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

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

OSHA solicits public comment concerning its request for an extension of the information collection requirements contained in 29 CFR part 1915, subpart A (``General Provisions'') and subpart B (``Confined and Enclosed Spaces and Other Dangerous Atmospheres in Shipyard Employment'').

OSHA is announcing that the collections of information contained in the Fire Protection in Shipyard Employment Standard (29 CFR part 1915, subpart P) have been approved by OMB under the Paperwork Reduction Act of 1995. The OMB approval number is 1218-0248.

The Maritime Advisory Committee for Occupational Safety and Health (MACOSH) was established to advise the Assistant Secretary of Labor for OSHA on issues relating to occupational safety and health in the maritime industries. The purpose of this Federal Register notice is to announce the March 2005 meeting of the committee.

Due to significant adverse comment, OSHA is withdrawing the direct final rule for Updating OSHA Standards Based on National Consensus Standards; General, Incorporation by Reference; Hazardous Materials, Flammable and Combustible Liquids; General Environmental Controls, Temporary Labor Camps; Hand and Portable Powered Tools and Other Hand Held Equipment, Guarding of Portable Powered Tools; Welding, Cutting, and Brazing, Arc Welding and Cutting; Special Industries, Sawmills, which was published on November 24, 2004 [69 FR 68712]. In that document, OSHA stated that if it received significant adverse comment, the agency would ``publish a notice of significant adverse comment in the Federal Register withdrawing this direct final rule * * *'' OSHA published a companion proposed rule identical to the direct final rule on the same day. [69 FR 68706]. The agency will address the significant adverse comment and the other comments on the direct final and proposed rules in a new final rule. OSHA will not institute a second comment period.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) through this final rule is continuing to remove and revise provisions of its standards that are outdated, duplicative, unnecessary, or inconsistent, or can be clarified or simplified by being written in plain language. The Agency completed Phase I of the Standards Improvement Project in June 1998. In this Phase II of the Standards Improvement Project, OSHA is again revising or removing a number of health provisions in its standards for general industry, shipyard employment, and construction. The Agency believes that the changes streamline and make more consistent the regulatory requirements in OSHA health and safety standards. In some cases, OSHA has made substantive revisions to requirements because they are outdated, duplicative, unnecessary, or inconsistent with more recently promulgated health standards. The Agency believes these revisions will reduce regulatory requirements for employers without reducing employee protection.