Foulke Renews MACOSH Charter
OSHA's Assistant Secretary of Labor Edwin G. Foulke Jr. has renewed the charter of the Maritime Advisory Committee for Occupational Safety and Health. Although it functions solely as an advisory body, in compliance with the provisions of the Federal Advisory Committee Act and OSHA's regulations covering advisory committees (29 CFR part 1912), MACOSH assists OSHA on matters relevant to the safety and health of employees in the maritime industry, including shipbuilding, ship-repair, shipbreaking, longshoring, and marine-terminal industries.
According to the announcement in Monday's Federal Register, the charter renewal will be filed Oct. 7. Authority to establish MACOSH is found in Sections 6(b) and 7(b) of the OSH Act, Section 41 of the Longshore and Harbor Workers' Compensation Act (33 U.S.C. 941), other general agency authority in Title 5 of the United States Code, and 29 CFR part 1912, the announcement said.
Among its duties, MACOSH advises OSHA on maritime issues that will result in more effective enforcement, training, and outreach programs, as well as streamlined regulatory efforts. In general, the committee is designed to better enable OSHA to perform the duties imposed by the Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970. Its renewal--the decision of Foulke, the General Services Administration, and Secretary of Labor Elaine Chao--deems MACOSH's existence as "in the public interest."