Industry officials are concerned about an OSHA proposal to broadly interpret the word “feasible” as it relates to administrative or engineering controls in its noise exposure standards, saying the plan opens the door to broad use of the term in other health and safety enforcement areas. OSHA's move, backed by unions, signals the agency will increasingly require engineering controls instead of reliance on personal protective equipment (PPE) to control worker exposures, sources say. OSHA states in the proposal that it plans to interpret “feasible” according to its ordinary meaning of “capable of
December 30, 2025