Differential rate (percent)
| Category for which payable
| Effective date
|
---|
50 | 1. Duty aboard submerged vessel. Duty aboard a submarine or other vessel such as a deep-research vehicle while submerged. | Nov. 1, 1970.
|
8 | 2. Explosives and incendiary material—high degree hazard. Working with or in close proximity to explosives and incendiary material which involves potential personal injury such as permanent or temporary, partial or complete loss of sight or hearing, partial or complete loss of any or all extremities; other partial or total disabilities of equal severity; and/or loss of life resulting from work situations wherein protective devices and/or safety measures either do not exist or have been developed but have not practically eliminated the potential for such personal injury. Normally, such work situations would result in extensive property damage requiring complete replacement of equipment and rebuilding of the damaged area; and could result in personal injury to adjacent employees | Nov. 1, 1970.
|
| Examples
| |
| —Working with, or in close proximity to operations involved in research, in testing, manufacturing, inspection, renovation, maintenance and disposal, such as:
| |
| —Screening, blending, drying, mixing, and pressing of sensitive explosives and pyrotechnic compositions such as lead azide, black powder and photoflash powder
| |
| —Manufacture and distribution of raw nitroglycerine
| |
| —Nitration, neutralization, crystallization, purification, screening and drying of high explosives
| |
| —Manufacture of propellants, high explosives and incendiary materials
| |
| —Melting, cast loading, pellet loading, drilling, and thread cleaning of high explosives
| |
| —Manufacture of primary or initiating explosives such as lead azide
| |
| —Manufacture of primer or detonator mix
| |
| —Loading and assembling high-energy output flare pellets
| |
| —All dry-house activities involving propellants or explosives
| |
| —Demilitarization, modification, renovation, demolition, and maintenance operations on sensitive explosives and incendiary materials
| |
| —All operations involving fire fighting on an artillery range or at an ammunition manufacturing plant or storage area, including heavy duty equipment operators, truck drivers, etc.
| |
| —All operations involving regrading and cleaning of artillery ranges
| |
| —At-sea shock and vibration tests. Arming explosive charges and/or working with, or in close proximity to, explosive-armed charges in connection with at-sea shock and vibration tests of naval vessels, machinery, equipment and supplies
| |
| —Handling or engaging in destruction operations on an armed (or potentially armed) warhead
| |
4 | 3. Explosives and incendiary material—low degree hazard. a. Working with or in close proximity to explosives and incendiary material which involves potential injury such as laceration of hands, face, or arms of the employee engaged in the operation and possible adjacent employees; minor irritation of the skin; minor burns and the like; minimal damage to immediate or adjacent work area or equipment being used | Nov. 1, 1970.
|
| b. Working with or in close proximity to explosives and incendiary material which involves potential injury such as laceration of hands, face, or arms of the employee engaged in the operation and possible adjacent employees; minor irritation of the skin; minor burns and the like; minimal damage to immediate or adjacent work area or equipment being used and wherein protective device and/or safety measures have not practically eliminated the potential for such injury | Mar. 13, 1977.
|
| Examples
| |
| —All operations involving loading, unloading, storage and hauling of explosive and incendiary ordnance material other than small arms ammunition. (Distribution of raw nitroglycerine is covered under high degree hazard—see category 2 above.)
| |
| —Duties such as weighing, scooping, consolidating and crimping operations incident to the manufacture of stab, percussion, and low energy electric detonators (initiators) utilizing sensitive primary explosives compositions where initiation would be kept to a low order of propagation due to the limited amounts permitted to be present or handled during the operations
| |
| —Load, assembly and packing of primers, fuses, propellant charges, lead cups, boosters, and time-train rings
| |
| —Weighing, scooping, loading in bags and sewing of ignitor charges and propellant zone charges
| |
| —Loading, assembly, and packing of hand-held signals, smoke signals, and colored marker signals
| |
| —Proof-testing weapons with a known overload of powder or charges
| |
| —Arming/disarming or the installation/removal of any squib, explosive device, or component thereof, connected to or part of a solid propulsion system, including work situations involving removal, inspection, test and installation of aerospace vehicle egress and jettison systems and other cartridge actuated devices and rocket assisted systems or components thereof, when accidental or inadvertent operation of the system or a component might occur
| |
8 | 4. Poisons (toxic chemicals)—high degree hazard. Working with or in close proximity to poisons (toxic chemicals), other than tear gas or similar irritants, which involves potential serious personal injury such as permanent or temporary, partial or complete loss of faculties and/or loss of life including exposure of an unusual degree to toxic chemicals, dust, or fumes of equal toxicity generated in work situations by processes required to perform work assignments wherein protective devices and/or safety measures have been developed but have not practically eliminated the potential for such personal injury | Nov. 1, 1970.
