N.Y. Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Law § 3.16: Operational safety plans

§ 3.16 Operational safety plans. 1. The office shall develop and

approve operational safety plans prior to the deployment of any employee

in hazardous conditions. The plan shall include, but not be limited to,

a comprehensive risk assessment identifying potential hazards associated

with the deployment, mitigation measures to address identified risks,

detailed information on team composition including roles and

responsibilities, identification of an on-site authorized person

responsible for overseeing operations, a clear chain of command for

decision-making during the deployment, emergency contact information for

all team members, and, to the extent applicable, evacuation procedures.

The plan shall require that any employee check in with the incident

commander or safety officer for incident specific procedures prior to

taking any action at the incident location. The commissioner or the

commissioner's designee shall review and approve all operational safety

plans to ensure compliance with established safety standards, verify

that the employees being deployed are adequately trained for their

roles, and confirm that the operation is essential under hazardous

conditions.

2. For the purposes of this section:

(a) "hazardous conditions" shall mean any situation that poses a

significant risk to the health and safety of personnel, including but

not limited to natural disasters, extreme weather, and other emergency

situations.

(b) "Deployment" shall mean the organized assignment of employees that

requires coordination beyond the scope of routine job duties.

3. When deployment occurs in coordination with one or more other

entities, and the office is not the lead response agency, the office

shall make reasonable efforts to ensure that employees are provided with

the incident specific operational safety plan developed by the lead

agency and/or incident commander.

4. Nothing in this section shall be construed to limit or delay the

ability of employees to perform routine job duties or respond to

imminent threats to life or property.