Region 1 News Release:   BOS 2000-107
Wednesday, August 2, 2000
Contact: John M. Chavez
PHONE: 617-565-2075

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) of the U.S. Department of Labor has appointed five compliance assistance specialists to work with employers in five New England states to ensure that both large and small businesses throughout the region receive the technical assistance they need to comply with OSHA's workplace safety and health standards.

Said Ruth McCully, OSHA New England Regional Administrator in Boston, "Our intent is to do everything we can to help employers and employees in this region make New England the safest area of the country in which to work. The appointment of these compliance assistance specialists will go a long way towards achieving our goal of fostering partnerships with employers to help them provide their employees with safe and healthful workplaces."

Accordingly, McCully announced the appointments of the following individuals as compliance assistance specialists for their respective states: Pat Griffin, Massachusetts; Dave Berard, New Hampshire; Steve Mulligan, Connecticut; Maryann Medeiros, Rhode Island; and Royal (Skip) Hoyt, Maine. Previous to their appointments, each had served with distinction as OSHA compliance officers, McCully noted.

"These individuals are professionals with very high levels of expertise in the area of workplace safety and health," she said. "In this new role, they will now be able to share that expertise with employers and workers in a cooperative, non-adversarial way."

The new specialists will provide outreach, training, education and compliance assistance to businesses, business associations, local labor affiliates and other stake holders with the goal of increasing understanding of and, ultimately, compliance with OSHA's safety and health standards.

"As an enforcement agency," said McCully, "we have a responsibility to educate employers anti workers regarding what is required of them to maintain a safe and healthful workplace. Our compliance assistance specialists are now available to do just that." And she stressed that companies which avail themselves of this assistance will not be targeted for an OSHA inspection because of it.

Companies seeking the services of OSHA's compliance assistance specialists may call the most appropriate of the following numbers:

The information in this release will be made available to sensory impaired individuals upon request. Voice phone: (617) 565-2072. TDD (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf) Message Referral Phone: 800-347-8029.