OSHA’s Proposed Emergency Responder Rule Open for Public Comment

Firefighters and workers in similar emergency jobs are closer to getting updated workplace protections under a new US Occupational Safety and Health Administration rule proposal.

A notice of proposed rulemaking released Friday—and scheduled to be published in the Federal Register Feb. 5—indicates OSHA will accept public comments through May 6. The agency released an advance copy of the notice Dec. 21.

It would likely take at least a year for OSHA to respond to comments and issue a final version of the regulation.

The agency described the proposed rule as a “performance-based” standard. Rather than setting strict requirements on how ...