Memorandum on the Federal Agency Program: Mission SAFETY-70

Memorandum for Heads of Departments and Agencies

Early in 1965, I launched Mission SAFETY-70. Its purpose was to drastically reduce the needless suffering and cost brought on by injuries to Federal employees.

Now, at midpoint in the Mission, progress has stopped. In 1966, 109,913 Federal employees were injured on the job. In 1967, that figure had jumped almost 10,000--to 119,400. Disabling injuries rose from 6.9 to 7 per million man-hours worked.

We cannot continue to tolerate this shameful waste. Therefore, I have directed each agency head to review his employee safety program and--within 45 days--report to me his recommendations for improvement.

I have, further, asked the Secretary of Labor

--To provide guidance to the agencies in preparing their reports;

--To assign new goals to each agency, so that we can still meet our overall objective of a 30 percent reduction in injuries by 1970;

--To issue Federal safety standards to guide agencies in improving their programs;

--And to recommend to me, after a summary evaluation of the agency reports, whatever additional action will be required.

The dollar cost of injuries to Federal employees is large. But the toll taken in human anguish and agony is terrible. It need not be so, and I call upon all agency heads to redouble their efforts to insure the success of Mission SAFETY-70.

LYNDON B. JOHNSON