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Show Pre-OSHA Study Employers will soon be able to obtain without cost the help and advice of expert consultants consul-tants in understanding and complying with job safety and health standards, it ws announced an-nounced by the Industrial Commission of Utah. CARLYLE F. Gronning, chairman of the Industrial Commission, said he has signed a contract with the U.S. Department of Labor's OSHA division to provide on-site on-site consultation services. Under the contract, Gronning Gron-ning said, there will initially be six highly qualified State Safety and Health Experts who will meet on request with private sector employers at their place of business to explain safety standards that may apply, and to detail compliance requirements. "PRIORITY WILL be given to employers with small businesses," he said. "And to those with particularly hazardous operations. . "The priority system is designed first to give help to those employers who do not have the resources to employ their own full-time safety expert, ex-pert, or to hire a consultant," he added. THE AGREEMENT specifies that the U.S. Dept. of Labor, OSHA will fund 90 percent of the cost of the program. The agency emphasized that no fee will be charged the employer; further, consultation visits will not trigger formal UOSHA inspections. Chairman Gronning has likewise stressed that the consultation function will be completely separate from the UOSHA Standards enforcement en-forcement activities. FOR EXAMPLE, information informa-tion in the matter of violations of standards developed through the consultation visit will not be revealed to UOSHA enforcement officers, except in the unusual case where the consultant and employer have not resolved the hazards which threaten death or serious physical harm to an employee. Organization of the consultation consul-tation service commenced on Oct. 1. Chosen to direct the new activity is Max Bergeson, former training and education educa-tion officer for Utah Occupational Occupa-tional Safety and Health. His coordination duties will include advising the public of available services, responding respond-ing to requests for consultation, consulta-tion, establishing priorities for service, etc. ON-SITE consultation service ser-vice to employers in the private sector should be operational by approximately Dec. 1, 1978. |