Occupational Safety and Health Administration 2013 – Federal Register Recent Federal Regulation Documents

OSHA solicits public comments concerning its proposal to extend OMB approval of the information collection requirements specified in the Mechanical Power Presses Standard for General Industry (29 CFR 1910.217(e)(l)).

OSHA solicits public comments concerning its proposal to extend the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval of the information collection requirements contained in the Portable Fire Extinguishers Standard (Annual Maintenance Certification Record) (29 CFR 1910.157(e)(3)).

In this notice, OSHA announces the application of Underwriters Laboratories, Inc., for expansion of its recognition as a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory and presents the Agency's preliminary finding to grant the application and request. Underwriters Laboratories, Inc., requests the addition of multiple test standards to its scope of recognition. This preliminary finding does not constitute an interim or temporary approval of the application and request.

In this notice, OSHA proposes to: (1) Revise its existing policies regarding the incorporation of new test standards into the Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) Program's list of appropriate test standards and into NRTLs' scopes of recognition; and (2) incorporate new test standards into the NRTL Program's list of appropriate test standards.

In this notice, OSHA is making a final determination to delete specific test standards from the scopes of recognition of several Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratories (NRTLs), and to incorporate replacement test standards into the scopes of recognition of several NRTLs.

OSHA solicits public comments concerning its proposal to extend the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval of the information collection requirements contained in the Hydrostatic Testing provision of the Portable Fire Extinguishers Standard for General Industry (29 CFR 1910.157(f)(16)).

OSHA is proposing to make two main revisions to its Mechanical Power Presses Standard. First, OSHA is proposing to revise a provision that requires employers to develop and maintain certification records of periodic inspections performed on the presses by adding a requirement that they develop and maintain certification records of any maintenance and repairs they perform on the presses during the periodic inspections. Second, OSHA is proposing to remove the requirement from another provision that employers develop and maintain certification records of weekly inspections and tests performed on the presses. This rulemaking is part of the Department of Labor's initiative to reduce paperwork burden; it will remove 613,600 hours of unnecessary paperwork burden for employers, while maintaining employee protection. OSHA is publishing a companion direct final rule elsewhere in this issue of the Federal Register taking this same action.

OSHA invites interested parties to attend an informal public meeting on the Improve Tracking of Workplace Injuries and Illnesses proposed rule. The purpose of the public meeting is to allow interested persons to provide oral remarks regarding the proposed rule. The proposed rule is a limited rulemaking to amend OSHA's recordkeeping regulations to add requirements for the electronic submission of injury and illness information employers are already required to keep.

This notice is to advise interested persons that PHMSA and OSHA will conduct a joint public meeting in preparation for United Nations meetings being held in Geneva, Switzerland. PHMSA is hosting the morning portion of the meeting to discuss proposals in preparation for the 44th session of the United Nations Sub-Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods (UNSCOE TDG) to be held November 25 to December 4, 2013, in Geneva. During this meeting, PHMSA is also soliciting comments relative to potential new work items which may be considered for inclusion in its international agenda. OSHA is hosting the afternoon portion of the meeting to discuss proposals in preparation for the 26th session of the United Nations Sub-Committee of Experts on the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals (UNSCEGHS) to be held December 4 to 6, 2013, in Geneva. OSHA, along with the U.S. Interagency GHS (Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals) Coordinating Group, plans to consider the comments and information gathered at this public meeting when developing the U.S. Government positions for the UNSCEGHS meeting.

ACCSH will meet December 5-6, 2013, in Washington, DC. OSHA also announces the Assistant Secretary of Labor request for nominations for membership on ACCSH.

On June 13, 2013, OSHA published in the Federal Register (78 FR 35559) a direct final rule that revised its signage standards for general industry and construction by updating the references to national consensus standards approved by the American National Standards Institute, a clearinghouse that verifies that the criteria for approval of consensus standards have been met. OSHA stated in that Federal Register notice that it would withdraw the companion proposed rule and confirm the effective date of the direct final rule if the Agency received no significant adverse comments on the direct final rule. Since OSHA received no such significant adverse comments, the Agency now confirms that the direct final rule became effective as a final rule on September 11, 2013.

This notice announces T[Uuml]V S[Uuml]D America, Inc.'s application containing a request for renewal of recognition as a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) under 29 CFR 1910.7.

OSHA solicits public comments concerning its proposal to extend OMB approval of the information collection requirement contained in the Aerial Lifts Standard in Construction (29 CFR 1926.453). Employers who modify an aerial lift for uses other than those provided by the manufacturer must obtain a certificate from the manufacturer or equivalent entity certifying that the modification is in conformance with applicable American National Standards Institute (ANSI) standards and that this Standard, and the equipment is as safe as it was prior to the modification.

