• Home
• Workers
• Regulations
• Enforcement
• Data & Statistics
• Training
• Publications
• Newsroom
• Small Business

"This document was published prior to the publication of OSHA's final rule on Ergonomics Program (29 CFR 1910.900, November 14, 2000), and therefore does not necessarily address or reflect the provisions set forth in the final standard."

Region 10 News Release:   00-70
April 6, 2000
Contact: Jeannine Lupton
PHONE: (206) 553-7620

A public hearing on the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's (OSHA) proposed ergonomics standard will run from April 24 to May 3, 2000, at Courtroom 16 in the Mark Hatfield Federal Court House at 1000 Southwest Third Ave, Portland, Ore., from 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily.

The April 24 Portland hearing continues the public hearing process, which began March 13 in Washington, D.C., and will continue April 11 in Chicago, as recently announced by the U.S. Department of Labor.

"Protecting workers against painful and potentially disabling musculoskeletal disorders is OSHA's top priority," said OSHA Assistant Secretary Charles N. Jeffress. "Holding the public hearing in three locations will enable us to get valuable feedback on our proposal from participants across the country."

Jeffress noted that American working men and women suffer more than 1.8 million injuries related to overexertion or repetitive motion each year, including about 600,000 injuries serious enough to require time away from work for recovery. Musculoskeletal disorders account for one-third of all lost-time injuries in U.S. workplaces. The proposed OSHA standard would cover 27 million workers and prevent an average of 300,000 injuries each year, saving the U.S. economy $9 billion annually.

Hearing participants were required to notify the agency of their intent to testify by Jan. 24, 2000, if they wanted more than 10 minutes for their testimony. OSHA's public comment period on the ergonomics proposal ended March 2.

OSHA published its ergonomics proposal in the Nov. 23, 1999, Federal Register. Copies of the regulatory text, as well as the preamble, other supporting materials and the agenda for the Portland public hearing are available on the agency's website at www.osha.gov under "Ergonomics."

This news release is on the OSHA Internet homepage at http://www.osha.gov.

Information on this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (202) 693-1999.