[Federal Register: August 30, 2002 (Volume 67, Number 169)]
[Notices]
[Page 55884-55885]
From the Federal Register Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]
[DOCID:fr30au02-148]
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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR
Occupational Safety and Health Administration
[Docket No. GE2002-1]
Request for Comments on Ergonomics for the Prevention of
Musculoskeletal Disorders: Guidelines for Nursing Homes
AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA);
Department of Labor.
ACTION: Request for comments.
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SUMMARY: The Department of Labor is inviting comments on its draft
Ergonomics for the Prevention of Musculoskeletal Disorders: Guidelines
for Nursing Homes (draft guidelines). The draft guidelines are
available on OSHA's Web site and through its publications office.
Interested persons may submit written comments on the draft guidelines.
The Department will also hold a stakeholder meeting where the public
will be invited to express its views on the draft guidelines.
DATES: Written Comments: Comments must be submitted by the following
dates: Hard Copy. Your comments must be submitted (postmarked or sent)
by September 30, 2002.
Facsimile and electronic transmission: Your comments must be sent
by September 30, 2002.
(Please see the SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION below for additional
information on submitting comments.)
Stakeholder meeting. A one-day stakeholder meeting will be held in
the Washington, DC metropolitan area to discuss the draft guidelines.
The exact location and date of the stakeholder meeting will be
announced following the close of the comment period. OSHA requests that
interested parties submit their intention to participate in the
stakeholder meeting through express delivery, hand delivery, messenger
service, fax or electronic means by September 19, 2002.
ADDRESSES:
I. Submission of Comments and Intention To Participate in Stakeholder
Meeting
Regular mail, express delivery, hand-delivery, and messenger
service: You must submit three copies of your comments and attachments
to the OSHA Docket Office, Docket No. GE2002-1, Room N-2625, Department
of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210, telephone
(202) 693-2350. OSHA Docket Office and Department of Labor hours of
operation are 8:15 a.m. to 4:45 p.m., EST. You must submit one copy of
your intent to participate in the meeting by express deliver, hand
deliver, or messenger service to the above address.
Facsimile: If your comments, including any attachments, are 10
pages or fewer, you may fax them to the OSHA Docket Office at (202)
693-1648. You must include the docket number of this document, Docket
No. GE2002-1, in your comments. Intention to participate in the
stakeholder meeting may also be faxed.
Electronic: You may submit comments (but not attachments) and your
intention to participate in the stakeholder meeting through the
Internet at http://ecomments.osha.gov/. (Please see the SUPPLEMENTARY
INFORMATION below for additional information on submitting comments.)
II. Obtaining Copies of the Draft Guidelines
The draft guidelines for the nursing home industry are available
for downloading from OSHA's Web site at www.osha.gov. A printed copy of
the draft guidelines is available from the OSHA Publications Office,
Room N-3101, Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW.,
Washington, DC 20210, or by telephone at (800) 321-OSHA (6742). You may
fax your request for a copy of the draft guidelines to (202) 693-2498.
FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Steven F. Witt, OSHA Directorate of
Standards and Guidance, Room N-3718, Department of Labor, 200
Constitution Avenue, NW., Washington, DC 20210, telephone (202) 693-
1950.
SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:
I. Submission of Comments on This Notice and Internet Access to
Comments
You may submit comments in response to this document by (1) hard
copy, (2) fax transmission (facsimile), or
[[Page 55885]]
(3) electronically through the OSHA webpage. Please note that you
cannot attach materials such as studies or journal articles to
electronic comments. If you have additional materials, you must submit
three copies of them to the OSHA Docket Office at the address above.
The additional materials must clearly identify your electronic comments
by name, date, subject and docket number so we can attach them to your
comments. Because of security-related problems there may be a
significant delay in the receipt of comments and intentions to
participate in stakeholder meetings by regular mail. Please contact the
OSHA Docket Office at (202) 693-2350 for information about security
procedures concerning the delivery of materials by express delivery,
hand delivery and messenger service.
All comments and submissions will be available for inspection and
copying at the OSHA Docket Office at the above address. Comments and
submissions will be posted on OSHA's Web site at www.osha.gov. OSHA
cautions you about submitting personal information such as social
security numbers and birth dates. Contact the OSHA Docket Office at
(202) 693-2350 for information about materials not available through
the OSHA webpage and for assistance in using the webpage to locate
docket submissions.
II. Background
On April 5, 2002, the Department of Labor announced a four-pronged
comprehensive approach for addressing muskuloskeletal disorders (MSDs).
One of those prongs called for OSHA to develop industry or task-
specific guidelines. OSHA's first industry-specific guidelines will
address MSD hazards in the nursing home industry.
The draft guidelines contain an introduction and three main
sections. The introduction provides an overview of the nature and scope
of the problem of MSDs in nursing homes. It also explains the role of
ergonomics in reducing the incidence of these injuries. The three main
sections set out the major components of an effective ergonomics
process:
Management Practices--Includes a discussion of management
commitment and employee participation, ergonomics training,
occupational health management, and methods for evaluating a nursing
home's ergonomics program.
Worksite Analysis--Describes methods of identifying and
evaluating ergonomic stressors.
Control Methods--Presents 49 methods that can be used to
control exposure to ergonomic stressors in nursing homes. The control
methods are presented with drawings showing proper use, and with
recommendations for when to use a specific control method.
OSHA encourages interested parties to comment on all aspects of the
draft guidelines.
III. Stakeholder Meeting
Following the close of the comment period, OSHA will be holding a
stakeholder meeting in the Washington, DC metropolitan area. In a
future Federal Register notice, the Department will announce the date
and precise location of the stakeholder meeting.
This notice was prepared under the direction of John L. Henshaw,
Assistant Secretary for Occupational Safety and Health. It is issued
under sections 4 and 8 of the Occupational Safety and Health Act of
1970 (29 U.S.C. 653, 657).
Issued at Washington, DC, this 27th day of August, 2002.
John L. Henshaw,
Assistant Secretary of Labor.
[FR Doc. 02-22285 Filed 8-29-02; 8:45 am]
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