US Department of Labor's OSHA holds series of stakeholder meetings on worker Injury and Illness Prevention Programs

WASHINGTON – The U.S. Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health Administration will use comments from a series of stakeholder meetings to help develop a proposed rule for Injury and Illness Prevention Programs.

The rule will require employers to develop and implement a program that minimizes worker exposure to safety and health hazards. Instead of waiting for an OSHA inspection or a workplace incident to address workplace hazards, employers would be required to create a plan for identifying and correcting hazards, and then implement the plan. Workers would also participate in the development and implementation of such plans.

"We are asking employers to 'find and fix' the hazards in their workplaces," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Dr. David Michaels. "This common sense rule will help make the secretary of labor's vision of 'Good Jobs for Everyone' a reality."

More information on the Injury and Illness Prevention Programs is available in today's Federal Register notice at http://s.dol.gov/35.

The meetings will be held June 3 in East Brunswick, N.J., June 10 in Dallas, Texas, and June 29 in Washington, D.C. All meetings will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. local time.

Those interested in participating in the meetings should submit a notice of intent to participate at https://www2.ergweb.com/projects/conferences/osha/register-osha-I2P2.htm. Submissions also can be mailed to Eastern Research Group Inc., 110 Hartwell Ave., Lexington, MA 02421; Attention: OSHA I2P2 Stakeholder Meeting Registration. Or fax submissions to 781-674-2906 labeled "Attention: OSHA I2P2 Stakeholder Meeting Registration."

Submission deadlines for confirmed registration are May 20 for the June 3 meeting, May 27 for the June 10 meeting and June 15 for the June 29 meeting. After these deadlines, registration will remain open until the meetings are full.

Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces for their employees. OSHA's role is to assure these conditions for America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and providing training, education and assistance. For more information, visit http://www.osha.gov.