It might have taken the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) and Labor Secretary Elaine Chao a year to decide what to do about ergonomics, but now that they've made their announcement, they are not letting any grass grow under their feet. This week, OSHA Administrator John L. Henshaw announced the appointment of 10 regional coordinators for ergonomics for each of OSHA's regional offices. The ergonomics coordinators will assist OSHA staff, employers, employees and other stakeholders with ergonomic issues.
"We pledged last week to move forward rapidly on our comprehensive approach to ergonomics, and today we are announcing our regional ergonomics coordinators who have the necessary expertise to provide guidance to our area office staff," said OSHA Administrator John L. Henshaw on Tuesday.
The coordinators all have considerable experience in identifying ergonomic hazards and suggesting practical solutions for common problems that may be associated with musculoskeletal disorders. They will serve as a resource for OSHA compliance officers in conducting and documenting hazards during inspections. Regional ergonomics coordinators will also assist with and track the outreach and education efforts of OSHA compliance assistance specialists as they offer training and guidance on best practices in ergonomics and respond to specific questions from employers and employees.
The regional ergonomics coordinators include:
- Region I, Boston - Fred Malaby (617) 565-9860
- Region II, New York - Paul Cherasard (212) 337-2378
- Region III, Philadelphia - Jim Johnston (215) 861-4900
- Region IV, Atlanta - Jim Drake (404) 562-2300
- Region V, Chicago - Dana Root (312) 353-2220
- Region VI, Dallas - Susan Monroe (214) 767-4731
- Region VII, Kansas City - JoBeth Cholmondeley (816) 426-5861
- Region VIII, Denver - Terry Mitton Terry (303) 844-1600
- Region IX, San Francisco - Barbara Goto (415) 975-4310
- Region X, Seattle - Steve Gossman (206) 553-5930
On April 5, OSHA announced a four-pronged comprehensive program on ergonomics designed to reduce musculoskeletal disorders in the workplace covering industry-specific and task-specific guidelines, enforcement, outreach and assistance and research.
edited by Sandy Smith ([email protected])