Insight & Commentary on Occupational Safety & Health Issues
Today, OSHA announced that it is issuing the final rule on Electric Power Generation, Transmission and Distribution. The final rule will appear in the Federal Register on April 11, 2014. The rule will become effective 90 days after it appears in the Federal Register.
The final rule for general industry and construction include, among other…
On November 26, 2013 the full semiannual regulatory agenda for federal agencies was published. This Regulatory Agenda provides a complete list of all regulatory actions that are under active consideration for promulgation, proposal, or review and covers regulatory actions for over 60 federal departments, agencies, and commissions.
In the current Unified Agenda the Department of…
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s (“OSHA”) Notice of Proposed Rulemaking to “Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses” was published in the Federal Register on November 8, 2013. The proposed rule amends the recordkeeping regulations to add three new requirements for the electronic submission of injury and illness information to OSHA. In addition, OSHA will publicly post the electronically-submitted injury and illness information on its website and may create a searchable online database. Employers and the public will have until February 6, 2014, to submit written comments on the proposed rule.
The proposed rule does not expand coverage of the recordkeeping requirements or change the information that an employer is currently required to collect and maintain under 29 C.F.R. Part 1904. Only those employers, who are already required to keep injury and illness records, will be subject to the new electronic-submission requirements discussed below. Thus, employers with 10 or fewer employees or establishments in certain low-hazard industries, such as finance, insurance, retail, or real estate, are not subject to the new electronic requirements unless OSHA informs them in writing to keep such records and electronically submit them.
Continue Reading OSHA’s Proposed Electronic Recordkeeping Rule
Silica (quartz) is one of the most common minerals on earth and contained in or critical to the production or manufacturing of an endless array of products and industries, like electronics, concrete, glass, brick, foundries, oil and gas, transportation and construction. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has proposed a rule that would cut…
Under the Federal Aviation Administration (“FAA”) Modernization and Reform Act of 2012, Congress gave the FAA six months to issue a policy statement outlining those instances where OSHA could exercise jurisdiction over the safety and health of flight attendants. PL 112-95, Feb. 14, 2012, 126 STAT. 135.
On August 27, 2013, the FAA issued a …
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 Occupational Safety and Health Administration (“OSHA”) and the Mine Safety and Health Administration (“MSHA”) require employers to supply NIOSH-certified respirators to their employees whenever the use of respirators is required. A NIOSH certificate of approval allows a respirator manufacturer the ability to sell its NIOSH-approved respirators to businesses or industries that require the use of respirators by their employees. Continue Reading Department of Health and Human Services Proposes to Increase Respirator Certification Fees
OSHA recently issued its long-awaited regulatory agenda. The agenda is designed to provide stakeholders with notice of what major regulatory initiatives the agency is planning and the projected timetables for those initiatives.
OSHA’s agenda is the first issued in several months by the agency and provides a glimpse into the regulatory priorities – in…
With the presidential election just a few days away, there is a lot of uncertainty on the future direction of OSHA. If President Obama wins a second term, employers should expect to see a more active OSHA from the regulatory perspective, as many rules that could impact the employers are poised to be published in…
The Rhode Island Department of Health is now requiring seasonal flu vaccines for all health care workers, including volunteers, who have direct contact with patients. Click here to read the full article.