|
| Examples
| |
| —Handling and storing toxic chemical agents including monitoring of areas to detect presence of vapor or liquid chemical agents; examining of material for signs of leakage or deteriorated material; decontaminating equipment and work sites; work relating to disposal of deteriorated material (exposure to conjunctivitis, pulmonary edema, blood infection, impairment of the nervous system, possible death)
| |
| —Renovation, maintenance, and modification of toxic chemicals, guided missiles, and selected munitions
| |
| —Operating various types of chemical engineering equipment in a restricted area such as reactors, filters, stripping units, fractioning columns, blenders, mixers, pumps, and the like utilized in the development, manufacturing, and processing of toxic or experimental chemical warfare agents
| |
| —Demilitarizing and neutralizing toxic chemical munitions and chemical agents
| |
| —Handling or working with toxic chemicals in restricted areas during production operations
| |
| —Preparing analytical reagents, carrying out colorimetric and photometric techniques, injecting laboratory animals with compounds having toxic, incapacitating or other effects
| |
| —Recording analytical and biological tests results where subject to above types of exposure
| |
| —Visually examining chemical agents to determine conditions or detect leaks in storage containers
| |
| —Transferring chemical agents between containers
| |
| —Salvaging and disposing of chemical agents
| |
4 | 5. Poisons (toxic chemicals)—low egress hazard. a. Working with or in close proximity to poisons (toxic chemicals other than tear gas or similar irritating substances) in situations for which the nature of the work does not require the individual to be in as direct contact with, or exposure to, the more toxic agents as in the case with the work described under high hazard for this class of hazardous agents | Nov. 1, 1970.
|
| b. Working with or in close proximity to poisons (toxic chemicals other than tear gas or similar irritating substances) in situations for which the nature of the work does not require the individual to be in as direct contact with, or exposure to, the more toxic agents as in the case with the work described under high hazard for this class of hazardous agents and wherein protective devices and/or safety measures have not practically eliminated the potential for personal injury | Mar. 13, 1977.
|
| Example
| |
| —Handling for shipping, marking, labeling, hauling and storing loaded containers of toxic chemical agents that have been monitored
| |
8 | 6. Micro-organisms—high degree hazard. Working with or in close proximity to micro-organisms which involves potential personal injury such as death, or temporary, partial, or complete loss of faculties or ability to work due to acute, prolonged, or chronic disease. These are work situations wherein the use of safety devices and equipment, medical prophylactic procedures such as vaccines and antiserims and other safety measures do not exist or have been developed but have not practically eliminated the potential for such personal injury | Nov. 1, 1970.
|
| Examples
| |
| —Direct contact with primary containers of organisms pathogenic for man such as culture flasks, culture test tubes, hypodermic syringes and similar instruments, and biopsy and autopsy material. Operating or maintaining equipment in biological experimentation or production
| |
| —Cultivating virulent organisms on artificial media, including embryonated hen's eggs and tissue cultures where inoculation or harvesting of living organisms is involved for production of vaccines, toxides, etc., or for sources of material for research investigations such as antigenic analysis and chemical analysis
| |
4 | 7. Micro-organisms—low degree hazard. a. Working with or in close proximity to micro-organisms in situations for which the nature of the work does not require the individual to be in direct contact with primary containers of organisms pathogenic for man, such as culture flasks, culture test tubes, hypodermic syringes and similar instruments, and biopsy and autopsy material | Nov. 1, 1970.
|
| b. Working with or in close proximity to micro-organisms in situations for which the nature of the work does not require the individual to be in direct contact with primary containers of organisms pathogenic for man, such as culture flasks, culture test tubes, hypodermic syringes and similar instruments, and biopsy and autopsy material and wherein the use of safety devices and equipment and other safety measures have not practically eliminated the potential for personal injury | Mar. 13, 1977.
|
8 | 8. Pressure chamber and centrifugal stress. Exposure in pressure chamber which subjects employee to physical stresses or where there is potential danger to participants by reason of equipment failure or reaction to the test conditions; or exposure which subjects an employee to a high degree of centrifugal force which causes an unusual degree of discomfort | July 1, 1972.
|
| Examples
| |
| —Participating as a subject in diving research tests which seek to establish limits for safe pressure profiles by working in a pressure chamber simulating diving or, as an observer to the test or as a technician assembling underwater mock-up components for the test, when the observer or technician is exposed to high pressure gas piping systems, gas cylinders, and pumping devices which are susceptible to explosive ruptures
| |
| —Participating in altitude chamber studies ranging from 5500 to 45,700 meters (18,000 to 150,000 feet) either as subject or as observer exposed to the same conditions as the subject
| |
| —Participating as subject in centrifuge studies involving elevated G forces above the level of 49 meters per second
2 (5 G's) whether or not at reduced atmospheric pressure
| |
| —Participating as a subject in a rotational flight simulator in studies involving continuous rotation in one axis through 360° at rotation rates greater than 15 r.p.m. for periods exceeding three minutes
| |
8 | 9. Work in fuel storage tanks. When inspecting, cleaning or repairing fuel storage tanks where there is no ready access to an exit, under conditions requiring a breathing apparatus because all or part of the oxygen in the atmosphere has been displaced by toxic vapors or gas, and failure of the breathing apparatus would result in serious injury or death within the time required to leave the tank | July 1, 1972.
