OSHA announces public meeting

The US Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is holding an open meeting to the public from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Feb. 10 in Washington, D.C. The "OSHA Listens" meeting is geared toward soliciting suggestions and comments from OSHA stakeholders.

"Public involvement in the government's activities is a priority for this administration and is important to enhancing OSHA efforts to protect the safety and health of workers," said assistant secretary of labor for OSHA Dr. David Michaels. "This public meeting gives us an opportunity to hear your ideas, suggestions and comments on key issues facing this agency."

OSHA provided a sample list of some of the questions the public should ask, including:

• What can the agency do to enhance and encourage the efforts of employers, workers and unions to identify and address workplace hazards?
• What are the most important emerging or unaddressed health and safety issues in the workplace, and what can OSHA do to address these?
• How can the agency improve its efforts to engage stakeholders in programs and initiatives?
• Are there additional measures to improve the effectiveness of the agency's current compliance assistance efforts and the onsite consultation program to ensure small businesses have the information needed to provide safe workplaces?
• What specific actions can the agency take to enhance the voice of workers in the workplace, particularly workers who are hard to reach, who do not have ready access to information about hazards or their rights, or who are afraid to exercise their rights?

The meeting will be held at the Frances Perkins Building auditorium, US Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave. NW in Washington, D.C. Individuals must registered by e-mail at [email protected] by Feb. 3 and must include the following in the e-mail:

• Name, title, company or organization (if applicable), address, telephone number and e-mail address.
• If an attendee wishes to make a presentation, the specific topic or issue must be addressed.

For more information, visit www.osha.gov.