[Federal Register Volume 66, Number 113 (Tuesday, June 12, 2001)]
[Notices]
[Pages 31694-31695]
From the Federal Register Online via the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]
[FR Doc No: 01-14740]


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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

[Docket No. S-777A]


Announcement of Public Forums on Ergonomics

AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), 
Department of Labor.

ACTION: Scheduling of public forums; request for comments.

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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor is scheduling several public forums 
around the country to discuss possible approaches to addressing 
ergonomic hazards in the workplace. Interested persons may submit 
written comments in response to the three specific questions raised in 
this notice, and they are invited to speak on these questions at the 
public forums.

DATES: Written comments. Written comments must be postmarked by August 
3, 2001. If you are submitting documentary evidence that has been 
previously submitted in the OSHA ergonomics rulemaking docket (Docket 
S-777), please reference the Exhibit Number rather than providing an 
additional copy.

[[Page 31695]]

    Forums. The forum in the Washington, DC, area is scheduled to begin 
at 9:30 a.m., July 16, 2001, and will run for one and one-half days. It 
will be followed by a one-day forum on July 20, 2001, in Chicago, 
Illinois and a one-day forum on July 24, 2001, in California. The 
location of the Washington, DC, area forum and the time and location 
for the regional forums will be announced later in the Federal 
Register.
    Notice of intention to speak at the forums. Written intention to 
speak at the forums must be postmarked by June 29, 2001. Facsimile or 
electronic notices of intention to speak at the forums must be received 
by June 29, 2001. If possible, please include an e-mail address or fax 
number in your notice, so we may contact you about scheduling. When 
submitting a notice of intention to speak, please indicate whether you 
intend to speak at the forum in Washington, DC, Chicago, Illinois, or 
California. In addition, if you are requesting more than 10 minutes for 
your presentation, please indicate the amount of time that you are 
requesting and the questions you intend to address. The amount of time 
allotted to each speaker will depend on the number of persons who wish 
to speak at each location.

ADDRESSES: Written comments and notices of intention to speak at a 
forum may be submitted by mail, facsimile, or electronic means:
    Written comments:
    Mail: Submit three copies of written comments to: OSHA Docket 
Office, Docket No. S-777A, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution 
Avenue, NW., Room N-2625, Washington, DC 20210, telephone (202) 693-
2350.
    Facsimile: If your written comments are 10 pages or fewer, you may 
fax them to the Docket Office. The OSHA Docket Office fax number is 
(202) 693-1648.
    Electronic: You may submit comments electronically through OSHA's 
Homepage at www.osha.gov. Please note that you may not attach materials 
such as studies or journal articles to your electronic comments. If you 
wish to include such materials, you must submit three copies to the 
OSHA Docket Office at the address listed above. When submitting such 
materials to the OSHA Docket Office, you must clearly identify your 
electronic comments by name, date, and subject, so that we can attach 
the materials to your electronic comments.
    Notice of intention to speak:
    Mail: You may submit notices of intention to speak at a forum, by 
mail, to: Ms. Veneta Chatmon, OSHA Office of Public Affairs, Docket No. 
S-777A, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Room N-
3647, Washington, DC 20210, telephone: (202) 693-1999.
    Facsimile: You may fax your notice of intention to speak at a forum 
to Ms. Chatmon at (202) 693-1634.
    Electronic: You also may electronically submit your notice of 
intention to speak at a forum through OSHA's Homepage at www.osha.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bonnie Friedman, OSHA Office of Public 
Affairs, telephone (202) 693-1999, or visit the OSHA Homepage at 
www.osha.gov.
    Prevention: The approach should emphasize the prevention of 
injuries before they occur.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: With this notice, the Department announces 
the beginning of its initiative to create a new and comprehensive 
approach to ergonomics that is appropriate to the 21st Century 
workforce. In testimony before Congress, Secretary of Labor Elaine L. 
Chao has set forth the following principles that the Department will 
use to guide its development of this new framework:
    Prevention: The approach should, emphasize the prevention of 
injuries, before they occur.
    Sound Science: The approach should be based on the best available 
science and research.
    Incentive Driven: The approach should focus on cooperation between 
OSHA and employers.
    Flexibility: The approach should take account of the varying 
capabilities and characteristics of different businesses and workers.
    Feasibility: Future actions must recognize the costs of compliance 
to small businesses.
    Clarity: Any approach must include short, simple and common sense 
instructions.
    Secretary Chao has met with many representatives from business, 
labor, and the public health community, as well as with members of 
Congress, to discuss possible approaches to addressing ergonomics 
injuries. As a result of those meetings, the Secretary has determined 
that consensus has not been reached on several very basic questions. In 
addition, the National Academy of Sciences has issued a new report on 
ergonomic injuries noting that, ``no single strategy is or will be 
effective for all types of industry.'' Before designing a plan to 
address ergonomics injuries, the Department will hold three public 
forums to provide members of the public the opportunity to provide 
additional information on these questions. The Secretary encourages all 
interested parties, particularly small business owners and employees of 
small businesses, to participate.
    Following the forums, the Department will review the information 
obtained during this process, along with other information, and develop 
a comprehensive plan for addressing ergonomics injuries in the 
workplace. The Secretary intends to identify a course of action in 
September.
    Forum Plans: The forums will consider the three questions listed 
below.
    Question 1: What is an ergonomics injury? The Department of Labor 
is interested in establishing an accepted definition that the 
Occupational Safety and Health Administration, employers and their 
employees can understand and apply.
    Question 2: How can the Occupational Safety and Health 
Administration, employers and employees determine whether an ergonomics 
injury was caused by work-related activities or non-work-related 
activities; and, if the ergonomics injury was caused by a combination 
of the two, what is the appropriate response?
    Question 3: What are the most useful and cost-effective types of 
government involvement to address workplace ergonomics injuries (e.g., 
rulemaking, guidelines, ``best practices,'' publications/conferences, 
technical assistance, consultations, partnerships or combinations of 
such approaches)? The agency particularly invites comment on the 
advantages and disadvantages of each approach or combination of 
approaches.
    This notice was prepared under the direction of R. Davis Layne, 
Acting Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health. It is 
issued under sections 4, 6, and 8 of the Occupational Safety and Health 
Act (29 U.S.C. 653, 655, 657).

    Issued at Washington, DC, this 7th day of June, 2001.
R. Davis Layne,
Acting Assistant Secretary of Labor.
[FR Doc. 01-14740 Filed 6-11-01; 8:45 am]
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