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2009. STANDARDS IMPROVEMENT PROJECT

Priority: Other Significant

Unfunded Mandates: Undetermined

Reinventing Government: This rulemaking is part of the Reinventing Government effort. It will eliminate existing text in the CFR.

Legal Authority: 29 USC 653; 29 USC 655; 29 USC 657; 40 USC 333

CFR Citation: 29 CFR 1910; 29 CFR 1926

Legal Deadline: None

Abstract: OSHA has made a continuing effort to eliminate confusing, outdated, and duplicative regulations. In 1978 and again in 1984, the Agency conducted comprehensive revocation and revision projects that resulted in the elimination of hundreds of unnecessary rules. In 1995, OSHA developed a list of standards it proposed to revoke or revise. These standards were deemed to be out of date, duplicative, inconsistent with other OSHA standards, or preempted by the regulations of other Federal agencies. The agency began this process in March 1996 by revoking various non-substantive provisions that the Agency believed were unnecessary or ineffective in protecting worker health or safety. The Agency followed up this effort by issuing a final and a proposed rule addressing substantive changes. The first of these, issued on June 20, 1996, eliminated duplicative standards by replacing them with cross references to eliminate any possible confusion and to reduce the volume of the rules. The second one, published on July 22, 1996, proposed to reduce the burden imposed on employers by selected medical surveillance provisions of existing rules, change the emergency-response provisions of the vinyl chloride standard, and eliminate a number of duplicative or unnecessary provisions. A final rule addressing these changes will be issued in 1998. This Standards Improvement Project had two other components: elimination of requirements and appendices associated with the Agency's Longshoring and Marine Terminals Standards (completed in July 1997) and revision and streamlining of the Agency's respirator standard and appendices, which was completed in January 1998.

Timetable:
Action Date FR Cite
Final - Miscellaneous Minor & Technical
     Amendments		 03/07/96 61 FR 9228
NPRM - Consolidation of Repetitive Provisions;
    Technical Amendments		 06/20/96 61 FR 31427
NPRM - Miscellaneous Changes to General Industry &
    Construction Standards 		07/22/96 61 FR 37849
Final - Longshoring 07/25/97 62 FR 40141
FINAL Miscellaneous Changes 06/00/98

Small Entities Affected: None

Government Levels Affected: None

Agency Contact: John Martonik, Acting Director, Safety Standards Programs, Department of Labor, Occupational Safety and Health Administration, 200 Constitution Avenue NW., Room N3605, FP Building, Washington, DC 20210
Phone: 202 219-8061
Fax: 202 219-7477

RIN: 1218-AB53


DEPARTMENT OF LABOR (DOL) Long-Term Actions
Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA)

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