Even without a new Assistant Secretary for OSHA, the Trump Administration has recently deleted numerous Obama-era OSHA plans for workplace safety related rules. Rules that administration officials have said they plan to overhaul or scale back include: regulations strengthening limits to exposure to beryllium, addressing workplace safety violation in healthcare, and addressing combustible dust and
Rulemaking news
OSHA further delays electronic reporting
By Brad Hiles on
Posted in OSHA, Rulemaking news
This morning, OSHA announced another planned delay in the deadline for electronic reporting of injury and illness data from July 1st to December 1, 2017.
MSHA delays workplace exam rule until October
By Avi Meyerstein on
Posted in MSHA, Rulemaking news
Following industry comments, MSHA will formally announce on Monday that its workplace examinations final rule will not take effect until October 2, 2017.
Industry and MSHA pause POV case to talk settlement
By Brian Hendrix on
Posted in MSHA, Rulemaking news
A federal district court judge in Ohio granted yesterday a joint request by industry plaintiffs and MSHA to put on hold their pending litigation over the validity of the agency’s 2013 Pattern of Violations (“POV”) rule while the parties explore settlement. The POV rule is MSHA’s harshest enforcement mechanism.
OSHA delays silica rule for construction by 90 days
By Avi Meyerstein on
In June of this year, the construction industry was to be the first to meet a compliance deadline under OSHA’s new silica rule. Now, OSHA says, it will delay that deadline by at least 90 days.
The Volks Rule officially comes to an end
By Erik Dullea on
As forecast in our previous discussion, on April 4th President Trump signed House Joint Resolution 83. This was the final action to complete the Congressional Review Act (CRA) process, disposing of the “Volks Rule” and reinstating to the six-month statute of limitations for recordkeeping activities.
In time for Opening Day, Congress swings for the fences with Congressional Review Act
By Erik Dullea on
Posted in OSHA, Rulemaking news
Passed in 1996, the Congressional Review Act (CRA) has been getting a lot of use since President Trump’s inauguration. Just in the last two months, Congress has now used it twice to permanently roll back safety regulations.
MSHA workplace examinations rule – On again, now off again
By Avi Meyerstein on
For the moment, MSHA’s new workplace examinations final rule is again on hold. Today, MSHA officially delayed the effective date of the workplace examination rule from May until July 24, 2017, and seeks input about possible further extensions of time.
Trump administration defending silica rule?
By Avi Meyerstein on
Posted in OSHA, Rulemaking news
Just one day after President Trump’s nominee for Secretary of Labor declined to take a position on OSHA’s silica rule at his confirmation hearing, the agency filed a legal brief in the federal court defending the rule.
OSHA civil penalties increase again for 2017
By Avi Meyerstein on
Just a few months after OSHA civil penalties increased by 78%, OSHA published another increase to its civil penalties on January 18, 2017. The latest bump in penalties, which a recent federal law required OSHA to issue, was far more modest, amounting to an adjustment for inflation of about 1% based on the Consumer Price Index.