|
| 10. Firefighting. Participating or assisting in firefighting operations on the immediate fire scene and in direct exposure to the hazards inherent in containing or extinguishing fires | July 1, 1972.
|
25 | High degree
| |
| —Fighting forest and range fires on the fireline
| |
8 | Low degree
| |
| —All other firefighting
| |
8 | 11. Experimental landing/recovery equipment tests | July 1, 1972.
|
| —Participating in tests of experimental or prototype landing and recovery equipment where personnel are required to serve as test subjects in spacecraft being dropped into the sea or laboratory tanks
| |
8 | 12. Land impact or pad abort of space vehicle. Actual participation in dearming and safing explosive ordnance, toxic propellant, and high-pressure vessels on vehicles that have land impacted or on vehicles on the launch pad that have reached a point in the countdown where no remote means are available for returning the vehicle to a safe condition | July 1, 1972.
|
4 | 13. Mass explosives and/or incendiary material. Working within a controlled danger area in, on, or around wharves, transfer areas, or temporary holding areas in a transshipment facility when explosives are in the process of being shifted to or from a conveyance | July 1, 1972.
|
| Such an area shall include land and sea areas within which it has been determined that personnel are subject to an unusual degree of exposure or liability to serious injury or death from potential explosive effect
| |
| A transshipment facility for this purpose is a port or sea terminal established for the marshalling or temporary assembly of explosives prior to shipment where amounts in excess of 113,400 kilograms (250,000 pounds) net explosive weight (NEW) are present on a regular or recurring basis
| |
4 | 14. Duty aboard aircraft carrier. Duty aboard an aircraft carrier when exposed to hazards connected with aircraft launch and recovery: | July 1, 1972.
|
| Examples
| |
| —Participating in carrier suitability trials aboard aircraft carriers when work is performed on the flight deck during launch, recovery and refueling operations
| |
| —Operating or monitoring camera equipment adjacent to flight deck in the area of maximum hazard during landing sequence while conducting photographic surveys aboard aircraft carriers during periods of heavy aircraft operations | Mar. 4, 1974.
|
8 | 15. Participating in missile liquid propulsion or solid propulsion situations. Participating in research and development, or preoperational test and evaluation situation involving missile liquid or solid propulsion systems where mechanical, or other equipment malfunction, or accidental combination of certain fuels and/or chemicals, or transient voltage and current buildup on or within the system when the system is in a “go” condition on the test stand, or sled, can result in explosion, fire, premature ignition or firing
| |
| Examples
| |
| —Test stand or track tests, when adequate protective devices and/or safety measures either do not exist or have been developed but have not practically eliminated the potential for personal injury, under any of the following conditions:
| |
| a. Tanks are being pressurized above normal servicing pressure
| |
| b. Assembly, disassembly, or repair of contaminated plumbing containing inhibited red fuming nitric acid and unsymmetrical dimethylhydrazine or other hypergolic fuels is required
| |
| c. Fueling and defeuling
| |
| —Hoisting hypergolic liquid fueled systems into, or out of, a test stand, where the working area is confined, and external plumbing is present resulting in a situation where the plumbing may be damaged causing a leak
| |
| —Tests on foreign missiles where technical data is questionable or not available
| |
| —Manned test firings of small, close support missiles for which safety performance data are not yet available
| |
| —Removal of a missile, propulsion system or component thereof from a test stand, fixture, or environmental chamber where there is reason to believe that the item may be unusually hazardous due to damage resulting from the test
| |
8 | 16. Asbestos. Working in an area where airborne concentrations of asbestos fibers may expose employees to potential illness or injury. This differential will be determined by applying occupational safety and health standards consistent with the permissible exposure limit promulgated by the Secretary of Labor under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 as published in title 29, Code of Federal Regulations, §§ 1910.1001 or 1926.1101. Regulatory changes in §§ 1910.1001 or 1926.1101 are hereby incorporated in and made a part of this category, effective on the first day of the first pay period beginning on or after the effective date of the changes | Nov. 24, 2003.
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8 | 17. Working at high altitudes. Performing work at a land-based work site more than 3900 meters (12,795 feet) in altitude, provided the employee is required to commute to the work site on the same day from a substantially lower altitude under circumstances in which the rapid change in altitude may result in acclimation problems | April 2, 1999. |