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Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
For more information call: (202) 219-8151
The Department of Labor's Occupational Safety and Health
Administration (OSHA) will hold the second of 10 regional conferences on
ergonomics Oct. 30 in Chicago, Ill.
This regional conference, entitled "Practical Applications
in Ergonomics Today," focuses on ways to combat repetitive stress injuries, one
of the fastest growing and most costly threats to worker health.
"These conferences take a practical, problem-solving
approach to reduction of ergonomic hazards in the workplace," said Acting
Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Gregory R.
Watchman. "We must work together to reduce musculoskeletal disorders that
result from such hazards. These disorders represent the largest group of
preventable job injuries and illnesses in the United States."
"Effective Practices in Ergonomics" will enable workers,
unions, employers, trade and professional associations, academics and
government to share information about effective solutions to reducing exposures
to ergonomic hazards in the workplace.
The conference is designed specifically for small to
mid-size businesses and will promote the use of ergonomic principles to improve
worker safety, health, quality and productivity. It will focus on lessons
learned from successful workplace ergonomic programs and will encourage the
exchange of ergonomic program experience and knowledge among the participants.
The conference is co-sponsored by OSHA and its Region V
National Safety Education Center, which includes the National Safety Council,
Northern Illinois University and the Construction Safety Council.
The conference will be held on Oct. 30 from 9 a.m. to 4:30
p.m. at McCormick Place-East in Chicago. The cost of attending is $40. Advance
registration is necessary. For further information, call 1-800-539-7468.
At 6 p.m., OSHA will hold a town hall meeting to give the
public an opportunity to provide input on what should be included in an
ergonomics program management standard. The meeting is for workers, health care
providers/the medical community, industry, small business and any others
interested in the standard. No registration is required for the town hall
meeting.
"Developing an ergonomics standard is one aspect of OSHA's
four-pronged approach to reducing repetitive stress injuries," said Watchman.
"We want the widest possible input from those interested in such a standard."
The other parts of the OSHA approach to reducing repetitive
stress injuries are education, research and enforcement.
The first regional conference on ergonomics is scheduled
for Sept. 17 in Lockport, N.Y. Information on that Sept. 17 conference is
available from Sharon Zimmerman, Assistant to the Coordinator, at Niagara
County Community College at (716) 433-1856. A town hall meeting on an
ergonomics standard will follow that conference.
Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
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