The U.S. Department of Labor’s (DOL) regulatory agenda for spring 2021 lists regulations the agency will focus on for the next six months, including 26 Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations, six of which are in the final rule stage and the rest are in the proposed or pre-rule stage. Many of them will

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s proposal to comprehensively regulate silica (quartz) in general industry, maritime, and construction is anticipated by Labor Day. Publication of the proposal to extensively regulate one of the most common minerals on Earth, like arsenic and lead, will trigger a public comment period and hearings.
 
The proposed rule, which

The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has announced that it is extending its review period for OSHA’s proposed crystalline silica rule.  The proposal was received by OMB on February 14, 2011.  This extension follows the recent pattern of OMB taking longer than the standard 90 days to review OSHA rules under Executive Order 12866.  Notably, last

OSHA is a step closer to publishing a proposed rule regulating crystalline silica exposure in general industry, construction, and maritime.  OSHA’s proposal has been submitted to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review under Executive Order 12866.  This is the final internal review before the proposal gets published in the Federal Register and signals that

On December 20, 2010, OSHA released its fall regulatory agenda, which sets forth the Agency’s current rulemaking priorities.  Over the last several months OSHA has been emphasizing the need to push forward on several regulatory inititatives.  OSHA rulemaking, however, can be painstakingly slow, and OSHA’s fall regulatory agenda reflects that.

Of particular note, the issuance of

In mid-December 2009, Professor David Michaels was sworn in as the new Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA.  Shortly after being sworn in as Assistant Secretary, Professor Michaels gave an interesting speech at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) Going Green Workshop.  The speech was entitled “Making Green Jobs Safe: Integrating Occupational Safety

OSHA has released its long-awaited Fall Regulatory Agenda.  The Regulatory Agenda lists the major rulemaking initiatives that the agency will be pursuing over the next 12 months.  The Agenda also provides a snapshot into the agency’s priorities, as we enter the second year of the administration of President Obama.

Longstanding Rulemakings Remain on the Agenda

In a harbinger of things to come, OSHA recently released comprehensive guidance on controlling silica exposures in construction.  The document is over 70 pages and details control methods for a variety of operations in construction, including:

  • Stationary masonry saws
  • Handheld masonry saws
  • Hand-operated grinders
  • Tuckpointing/mortar removal
  • Jackhammers
  • Rotary hammers and similar tools
  • Vehicle-mounted rock drilling