WASHINGTON – The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) will hold the inaugural meeting of the Emergency Response and Preparedness Subcommittee of the National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health (NACOSH) on September 9, 2015, in Washington, D.C.

The subcommittee was established to help NACOSH respond to OSHA’s request for advice and recommendations for a proposed rule on emergency response and preparedness. Subcommittee members have extensive knowledge and experience in the field. Over the next 12 to 18 months, the subcommittee will develop recommendations and regulatory text for a proposed rule and submit them to NACOSH for consideration. After deliberations, NACOSH will submit its recommendations and proposed regulatory text to the Secretary of Labor.

The meeting will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Room N-4437, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Ave, NW, Washington, DC. Those interested in attending, submitting comments or making an oral presentation, or needing special accommodations to attend, should contact Bill Hamilton at Hamilton.bill@dol.gov, 202/693.2077 by September 2, 2015.

To initiate and facilitate subcommittee discussions, OSHA will provide preliminary draft regulatory language for use as a reference. The tentative agenda includes an overview of that draft language, and a review and discussion of potential sections of a proposed rule, such as scope and employers’ duties.

Future meetings will focus on other potential elements of a proposed rule, such as employee participation, facility and equipment preparedness, vehicle preparedness and operation, pre-incident planning, emergency incident standard operating procedures, post-incident analysis, and program evaluation.