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Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
For more information call: (202) 219-8151
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) announced today
the dates and locations for informal public hearings on the proposed standard
to protect workers exposed to tuberculosis.
Public hearings will begin on April 7, 1998, in Washington, D.C., in
the auditorium of the Department of Labor (Frances Perkins Building), 200
Constitution Ave., N.W., beginning at 10a.m. The hearings will begin at 9 a.m.
on succeeding days.
OSHA has also scheduled hearings in three additional cities to
accommodate interested parties who are unable to attend those planned for
Washington. They are:
Los Angeles
(beginning May 5)
Los Angeles
Convention Center
Room 409A
1204 S. Figueroa St.
Los Angeles, CA
90015
New York
(beginning May 19)
Department of
Labor
201 Varick St.
Rooms 831 A/B & 841 C/D
New York, NY 10014
Chicago
(beginning June 2)
State of Illinois
Building
Room C-500
160 N. LaSalle St.
Chicago, IL 60601
Hearings will begin in each city at 10 a.m. on the first day and 9 a.m.
each succeeding day.
The agency also corrected the deadline for submission of written
comments that was incorrectly reported in a previous Federal Register
notice; comments and notices of intent to appear at the public hearings must be
submitted by Feb. 17, 1998. The deadline for submission of testimony for those
who plan to testify for more than 10 minutes at a hearing or who are submitting
documentary evidence is Feb. 27, 1998.
OSHA proposed the tuberculosis standard on Oct. 17, 1997, to help
protect an estimated 5.3 million workers in more than 100,000 hospitals,
homeless shelters, long-term care facilities for the elderly, detention
facilities and other work settings with a high risk of TB infection. Though the
rate of active TB in the general population has declined overall during the
past 40 years, the risk for workers who care for clients and patients infected
with the disease continues to be high, and in some areas is growing.
Additionally, new strains of TB have emerged that are resistant to current
treatment.
OSHA estimates that implementation of the safeguards envisioned in the
proposal would save more than 130 lives annually, while preventing between
21,000 and 25,000 infections during the same period. Further, it's estimated
that the proposal would save from $89 million to $116 million in medical costs
for treatment of tuberculosis and lost production caused by employee absences
from work and disabilities associated with active cases of the disease.
Comments on the proposed standard, as well as notices of intent to
appear at hearings, testimony and documentary evidence must be submitted in
quadruplicate to the Docket Officer, Docket No. H-371, Room N-2625, U.S.
Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave., N.W., Washington, D.C. 20210.
Comments of 10 pages or less may be transmitted via fax to (202) 219-5046.
The public hearing schedule will be published in the Feb. 5, 1998
Federal Register.
Archived News Release--Caution:
information may be out of date.
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