Rulemaking

Six states operating under OSHA-approved state plans have yet to adopt their own rules to implement the Obama OSHA's March 2016 regulation updating limits for exposure to silica, raising legal questions and warnings from observers that it poses a significant “compliance dilemma” and jeopardizes workers' safety.

Manufacturers of slag abrasives used for industrial blasting, cleaning and other purposes are making an 11th-hour push to roll back OSHA's beryllium rule, releasing a new study that even non-slag abrasives, which some have suggested may be a safer alternative, contain beryllium, and that “unecessary regulations” impact the entire industry “regardless of material used.”

A top House Democrat is working with NIOSH to identify “credible workplace exposure data” on various abrasive blasting materials that could be subject to the Obama OSHA's beryllium rule, suggesting policymakers are seeking to evaluate a controversial industry split over whether certain abrasive materials are subject to the rule.