This notice announces the grant of a permanent variance to Avalotis Corp., Bowen Engineering Corporation, Commonwealth Dynamics, Inc., Gibraltar Chimney International, LLC, Hamon Custodis, Inc., Hoffmann, Inc., International Chimney Corporation, Karrena International Chimney, Kiewit Power Constructors Co., Matrix SME, Inc., NAES Power Contractors, Pullman Power, LLC, R and P Industrial Chimney Co., Inc., T. E. Ibberson Company, TICThe Industrial Company (``the employers''). From 1973 to the present, the Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA or the Agency) granted permanent variances to a number of chimney-construction companies from the provisions of the OSHA standards that regulate boatswain's chairs and hoist towers, specifically paragraph (o)(3) of 29 CFR 1926.452 and paragraphs (c)(1) through (c)(4), (c)(8), (c)(13), (c)(14)(i), and (c)(16) of 29 CFR 1926.552. These variances use temporary personnel hoist systems to transport workers to and from worksites in a personnel cage while constructing chimneys of various configurations using jump-form construction techniques and procedures. The Agency received applications from 15 employers for a variance addressing chimney and chimney-related construction that, like the previous variances, propose to use temporary personnel hoist systems to transport workers to and from worksites in a personnel cage. These variance applications, however, included conditions that address construction of chimneys and chimney-related structures using temporary hoist systems and procedures in association with two different methods of construction (i.e., jump- form and slip-form construction), regardless of the structures' configurations (i.e., tapered or straight-barreled of any diameter). OSHA consolidated these variance applications into a single application and published the application and request for comments in the Federal Register on March 21, 2013 (78 FR 17432). After considering the record as a whole, OSHA finds that these alternative conditions protect workers at least as well as the requirements specified by 29 CFR 1926.452(o)(3) and 29 CFR 1926.552(c)(1) through (c)(4), (c)(8), (c)(13), (c)(14)(i), and (c)(16). This permanent variance applies in Federal OSHA enforcement jurisdictions and in those states and territories with OSHA-approved State-Plans covering private-sector employers that have identical standards and agree to the terms of the variance.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration announces that the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) extended its approval for a number of information collection requirements found in sections of 29 CFR parts 1910, 1915, and 1926. OSHA sought approval of these requirements under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995 (PRA-95), and, as required by that Act, is announcing the approval numbers and expiration dates for these requirements.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) proposes to amend its existing standards for occupational exposure to respirable crystalline silica. The basis for issuance of this proposal is a preliminary determination by the Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health that employees exposed to respirable crystalline silica face a significant risk to their health at the current permissible exposure limits and that promulgating these proposed standards will substantially reduce that risk. This document proposes a new permissible exposure limit, calculated as an 8-hour time-weighted average, of 50 micrograms of respirable crystalline silica per cubic meter of air (50 [mu]g/m\3\). OSHA also proposes other ancillary provisions for employee protection such as preferred methods for controlling exposure, respiratory protection, medical surveillance, hazard communication, and recordkeeping. OSHA is proposing two separate regulatory textsone for general industry and maritime, and the other for constructionin order to tailor requirements to the circumstances found in these sectors.

The Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health invites interested individuals to submit nominations for membership on FACOSH.

In this notice, OSHA is issuing a notification deleting three test standards from the scope of recognition of the Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory (NRTL) TUV SUD America, Inc., based on that NRTL's voluntary request that OSHA reduce its scope of recognition.

OSHA solicits public comments concerning its proposal to extend the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval of the information collection requirements specified in the standard on Formaldehyde (29 CFR 1910.1048).

This notice announces the Occupational Safety and Health Administration's final decision expanding the scope of recognition and the removal of a special condition of recognition that involves testing and evaluating hazardous-location equipment for Intertek Testing Services NA, Inc., as a Nationally Recognized Testing Laboratory under 29 CFR 1910.7.

OSHA solicits comments concerning its proposal to obtain OMB approval of the information collection requirements contained in the OSHA Training Institute Education Centers Program and the OSHA Outreach Training Program.

OSHA solicits public comments concerning its proposal to extend OMB approval of the information collection requirements specified in the Occupational Exposure to Noise Standard (29 CFR 1910.95). The information collection requirements specified in the Noise Standard protect workers from suffering material hearing impairment.

OSHA solicits public comments concerning its proposal to extend the Office of Management and Budget's (OMB) approval of the information collection requirements contained in the proposed Conflict of Interest (COI) and Disclosure Form which will be used to determine whether or not a conflict of interest exists for a potential peer review panel member.

In this notice, OSHA proposes to delete several test standards from the scopes of recognition of several nationally recognized testing laboratories (NRTLs), and to incorporate into the scopes of recognition of several NRTLs test standards to replace some of the deleted test standards.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (``OSHA'' or ``the Agency'') is issuing this direct final rule to update its general industry and construction signage standards by adding references to the latest versions of the American National Standards Institute (``ANSI'') standards on specifications for accident prevention signs and tags, ANSI Z535.1-2006(R2011), Z535.2-2011 and Z535.5-2011. In this rulemaking, OSHA is retaining the existing references to the earlier ANSI standards, ANSI Z53.1-1967, Z35.1-1968 and Z35.2-1968, in its signage standards, thereby providing employers an option to comply with the updated or earlier standards. OSHA also is incorporating by reference Part VI of the Manual of Uniform Traffic Control Devices (``MUTCD''), 1988 Edition, Revision 3, into the incorporation-by- reference section of the construction standards having inadvertently omitted this edition of the MUTCD from this section during an earlier rulemaking, and amending citations in two provisions of the construction standards to show the correct incorporation-by-reference section. In addition, OSHA is publishing a notice of proposed rulemaking in today's Federal Register adding the same references.