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|Forest Service MANUAL

PACIFIC SOUTHWEST RESEARCH STATION (PSW)

ALBANY, CA | |

fsm 6100 – Personnel management

CHAPTER 6140 – PERFORMANCE, TRAINING, AWARDS

SUPPLEMENT NO.: PSW_6100-2007-01.

Effective Date: September 17, 2007.

Duration: This supplement is effective until superseded or removed.

|Approved: JAMES R. SEDELL |Date Approved: 09/10/2007 |

|Station Director | |

Posting Instructions: Supplemental directives are numbered consecutively by Manual number and calendar year. Post by document at the end of the chapter. Retain this transmittal as the first page(s) of this document. The last supplemental directive was PSW_6100-2006-01 to chapter 6160.

|New Document |6140 |6 Pages |

|Superseded Document(s) by Issuance Number|6100_transmittal (PSW_6100-2002-01, 6/21/2002) | |

|and Effective Date |6140 (PSW_6100-2005-01, 10/28/2005) |1 Page |

| | |6 Pages |

Digest: In order by code, summarize the main additions or revisions of direction in this directive.

6145.02 – Remove repetition of national direction.

6145.2 - Remove repetition of national direction.

6145.3 – Increase allowed time to 3 hours per week and authorized time period from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m.

Table of Contents

6143 EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM 3

6143.03 - Policy 3

6145 - WELLNESS 3

6145.02 - Objectives 3

6145.03 - Policy 3

6145.1 - Health Risk Screening 3

6145.2 - Physical Fitness Programs 4

6145.3 - Expenditure of Funds (FSM 6511.13h) 5

6143 EMPLOYEE ASSISTANCE PROGRAM

6143.03 - Policy

1. Pacific Southwest Research Station (PSW) employees are covered under adjacent field unit CONCERN Program contracts in Region 5. The designated PSW key contact person is the Safety Officer. Each PSW field unit shall designate a key contact person to coordinate and perform liaison duties with the adjacent National Forest.

2. An employee covered by the USDA Forest Service - NFFE Forest Service Council Master Agreement may bring a Union representative to the initial discussion with the CONCERN program service provider.

6145 - WELLNESS

6145.02 - Objectives

PSW establishes a Wellness Program Plan.

6145.03 - Policy

Units shall designate an individual within their local safety committee to coordinate or manage the Wellness Program. Questions on the Wellness Program may also be addressed to the PSW Safety Officer. The PSW program provides wellness education, health and life-style evaluations and fitness or exercise activities for all employees (permanent, term, and temporary), Human Resource program enrollees, and volunteers. While employee participation is strongly encouraged, all aspects of the program are voluntary. Wellness education activities and health and life-style evaluations may be contracted.

6145.1 - Health Risk Screening

1. Employees wishing to participate in fitness or exercise activities under the program must first complete a health and life-style evaluation Wellness Agreement, form PSW-6700-01, that determines the employee's present physical condition, identifies any potential problems, and recommends corrective measures for individual and group therapeutic treatment.

2. A Wellness Agreement must be completed annually by the employee and approved by that employee's supervisor and unit leader (Project Leader, Group Leader, Assistant Director, or Deputy Station Director), and if using Forest Service memberships in health and fitness facilities, approved by a health care provider, prior to participation. All medical information that becomes available during the health and life-style evaluations shall be confidential between the employee and the health care individual providing the evaluation service. Follow-up health and life-style evaluations may be offered.

3. Evaluations may include:

a. Individual health history and life-style questionnaire

b. Flexibility and strength test

c. Exercise tolerance test to determine aerobic capacity

d. Blood lipid profile

e. Individual counseling to explain evaluation findings

4. Units may provide smoking cessation and nutritional or weight management classes, conduct health risk assessments and health screening.

