On October 6 and 7, 2008, OSHA will hold a public hearing to receive comments on its new proposed rule designed to clarify that noncompliance with the personal protective equipment and training requirements in the general industry, construction, and maritime standards will expose employers to liability and penalties on a per-employee basis.  The hearing will be held in the Frances Perkins Building, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W. Conference Room 6, Room C-5320, Washington, D.C. 20210.  The hearing will commence at 10:00 a.m. on October 6, 2008 and, if necessary, will continue on October 7, 2008 at 9:00 a.m.

If a party is interested in providing testimony during the hearing, it must notify OSHA in writing no later than September 26, 2008.  OSHA has also asked for each party’s testimony to be no more than 10 minutes.  If a party needs more than 10 minutes, it must submit a written request with its notice of intention stating: (1) how much time it seeks, (2) the topics it will cover, and (3) why it cannot cover these topics in 10 minutes.  The notice of intention to appear at the hearing may be submitted in three ways: 1) post the comments electronically through the Federal eRulemaking Portal at http://www.regulations.gov/, 2) send three copies to the OSHA Docket Office, Docket No. OSHA-2008-0031, Technical Data Center, Room N-2625, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, D.C., 20210, or 3) if less than 10 pages, fax the comments to 202-693-1648.  Each submission must include the Agency name and Docket Number for this rulemaking: OSHA-2008-0031.