Date: 8/16/2010
Contact: Office of Communications
Phone: 202-693-1999
OSHA to
host Web forum to identify hazardous
chemicals
most in need of agency action
WASHINGTON - OSHA today announced that it will host a
Web Forum, August 16, 2010, to seek stakeholder input in identifying
hazardous chemicals for which OSHA should develop exposure reduction
strategies.
Workers exposed to chemicals suffer injuries and
illnesses that can damage virtually all body parts and systems,
including the lungs, skin, liver, kidneys, eyes, and mucous membranes.
The Bureau of Labor Statistics indicates that workers suffered more than
55,000 illnesses related to chemical exposures in 2007 and nearly 17,500
chemical-related injuries and illnesses resulted in workers spending
days away from work. This is likely an underestimate because often the
effects of chemical exposures are frequently not recognized until years
after exposure. As a result, work-related disease often goes unreported
since a worker or physician may not attribute the effect to an exposure
that occurred on the job many years before.
During
its first two years of existence, OSHA established approximately 400
permissible exposure limits (PELs) for hazardous chemicals based on
then-existing national consensus or federal standards. Since then, OSHA
has been able to develop more protective regulations for only 29
chemicals, while the majority of OSHA PELs have remained
unchanged.
"Many of our permissible exposure limits are based on
1950s-era science that we now realize is inadequate to protect workers
in 21st century workplaces," said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA
David Michaels. "We must assure the protection of workers currently
exposed to well-recognized chemical hazards for which we have an
inadequate PEL or no PEL at all. I am hopeful that this forum will
assist us in achieving that goal by helping us to identify those
chemicals on which we should be focusing our efforts."
The forum
will allow stakeholders to identify harmful chemicals and explain why
OSHA should focus on these chemicals in developing long- and short-term
solutions for reducing workers' exposure. Interested parties can
complete a nomination form at http://www.osha.gov/pelforum.ht
ml. Nominations will be accepted from August 16 until August
27.
Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970,
employers are responsible for providing safe and healthful workplaces
for their employees. OSHA's role is to assure these conditions for
America's working men and women by setting and enforcing standards, and
providing training, education and assistance. For more information,
visit http://www.osha.gov.
