Regulatory Reform

The Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) is now opposing OSHA’s proposal to remove medical evaluation requirements from its respirator standard and is urging the agency not to proceed with the proposed rule -- a shift in position spurred by a similar recommendation from an OSHA advisory panel.

OSHA is reopening the administrative record for numerous deregulatory proposals related to chemical-specific respirator standards to allow an additional 30 days of public comment following recommendations from a federal advisory panel and as the agency prepares to begin informal public hearings on the rules next month.

The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) is planning to quickly finalize more than a dozen deregulatory actions it proposed last year, although it plans to hold a public hearing on its controversial proposal to eliminate the authority for a district manager to require additional measures in roof control plans.

OSHA is planning to take “final action” on a Biden-era proposal that would require employers to create a plan to evaluate and control heat hazards in their workplace by October 2027, according to the agency’s latest Unified Agenda of regulatory actions, although it remains uncertain what that action will be.

The Mine Safety and Health Administration (MSHA) has finalized four rules to remove outdated requirements after the proposals dealing with conveyor belts, blacksmith shops, diesel particulate matter (DPM) emission limits and flame safety lamps received no opposing comments.

The Agriculture Department (USDA) is optimistic that its proposals to increase processing speeds at poultry and pork slaughterhouses will be upheld in court, pointing to a 2025 Supreme Court ruling that it says eliminated the need to consider worker safety, which is not part of USDA’s authority.

OSHA has scheduled a series of informal public hearings for August on a host of deregulatory proposals unveiled last year, including a plan to eliminate medical evaluation requirements for certain respirators that the agency’s construction advisory panel has recommended OSHA drop.

OSHA’s construction-sector advisory panel is providing a mixed response to the agency’s proposals to streamline and provide compliance flexibility for chemical-specific respirator standards -- backing some, opposing others and deadlocking on two -- after previously narrowly opposing other aspects of OSHA’s deregulatory package.

OSHA has scheduled a May 19-20 meeting of its construction-sector advisory panel to continue discussion about the agency’s plan to eliminate several chemical-specific respirator standards, after the panel April 1 recommended OSHA not proceed with the rulemakings until it had more time to consult with the committee.

The American Chemistry Council (ACC) is petitioning EPA to correct several aspects the agency’s final TSCA risk evaluation for the rubber ingredient 1,3-butadiene (1,3-BD) as part of a broader effort to head off any changes to existing worker protection standards.