Last month more than 70 people, representing 23 states, attended an unprecedented event, which brought together state public health officials, staff from OSHA, the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, and the Bureau of Labor Statistics to discuss common goals and how they can work together to protect the health of workers. The two-day meeting included group discussions as well as breakout sessions, and covered topics including communication improvement, content/data sharing and overall collaboration.
David Michaels, OSHA assistant secretary, welcomed state officials as partners in their effort to translate research into action. He believes that this process will help to reduce injury and illness caused by work, while identifying and reducing hazards. Michaels stated that by working together on collecting and analyzing data to focus resources on emerging problems, to measure the agency’s impact, and to improve information for the development of standards, the collaboration can help all parties involved.
The meeting also gave national OSHA representatives an opportunity to brief state health officials on OSHA programs, while identifying means to improve communication between the OSHA regionalal and area offices and state health officials. The meeting provided an opportunity for health and safety personnel from various government levels to come together and discuss the weaknesses of our current system, and how they could be improved to increase the safety of American workers across all industries.
To learn more about the meeting visit the OSHA website.