Region 2 News Release:   NY 208
November 28, 2001
Contact: Gordon DeLeys
Phone: (716) 684-3891

TONAWANDA, N.Y. -- The U.S. Labor Department's Occupational Safety and Health Administration will provide free training on revisions being made to occupational injury and illness recordkeeping rules on Thursday, Dec. 13, in Tonawanda, NY.

Scheduled from 9:00 a.m. to noon, the training session will be held at Praxair Inc., 175 East Park Drive, in Tonawanda. The session is open to the public, however, seating is limited and reservations are required. Reservations can be made by contacting Bill Stoddard of Grubb & Ellis Management Services, Inc. at (716) 879-2445.

When OSHA's new rule for recording injuries and illnesses takes effect on Jan. 1, 2002, it will affect more than a million businesses in the U.S., including about 180,000 that previously were exempt from record-keeping requirements.

The revision to the recordkeeping rule aims to improve the quality and consistency of injury and illness data while simplifying the system for the employer. The new rule is also designed to improve employee involvement and to protect the privacy of injured or ill workers, according to Gordon J. DeLeys, compliance assistance specialist in OSHA's Buffalo area office.