The session will focus on the proposed OSHA Ergonomic Standard, and the Safety and Health Management Program Rule. Thisinitiatives will have significant impact on safety professionals if/when they are promulgated. The vast majority of ASSE members are aware that these are very significant public policy proposals and could potentially impact every occupational safety and health professional in the United States. Itis important to note that ASSE was apparently the only organization to offer a complete counterproposal to OSHA on the original ergonomic draft standard.
This presentation will follow the outline below:
History of these proposals.
Basic outline and considerations.
Key aspects to be considered of the proposed standard and the rule.
Standard versus a rule - is there a difference? Does this impact the process?
ASSE response to these initiatives.
Potential impacts, both positive and negative.
What safety professionals can do to prepare, if/when the standards/rules are promulgated.
Potential timelines.
Relationships to other federal/state initiatives.
Final insights.
Question and Answers.
(Note: At the time of submission for the PDC 3/15/00, the ergonomic hearings were just beginning to take place. The Society is scheduled to testify on 4/21/00 in Chicago, Illinois. Forthe purpose of submitting a paper for the Proceedings, we are using two documents. The first is the 3/1/00 ASSE statement titled: OSHA Proposed Ergonomic Standard, Docket No. S-777, RIN No.1218-AB36, and the second is a 12/18/98 document titled: Safety and Health Program. We will be providing handouts at the presentation containing ASSE's 4/21/00 ergonomics testimony, and we will also distribute an update on the safety and health program rule. More information on these comments/issues can be found on the ASSE website (http://www.ASSE.org) in the governmental affairs section in the folder entitled: "ASSE Statements, Testimony, and Correspondence.").
March 1, 2000
U.S. Department of Labor
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
Attn: Mr. Charles Jeffress, Assistant Secretary of Labor
200 Constitution Avenue, NW (S.2315)
Washington, DC 20210
Assistant Secretary Jeffress:
The American Society of Safety Engineers (ASSE), on behalf of its nearly 33,000 members, submits the following comments concerning OSHA's proposed Ergonomic Program Rule, (64 Federal Register, 65768 11/23/99).
Enclosed are a series of documents along with this statement which are requested to be officially made part of the docket. ASSE's review of the proposed standard indicates that even though some changes have been made, its content and tenets are still consistent with the original February, 1999 working draft. Thus, the ASSE June, 1999 comments are still highly relevant to this proposal. The enclosed documents include:
ASSE June, 1999 Correspondence on the OSHA Working Draft
ASSE June, 1999 Counter Proposal to the OSHA Ergonomics Working Proposed Rule
National Registry of Safety Professionals and Other Registrants
Background Information of the Board of Certified Safety Professionals (BCSP)
