Department of Labor August 2023 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

OSHA is proposing to amend its Representatives of Employers and Employees regulation to clarify that the representative(s) authorized by employees may be an employee of the employer or a third party; such third-party employee representative(s) may accompany the OSHA Compliance Safety and Health Officer (CSHO) when they are reasonably necessary to aid in the inspection. OSHA is also proposing clarifications of the relevant knowledge, skills, or experience with hazards or conditions in the workplace or similar workplaces, or language skills of third-party representative(s) authorized by employees who may be reasonably necessary to the conduct of a CSHO's physical inspection of the workplace. OSHA has preliminarily determined that the proposed changes will aid OSHA's workplace inspections by better enabling employees to select a representative of their choice to accompany the CSHO during a physical workplace inspection. Employee representation during the inspection is critically important to ensuring OSHA obtains the necessary information about worksite conditions and hazards. The agency requests comments regarding the proposed revisions.

The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance request for comment to provide the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This request helps to ensure that: requested data can be provided in the desired format; reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized; collection instruments are clearly understood; and the impact of collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed. Currently, OWCP/DFELHWC is soliciting comments on the information collection for Rehabilitation Plan and Award, (OWCP-16).

OSHA solicits public comments concerning the proposal to extend the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval of the information collection requirements specified in its Standard on Rigging Equipment and Material Handling.

The Department of Labor (the Department), in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act, provides the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed and continuing collections of information. This helps the Department assess the impact of its information collection requirements and minimize the public's reporting burden. It also helps the public understand the Department's information collection requirements and provide the requested data in the desired format. The Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA) is soliciting comments on the proposed extension of the information collection requests (ICRs) contained in the documents described below. A copy of the ICRs may be obtained by contacting the office listed in the ADDRESSES section of this notice. ICRs also are available at reginfo.gov (https://www.reginfo.gov/public/do/PRAMain).

The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting this Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)-sponsored information collection request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA). Public comments on the ICR are invited.

The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting this Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS)-sponsored information collection request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA). Public comments on the ICR are invited.

The U.S. Department of Labor's Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP) published a final rule in the Federal Register on August 4, 2023, modifying procedures and standards OFCCP uses when issuing pre-enforcement notices and securing compliance through conciliation. This document corrects amendatory instructions included in the final rule.

In this notice, OSHA announces the application of NSF International, for expansion of the scope of recognition as a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) and presents the agency's preliminary finding to grant the application.

The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance consultation program to provide the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This program helps to ensure that requested data can be provided in the desired format, reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized, collection instruments are clearly understood, and the impact of collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed. The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is soliciting comments on the information collection for Certification and Qualification to Examine, Test, Operate Hoists and Perform Other Duties.

This notice is a summary of a petition for modification submitted to the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) by the party listed below.

This notice is a summary of a petition for modification submitted to the Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) by the party listed below.

In this notice, OSHA announces the application of TUV Rheinland of North America, Inc., for expansion of the scope of recognition as a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) and presents the agency's preliminary finding to grant the application.

In this notice, OSHA announces the application of CSA Group Testing & Certification, Inc., for expansion of the scope of recognition as a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) and presents the agency's preliminary finding to grant the application.

In this notice, OSHA announces the application of TUV SUD America, Inc., for expansion of the scope of recognition as a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) and presents the agency's preliminary finding to grant the application.

The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is extending the comment period on the proposed rule entitled Lowering Miners' Exposure to Respirable Crystalline Silica and Improving Respiratory Protection published in the Federal Register on July 13, 2023, with an established public comment period that is scheduled to end on August 28, 2023. In response to requests for additional time to develop and submit comments on the proposed rule, MSHA is extending the comment period for an additional 15 daysthat is, from August 28, 2023, to September 11, 2023.

The Department of Labor (DOL) is submitting this Employee Benefits Security Administration (EBSA)-sponsored information collection request (ICR) to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for review and approval in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA). Public comments on the ICR are invited.