6145.2 - Physical Fitness Programs

1. Program-sponsored fitness/exercise activities are those meeting the needs identified in individual program-sponsored health and life-style evaluations. If the evaluation indicates that the employee is not presently capable of safely withstanding the rigors of fitness/exercise activities, the employee should contact a personal physician for advice on how to proceed with an exercise program. Employees not approved to participate in physical fitness activities because of these restrictions, are still encouraged to participate in wellness education activities and may have a follow-up program-sponsored health and life-style evaluation 6 months after the initial evaluation. Employees shall cover the expenses.

a. Employees may not use free weights under the PSW sponsored program. As part of the fitness program, employees may engage in non-contact sport activities.

b. Units may contract for services to provide wellness program activities. Such services may include agency memberships in a health and fitness facility. Membership must be by agency name, not by individual employee name. Employees wishing memberships in health and fitness facilities should get approval from their supervisors, then contact the local administrative support services supervisor to set up a membership.

c. Government vehicles cannot be used to travel to wellness facilities, unless employees are away from their normal duty stations. Under these conditions, an employee may drive to a facility, if arrangements can be made in the immediate area that meet requirements set up in the employee's individual wellness agreement.

2. Wellness Education and Health Fairs

a. The objective of seminars by health educators and professionals trained in a variety of health-related topics is to provide employees with holistic information to improve their health and promote healthy life-styles, if they choose to do so. Examples of potential topics for seminars and other educational activities include nutrition, stress management, weight control, smoking cessation, exercise science, first aid, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and disease prevention. Employees with chronic conditions or diseases may be offered specialized training to enable them to cope with and reduce the risks of complications.

b. Health fairs set up by the unit, local communities or health care providers are an excellent source of information, health risk appraisals and life-style evaluations. Health care providers at health fairs can provide clearances for employees to participate in physical fitness activities.

3. Employees may participate in self-help groups such as weight control, self-esteem, and recovery programs.

See Forest Service Handbook 5109.17, chapter 20, section 23.3, for employees who may perform research activities during active fire suppression.

6145.3 - Expenditure of Funds (FSM 6511.13h)

1. Expenses are from applicable unit operating budgets upon approval of the unit leader who retains the right to deny gym fees or dues based on budget concerns.

a. The cost of all program sponsored wellness education activities, health risk appraisals, and lifestyle evaluations shall be paid by the employee’s unit funds. There is no charge to employees. Employee spouses and children may participate in program-sponsored education activities on a space-available basis if there is no cost to PSW.

b. For an employee to participate in a fitness program involving the use of Government funds, a specific wellness agreement between that employee and that employee's supervisor must be made and renewed annually, including an annual health check provided by a health care provider.

c. PSW unit leaders may approve up to $100 per year per employee on health fitness activity fees.

2. Incentive Programs. Group and individual incentives to recognize employee achievements are important to a successful wellness program. See Forest Service Manual 6511.11t for non-monetary awards.

3. Use of Official Time.

a. Employees are encouraged to participate in wellness education activities of particular interest or benefit to them. Supervisors may authorize official time to employees who wish to participate in any wellness education activity sponsored by the PSW program and approved by the Station Director, provided that the employee’s work allows for the absence.

b. Supervisors are encouraged to grant short periods of excused absences for employees to participate in officially authorized special or one-time educational or awareness programs, such as Federal Fitness Day activities, a medical fitness screening procedure as part of joining a fitness program, or any agency sponsored health fair.

c. Supervisors are encouraged to facilitate employee participation in health and fitness activities that take place over extended or indefinite periods (such as use of fitness centers, running, aerobic classes) through use of non-duty time. Non-duty time includes lunch periods, as well as before and after working hours. Supervisors are encouraged to accommodate, to the extent possible, employee requests for flexible work schedules and the use of annual leave, credit hours, or compensatory time to participate in health and fitness activities.

d. PSW employees shall be allowed up to 3 hours of paid official time per week for exercise activities contingent upon:

(1) The employee uses an equivalent amount of matching personal time for fitness activities.

(2) The supervisor approves the absence.

(3) The employee has a current Wellness Agreement, form PSW-6700-01, in effect.

The Wellness Agreement must specify the authorized activity/activities which are being performed (FSM 6142.2) and the authorized time within the specific hours between 5 a.m. and 10 p.m. at which they will be performed.

(4) PSW is not funding $100 toward health activity fees for the employee.

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