For Immediate Release
May 1, 2000

Contact: Denise Wible
Communications Director
Ohio Chamber of Commerce
614/228-4201

Workers' Comp Conference Offers Update on Proposed Ergonomic Standard

COLUMBUS -- OSHA's recently-proposed ergonomic standard will be one of the focal points for an upcoming Ohio Chamber of Commerce workers' comp conference. This potentially costly OSHA standard would require employers to reconfigure their workplace environment to reduce the opportunity for repetitive stress and other ergonomic injuries.

The 5th Annual Workers' Compensation Conference, organized with assistance from the Ohio Bureau of Workers' Comp (BWC), is scheduled for May 24 and 25 at the Columbus Marriott North. The conference will feature leading experts in the ergonomics field who'll review how the standard will affect Ohio businesses, and explain how owners and managers can win the involvement of their employees when complying with the standard.

The conference will also provide the most timely information available on workers' comp issues and pending changes, including the BWC's new e-business system. The system, which will be operational by October 2000, will enable customers to interact with the bureau online 24-hours a day, streamlining customer needs -- from information gathering to filing a workers' comp claim online and tracking its progress.

Other conference sessions will explore effective workers' comp management, employee involvement in the safety process, workers' comp management for self-insured employers, and high impact/low cost ergonomic modifications. Chip McConville, director of the Ohio Chamber's Political and Candidate Education (P.a.C.E.) program, will also explain how recent Ohio Supreme Court decisions affect the workers' comp system.

For more information, or to register, call (614) 229-7990. Or visit the Ohio Chamber Web site at www.ohiochamber.com for complete details on the conference.

Founded in 1893, the Ohio Chamber of Commerce is Ohio¹s largest and most diverse statewide business advocacy group. The Chamber works to promote and protect the interests of its members -- large and small business -- while building a more favorable Ohio business climate.