In this notice, OSHA announces the revocation of the April 8, 2016, permanent variance granted to Nucor Steel Connecticut Incorporated (NSCI), from certain provisions of OSHA's standard that regulates the control of hazardous energy (lockout/tagout).

The Department of Labor (Department) is announcing that it will conduct a virtual Tribal Consultation in order to obtain input from federally recognized Indian tribes as the Department is considering making a change to the definition of public official to include Tribal Officials as part of the UC confidentiality and disclosure regulations.

The Department of Labor (DOL) is soliciting comments concerning the authority to conduct the information collection request (ICR) titled ``Voluntary Demographic Form (CM-411).'' This comment request is part of continuing Departmental efforts to reduce paperwork and respondent burden in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA).

The Department of Labor, as part of its continuing effort to reduce paperwork and respondent burden, conducts a pre-clearance request for comment to provide the general public and Federal agencies with an opportunity to comment on proposed collections of information in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. This request helps to ensure that: requested data can be provided in the desired format; reporting burden (time and financial resources) is minimized; collection instruments are clearly understood; and the impact of collection requirements on respondents can be properly assessed. Currently, OWCP/DFELHWC is soliciting comments on the information collection for Claim for Continuance of Compensation, CA-12.

In this notice, OSHA announces the application of Ballard Marine Construction for a permanent variance and interim order from provisions of OSHA standards that regulate work in compressed air environments, presents the agency's preliminary finding on Ballard's application, and announces the granting of an interim order. OSHA invites the public to submit comments on the variance application to assist the agency in determining whether to grant the applicant a permanent variance based on the conditions specified in this application.

The Department of Labor's (DOL) Employment and Training Administration (ETA) is soliciting comments concerning a proposed revision to the information collection request (ICR) titled, ``Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP).'' This comment request is part of continuing Departmental efforts to reduce paperwork and respondent burden in accordance with the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA).

This notice sets forth the schedule and proposed agenda of a forthcoming meeting of the ACVETEO. The ACVETEO will discuss the DOL core programs and services that assist veterans seeking employment and raise employer awareness as to the advantages of hiring veterans. There will be an opportunity for individuals or organizations to address the committee. Any individual or organization that wishes to do so should contact Mr. Gregory Green at ACVETEO@dol.gov. Additional information regarding the Committee, including its charter, current membership list, annual reports, meeting minutes, and meeting updates may be found at https://www.dol.gov/agencies/vets/about/advisorycommittee. This notice also describes the functions of the ACVETEO. Notice of this meeting is required under the Federal Advisory Committee Act. This document is intended to notify the general public.

This document proposes amendments to regulations implementing the Paul Wellstone and Pete Domenici Mental Health Parity and Addiction Equity Act of 2008 (MHPAEA) and proposes new regulations implementing the nonquantitative treatment limitation (NQTL) comparative analyses requirements under MHPAEA, as amended by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2021 (CAA, 2021). Specifically, these proposed rules would amend the existing NQTL standard to prevent plans and issuers from using NQTLs to place greater limits on access to mental health and substance use disorder benefits as compared to medical/ surgical benefits. As part of these changes, these proposed rules would require plans and issuers to collect and evaluate relevant data in a manner reasonably designed to assess the impact of NQTLs on access to mental health and substance use disorder benefits and medical/surgical benefits, and would set forth a special rule with regard to network composition. These proposed rules would also amend existing examples and add new examples on the application of the rules for NQTLs to clarify and illustrate the protections of MHPAEA. Additionally, these proposed rules would set forth the content requirements for NQTL comparative analyses and specify how plans and issuers must make these comparative analyses available to the Department of the Treasury (Treasury), the Department of Labor (DOL), and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) (collectively, the Departments), as well as to an applicable State authority, and participants, beneficiaries, and enrollees. The Departments also solicit comments on whether there are ways to improve the coverage of mental health and substance use disorder benefits through other provisions of Federal law. Finally, HHS proposes regulatory amendments to implement the sunset provision for self-funded, non-Federal governmental plan elections to opt out of compliance with MHPAEA, as adopted in the Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2023 (CAA, 2023).