AGENCY:

Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA), Department of Labor.

ACTION:

Scheduling of public forums; request for comments.

SUMMARY:

The Department of Labor is scheduling several public forums around the country to discuss possible approaches to addressing ergonomic hazards in the workplace. Interested persons may submit written comments in response to the three specific questions raised in this notice, and they are invited to speak on these questions at the public forums.

DATES:

Written comments. Written comments must be postmarked by August 3, 2001. If you are submitting documentary evidence that has been previously submitted in the OSHA ergonomics rulemaking docket (Docket S-777), please reference the Exhibit Number rather than providing an additional copy. ( printed page 31695)

Forums. The forum in the Washington, DC, area is scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m., July 16, 2001, and will run for one and one-half days. It will be followed by a one-day forum on July 20, 2001, in Chicago, Illinois and a one-day forum on July 24, 2001, in California. The location of the Washington, DC, area forum and the time and location for the regional forums will be announced later in the Federal Register .

Notice of intention to speak at the forums. Written intention to speak at the forums must be postmarked by June 29, 2001. Facsimile or electronic notices of intention to speak at the forums must be received by June 29, 2001. If possible, please include an e-mail address or fax number in your notice, so we may contact you about scheduling. When submitting a notice of intention to speak, please indicate whether you intend to speak at the forum in Washington, DC, Chicago, Illinois, or California. In addition, if you are requesting more than 10 minutes for your presentation, please indicate the amount of time that you are requesting and the questions you intend to address. The amount of time allotted to each speaker will depend on the number of persons who wish to speak at each location.

ADDRESSES:

Written comments and notices of intention to speak at a forum may be submitted by mail, facsimile, or electronic means:

Written comments:

Mail: Submit three copies of written comments to: OSHA Docket Office, Docket No. S-777A, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Room N-2625, Washington, DC 20210, telephone (202) 693-2350.

Facsimile: If your written comments are 10 pages or fewer, you may fax them to the Docket Office. The OSHA Docket Office fax number is (202) 693-1648.

Electronic: You may submit comments electronically through OSHA's Homepage at www.osha.gov. Please note that you may not attach materials such as studies or journal articles to your electronic comments. If you wish to include such materials, you must submit three copies to the OSHA Docket Office at the address listed above. When submitting such materials to the OSHA Docket Office, you must clearly identify your electronic comments by name, date, and subject, so that we can attach the materials to your electronic comments.

Notice of intention to speak:

Mail: You may submit notices of intention to speak at a forum, by mail, to: Ms. Veneta Chatmon, OSHA Office of Public Affairs, Docket No. S-777A, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, NW., Room N-3647, Washington, DC 20210, telephone: (202) 693-1999.

Facsimile: You may fax your notice of intention to speak at a forum to Ms. Chatmon at (202) 693-1634.

Electronic: You also may electronically submit your notice of intention to speak at a forum through OSHA's Homepage at www.osha.gov.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT:

Bonnie Friedman, OSHA Office of Public Affairs, telephone (202) 693-1999, or visit the OSHA Homepage at www.osha.gov.

Prevention: The approach should emphasize the prevention of injuries before they occur.