Articles Tagged with ''OSHA rulemaking''

Amid speculation that OSHA is on the verge of issuing a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking (NPRM) to modernize the beryllium standard, worker safety advocates are hoping that it provides stronger protections for construction workers.

While public hearings for OSHA’s proposed crystalline silica rule concluded on April 4, the agency is extending submission deadlines in order to give participants additional time to prepare post-hearing submissions.

The question of whether or not injury and illness data collected should be reported electronically is one that is difficult for AIHA to answer. While we support the use of technology that would make the reporting requirements much easier and timelier, AIHA is more concerned that the data collected is accurate and meaningful.

One of the questions I am constantly asked is “why can’t OSHA get anything done?” A fair question with a difficult answer. It would be easy to simply respond that OSHA is subject to a lot of politics, and I mean a lot of politics. It would also be easy to simply answer that it depends on who asked the question, and more importantly, when they asked it.

The public comment period on OSHA’s proposal to reduce worker exposure to silica dust ended this week, leaving the agency with more than 2,700 responses to process. The rule would decrease the permissible exposure limit for crystalline silica dust – a substance that causes cancer, silicosis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and kidney disease in those who are exposed to it.

In the end, the question that must be answered is “will this proposal be better or worse for employee health and safety?” To this, AIHA believes the answer is a resounding “yes”, and AIHA supports OSHA efforts to move forward with the proposed rule.