§656 Administration

Summary

Creates a National Advisory Committee on Occupational Safety and Health with twelve members picked by the Secretary. Four of those twelve are named by the Secretary of Health and Human Services. Members come from management, labor, safety and health professions, and the public. The Secretary picks one public member to be the chair. Members are chosen for their experience. The committee must advise the Secretary and the Secretary of Health and Human Services about running this law. It must meet at least two times each year. All meetings must be open to the public and a written record must be kept. Members are paid under the federal consultant rules in section 3109 of title 5. The Secretary must provide an executive secretary and other staff help. The Secretary can also set up advisory committees to help write safety standards. Each such committee can have up to fifteen members and must include HHS designees, an equal number of employer and worker representatives, and state health or safety agency reps. The Secretary may add other experts, but those added cannot outnumber the federal and state agency members. Private members are paid under section 3109. If a state employee serves, the Secretary will reimburse the state for the actual cost. Meetings must be public and records kept. No member except employer or employee reps may have a financial interest in a rule. The Secretary may use federal or state agency staff with consent, hire experts or consultants under section 3109, pay them up to the GS–18 rate under section 5332 of title 5, and pay travel costs as allowed by section 5703 of title 5. A separate Maritime Occupational Safety and Health Advisory Committee is also created with similar makeup and rules, and members may serve until successors are named. The Secretary may make or change rules to carry out these duties.