
           months.

              (c) The purpose of the Committee shall be to review and discuss matters
           of mutual concern in the area of safety and health in a proactive cooperative

           fashion. The Committee is not intended to be policy making or regulatory
           in nature, rather, it is intended to be advisory on matters of employee safety

           and health. The Committee shall foster its objectives in the following ways:
             (1) Awareness  -  to  raise  the  consciousness  of  the  State  work  force,

                 regarding issues of occupational safety and health.

             (2) Education - to develop and implement programs which will enhance
                 skills and knowledge pertaining to general and job-specific safety and
                 health matters.

             (3) Enrichment of  Agency Level  Safety Committee Activity  -  to

                 encourage, foster and assist agency level safety committee  activity to
                 consider  the funding of labor/management initiated projects  and

                 proposals that deal with safety and health related matters that  seek to
                 identify, analyze and prevent on-the-job accidents and injuries through

                 fact- finding and appropriate training.
             (4) Development  of  a  Statewide Safety Communications Network  -  to

                 integrate  the  Committee’s  activities  with the  preventative safety  and


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