'Economically Significant' Rules Move Ahead

OSHA is working on six economically significant rulemakings, according to a notice in the Aug. 16 issue of the Federal Register.
The notice outlines all of the rulemakings with an eye on those affecting a large number of small entities.
The six include the new emergency response standard, which would replace a four-decade-old standard for private sector fire brigades.
Others include rules on: infectious disease hazards in health care and other high-risk environments; Process safety management and the prevention of major chemical accidents; Communication tower safety; Hazards in the tree care industry; and, a federal standard for workplace violence prevention, as none exists now.
All six are in the proposed rule stage.
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Mar-Jac Poultry will pay $164,814 in fines and introduce enhanced safety measures stemming from a 16-year-old worker’s death at its Mississippi plant, The Associated Press reported.
The worker was pulled into a machine as they cleaned it July 14, 2023.
Both Mar-Jac Poultry and Onin Staffing were sued by the victim’s family for alleged negligence and violation of safety regulations.
“Tragically, a teenage boy died needlessly before Mar-Jac Poultry took required steps to protect its workers,” said OSHA Regional Administrator Kurt Petermeyer.
Mar-Jac Poultry has raised live birds for poultry production since 1954 at facilities in Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi for food service customers in the U.S and abroad, the Department of Labor’s news release said.
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The Naval Safety Command (NAVSAFECOM) said Tuesday that it brought together more than 50 safety experts earlier this month for an update on the Department of the Navy’s Risk Management Information (RMI) system.
Over the past four years, NAVSAFECOM has introduced a series of modules to expand the safety reporting and safety management systems within the RMI framework.
The focus has been on streamlined incident reporting, analysis and dissemination, safety program management and a single point of entry.
With three of the RMI modules completed, the initiative is now focused on the modules scheduled for delivery through fiscal 2027: Job Hazard Analysis, Medical Surveillance, Self-assessment, Respiratory Protection, Fall Protection, Operational Risk Management and Safety Committee.
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