OSHA Considers Revamp of Emergency Response Regulations, Possible Rulemaking

The challenges in drafting a standard to cover emergency response operations were clear July 30-31 when the Labor Department’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration heard from firefighters, state safety officials and a host of others.

The “stakeholders meeting” (79 Fed. Reg. 32,199) was an early step in OSHA’s decision-making process on whether the agency will pursue researching and writing the rule.

Deputy Assistant Secretary of Labor for Occupational Safety and Health Jordan Barab opened the July 30 session in Washington by stating that OSHA’s regulations for emergency response are “fairly disorganized and not really comprehensive.”

The need ...