The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, which created OSHA, also encourages states to develop and operate their own workplace safety and health plans. OSHA is responsible for approving and monitoring state plans, which must provide standards and enforcement programs that are "at least as effective as" the federal OSHA program.
Currently, 27 OSHA-approved state occupational safety and health plans exist, including 22 states and territories that operate comprehensive state plans covering the private sector and state and local government employers and employees. Five states and territories operate state plans that cover only public sector employees.
OSHA is working with the Occupational Safety and Health State Plan Association (the organization of officials from each of the OSHA-approved state plans) to examine OSHA's system of monitoring the effectiveness of state plans, as well as to address a recommendation by the U.S. Department of Labor's Office of the Inspector General for OSHA "to define effectiveness, design measures to quantify impact, establish a baseline for State Plan evaluations, and revise monitoring to include an assessment of effectiveness."
The stakeholder meeting is meant to provide a forum to gather information and ideas on key outcome and activity-based indicators and how OSHA can use such indicators to assess the effectiveness of state plans. The meeting will be held June 25 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the U.S. Department of Labor; 200 Constitution Ave., N.W.; Room N-3437; Washington, D.C. 20210.
To participate in the stakeholder meeting, or be a nonparticipating observer, individuals must submit a notice of intent electronically, by facsimile or by hard copy, no later than June 11. Interested parties may also submit written comments.