OSHA issues guidance regarding storage of face masks, respirators
OSHA requests comments on proposed guidance on workplace stockpiling of respirators and face masks for pandemic influenza
The U.S. Department of Labor’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is inviting comments from the public on the “Proposed Guidance on Workplace Stockpiling of Respirators and Facemasks for Pandemic Influenza” document. The Request for Comments was published in the 9 Federal Register. OSHA is accepting comments until 8 July 2008. “This proposed guidance supplements the existing document Guidance on Preparing Workplaces for an Influenza Pandemic released last year,” said Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA Edwin Foulke Jr. “We want to assist employers in equipping their workplaces with protective devices so that their employees remain safe and healthy in the event of an influenza pandemic.”
The Proposed Guidance offers private sector and government employers with recommendations and a method for calculating workplace stockpiling needs for respirators and facemasks. This allows employers to better protect their employees and reduce the impact of a pandemic. The public may submit comments electronically at www.regulations.gov, the Federal e-rulemaking Portal. Under the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970, employers are responsible for providing a safe and healthy workplace for their employees. OSHA’s role is to promote the safety and health of America’s working men and women by setting and enforcing standards; providing training, outreach, and education; establishing partnerships; and encouraging continual process improvement in workplace safety and health. For more information, visit www.osha.gov.
