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DEPARTMENT OF LABOR

Occupational Safety and Health Administration

29 CFR Parts 1910 and 1926

[Docket No. S-778]

RIN 1218-AB 53

Standards Improvement (Miscellaneous Changes) for General Industry and Construction Standards; Paperwork Collection for Coke Oven Emissions and Inorganic Arsenic

AGENCY: Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Labor.

ACTION: Final rule.

SUMMARY: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) is removing from the Code of Federal Regulations or revising provisions in its standards that are out of date, duplicative, unnecessary, or inconsistent. The Agency is making these regulatory changes to reduce the burden imposed on the regulated community by these provisions and to respond to a March 4, 1995 memorandum from the President. In this document, substantive changes are made to both health and safety standards that will revise or eliminate duplicative, inconsistent, or unnecessary regulatory requirements without diminishing employee protections. Changes being made to health standards include reducing the frequency of required chest x-rays and eliminating sputum-cytology examinations for workers covered by the coke oven and inorganic arsenic standards, and changing the emergency-response provisions of the vinyl chloride standard. Changes being made to OSHA safety standards include eliminating the public safety provisions of the temporary labor camp standard, eliminating unnecessary cross-references in the textile industry standards, and others. OSHA estimates that these changes will result in annualized savings for employers of over $9,600,000 and in reducing paperwork burden of 6600 hours annually.

EFFECTIVE DATE: This final rule becomes effective August 17, 1998.

ADDRESSES: Send petitions for review of this final rule to the Associate Solicitor for Occupational Safety and Health, Office of the Solicitor, Room S-4004, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20210.

For additional copies of this rule contact U.S. Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Office of Publications, Room N-3101, 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20210, (202) 219-9667.

For an electronic copy of this Federal Register notice, contact the Labor News Bulletin Board at (202) 219-4748; or OSHA's Web Site on the Internet at http://www.osha.gov. For news releases, fact sheets, and other short documents, contact OSHA FAX at (900) 555-3400 at $1.50 per minute.

FOR FURTHER INFORMATION CONTACT: Bonnie Friedman, Director, Office of Information and Consumer Affairs, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, Room N-3637, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue N.W., Washington, DC 20210, (202) 219-8151.

SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION:

Table of Contents

1. Background
2. Distribution Table
3. Summary and Explanation

Amendments to Part 1910 that received no comments or positive comments only

1. Explosives and blasting agents (§ 1910.109)
2. Storing and handling of liquefied petroleum gases (§ 1910.110)
3. Storing and handling of anhydrous ammonia (§ 1910.111)
4. Sanitation (§ 1910.141)
5. Temporary labor camps (§ 1910.142)
6. Safety color code for marking physical hazards (§ 1910.144)
7. Fire brigades (§ 1910.156)
8. Helicopters (§ 1910.183)
9. Pulp, paper, paperboard mills (§ 1910.261)
10. Textiles (§ 1910.262)
11. Sawmills (§ 1910.265)
12. Agricultural operations (§ 1910.267)
13. Vinyl chloride (§ 1910.1017)
14. Inorganic arsenic (§ 1910.1018) and Coke oven emissions (§ 1910.1029)

Amendments to Part 1910 that received varied comments

15. Explosives and blasting agents (§ 1910.109)
16. Medical services and first aid (§ 1910.151)
17. Telecommunications (§ 1910.268)

Amendments to Part 1926 that received no comments or positive comments only

1. Incorporation by reference (§ 1926.31)
2. Flammable and combustible liquids (§ 1926.152)
3. Initiation of explosive charges -- Electric blasting (§ 1926.906)

Amendments to Part 1926 that received varied comments

4. Medical services and first aid (§ 1926.50)

4. Summary of the Final Economic Analysis
5. Regulatory Flexibility Certification
6. Environmental Assessment
7. International Trade
8. Paperwork Reduction Act
9. Federalism
10. State Plan Standards
11. Authority and Signature

References to the rulemaking record are provided in the text of the preamble. References are identified as "Ex." followed by a number to designate the reference in this rulemaking docket, S-778. For example, "Ex. 3" means exhibit three in Docket S-778. Exhibit 3 is a copy of the "Notice of Proposed Rulemaking for Miscellaneous Changes to General Industry and Construction Standards; Proposed Paperwork Collection, Comment Request for Coke Oven Emissions and Inorganic Arsenic", the first step in the rule-making action being completed today, which was published in the Federal Register on July 22, 1996 (61 FR 37849).

A list of exhibits and copies of the exhibits are available in the OSHA Docket Office, Room N-2625, U.S. Department of Labor, 200 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Washington, DC 20210, (202) 219-7894.